"For years my family silently suffered behind their smiles and nods as I would go on – and on – and on about archaeology, anthropology, the Middle East, or whatever it was that I was working on or researching that week. The problem is – the details I found fascinating were not quite as fascinating to those around me – except for [my colleague], Justine [Benanty], of course! We realized that there are so many important and amazing topics in history, science, and global affairs that would be interesting to so many – if only we could change, and shorten, our discussion of them. We developed the ArchaeoVenturers Project to break down all of the awesome stuff and put it into a more easily digestible format for those both in and outside of the field."

Katie A. Paul is the “Digger” of ArchaeoVenturers. She is an Anthropologist and Archaeologist with a focus in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region. Katie has worked to advocate for preservation of history in the MENA region since she began her career at The George Washington University.

Using her accomplished research skills, Katie has applied her intimate knowledge of the conflicts in the Middle East and the escalating crises affecting the present day and ancient history of the region, to become an advocate for ‘real world’ archaeology and its accompanying humanitarian issues.  She considers herself a “reformed” academic – working across professional fields and exploring across disciplines instead of working in the academic sphere alone.

When she isn’t in the deserts of the Middle East or darting back and forth across, Katie spends her time engaging in social media, raising awareness about our shared history, global women’s rights and humanitarian issues. She isn’t afraid to say what others often will not. She has enjoyed becoming an activist for young women and for archaeology – or as she calls it “#ArchaeoActivism.”

Katie’s first international trip was to the country that helped inspire her passions in history and heritage:  Egypt, a country that immediately enchanted her with its ancient ‘wonderful things’ and served as the catalyst for her activism from that point on. Originally from Ohio — a state archaeologically rich in its own right — Katie would operate her own ‘digs’ in her backyard as a kid to search for fossils and other ancient finds.  She now resides in Washington, DC (but still has the fossils!).

Katie received her B.A.s from Miami University in Anthropology and Ancient Greek, and her M.A. in Anthropology from The George Washington University.

Source: http://archaeoventurers.com/team/katie-a-paul/