Agness Gidna facts for kids

Agness Gidna is a famous Tanzanian scientist. She is a paleontologist, which means she studies ancient life, like fossils. She also works to protect important historical places. She was the main curator of paleontology at the National Museum of Tanzania. Now, she is a top officer for cultural heritage in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Agness Gidna made history in Tanzania. She is the first Tanzanian woman to earn a doctorate degree in Physical Anthropology. This field studies human evolution and our closest relatives. She is also the first Tanzanian woman to lead research at Olduvai Gorge. This is a very important place for finding ancient human fossils. Since 2017, she has been a co-leader of the Olduvai Palaeoanthropology and Paleoecology Project (TOPPP).

Discovering the Past: Agness Gidna's Career

Her Amazing Career

Agness Gidna studied at several universities. She went to the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. She also studied in Spain, at the Complutense University of Madrid and the University of Alcala.

She helped discover the Luxmanda Site. This is the biggest site from the Pastoral Neolithic period in sub-Saharan Africa. The Pastoral Neolithic was a time when people started herding animals. She also helps lead big international research projects. One of these is the famous Olduvai Gorge Project.

Sharing Ancient Discoveries

As the Senior Curator of Paleontology, Agness Gidna organized many exhibitions. She created two major shows about human origins. These were displayed at the Olduvai Gorge Museum and the National Museum of Tanzania. The Olduvai Gorge Museum was started by the famous scientist Mary Leakey.

Important people have visited her exhibitions. In 2017, she gave a tour to Samia Suluhu Hassan. At that time, Samia Suluhu Hassan was the Vice President of Tanzania. Agness Gidna also gave a tour to Monica Chakwera, who is the First Lady of Malawi.