We have been working in the Danakil Depression of Eritrea since 1997. We are currently funded by NSF to conduct a paleoecological analysis of the Miocene Red Series. This project examines the paleontology and stratigraphy of the Red Series, Danakil Depression, Eritrea, a Late Miocene deposit spanning the critical and enigmatic geological interval of hominid origins and dramatic global climate change. The Red Series strata exposed in the Danakil are virtually unexplored and will fill gaps in this interval. Our pilot study (January, 1997) revealed a diverse invertebrate and vertebrate fauna within a complex sequence of paleoenvironments. The development of a comprehensive fossil fauna record in the Red Series will provide a basis for evaluating the paleoecology, timing of dispersal, diversification, and extinction patterns of northern Afar faunas in a Miocene interval crucial to hominid evolution. While most of our efforts in Eritrea have been research-related, we have also been involved in some capacity building, running a seminar course in Eritrea and obtaining computers for the University of Asmara.