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Dr. Gabriel Sanchez Awarded National Geographic Grant
The Department of Anthropology is pleased to announce that Dr. Gabriel Sanchez has been awarded a National Geographic Early Career Grant in support of his research project, “Archaeology as Conservation Science: Investigating the Historical Range of California’s Endangered Coho Salmon.” Dr. Sanchez joined the Department as a College of Social Science Dean’s Research Associate and specializes in Indigenous and environmental archaeology. Working through the lens of historical ecology, he studies ancient fisheries along the Pacific Coast of North America and how data from archaeological sites can inform contemporary resource management and conservation. The National Geographic Society funds “bold, innovative, and…
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Assistant Professor Kurt Rademaker publishes in the journal Cell on reconstructing deep population history of the Andes
Department of Anthropology Assistant Professor Kurt Rademaker co-authored a recently published article in the journal Cell with colleagues around the world, including first author Nathan Nakatsuka (Harvard-MIT) and senior authors David Reich (Harvard) and Lars Fehren-Schmitz (UCSC). The article is titled “A Paleogenomic Reconstruction of the Deep Population History of the Andes” and discusses the changes to the genetic landscape in the Central Andes over 9,000 years. The article also investigates the correlation between changes in population structure and archaeologically detected periods of cultural, political, and socioeconomic shifts. Read the full article at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.04.015 Abstract: “There are many unanswered questions…
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Fieldwork Photography Contest Winners 2020
The results of the 2020 Anthropology Fieldwork Photography Contest are in! Thank you to everyone who entered photos and to our judges from across the department. The photos were truly amazing and are a stunning reflection of the fieldwork in this department. Congratulations to our winners: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
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PhD Alumna Kathryn Frederick, Alumna Rebecca Albert, and Professor Emeritus William Lovis publish on actualistic replication of acorn processing facilities
Department of Anthropology PhD alumna Kathryn Frederick, undergraduate alumna Rebecca Albert, and Professor Emeritus William Lovis recently published an article in the Wisconsin Archeologist titled, “The Green Site Acorn Parching Feature: Analysis and Actualistic Replication of an Early Late Woodland Acorn Processing Pit.” The article discusses the several experiments designed to replicate a 1200-year-old acorn parching facility, part of an ongoing project into indigenous Great Lakes subterranean food storage (MSUStore) protocols and practices. The full article is available from the authors. Abstract: “The Green site, in Shiawassee County, Michigan is an Early Late Woodland locale with a single deep, burned,…
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Congratulations to the Class of 2020
From the Chair, Dr. Todd Fenton: “On behalf of the entire Department of Anthropology, we offer our sincerest congratulations to the Michigan State University Class of 2020 graduates. We are so proud of all that you have accomplished during your time here and look forward to your future achievements. It has been an honor and joy to watch you grow, both academically and personally. As we entered your final spring semester here at MSU, we envisioned ending this journey as it began—together. Although we may not be gathered in one place, we are still celebrating you and your successes as…