-
Featured Staff, Roxanne Moran
The Department of Anthropology is delighted to feature Roxanne Moran, who has been working in the department for sixteen years. Roxanne began her career at Michigan State University in March 2001. She initially worked as a teller in the Cashier’s office, then moved to Contracts & Grants. In 2006, Roxanne joined the Department of Anthropology as an Office Assistant III. Since then, she has been helping the faculty, staff, and students of the Anthropology department with various tasks such as handling the accounting and student payroll processes as well as processing expense and travel reimbursements within the department. Roxanne also…
-
New Graduate Program Director, Dr. Stacey Camp
The Department of Anthropology is pleased to announce that Associate Professor and the Director of the MSU Campus Archaeology Program, Dr. Stacey Camp is our new Graduate Program Director. Dr. Camp sees this as an excellent opportunity to get to know incoming students and help graduate students navigate their academic programs. Dr. Camp has been in administrative roles since 2013. She enjoys solving problems and finding solutions for her colleagues, staff, and students and the opportunity to promote what her students and colleagues are doing to the wider university audience. Dr. Camp joined MSU as an associate professor of anthropology in 2017, but…
-
Department of Anthropology Graduate Student Publications: 2022
Graduate students in the Department of Anthropology are often able to begin publishing their research in academic journals before graduating. Congratulations to our graduate students on their publications in 2022! The names of the graduate students are in bold, and the names of Anthropology faculty members are underlined. Biggs, Jack. A., Jeffrey J. Burnett, Rhian R. Dunn, Emily B. P. Milton, and Amber M. Plemons. 2022. “The Campus Archaeology Program at Michigan State University: Reevaluating Our Program during a Pandemic.” SAA Archaeological Record, 22(2):17-21. https://mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?m=16146&i=740794&p=18&ver=html5. Burnett, Jeffrey J. 2022. “Seeking Radical Solidarity in Heritage Studies: Exploring the Intersection of Black Feminist Archaeologies and Geographies in Oak Bluffs,…
-
Anthropology professor and former chair Dr. Jodie O’Gorman receives distinguished award and reflects on career
By Katie Nicpon During the annual Midwest Archaeological Conference (MAC), Dr. Jodie O’Gorman, MSU Department of Anthropology professor, received the Distinguished Career Award that recognizes archaeologists who have demonstrated excellence and contributed significantly and regularly to the advancement of Midwestern archaeology. “I”m honored to receive the Distinguished Career Award and I’m very grateful to those who took the time to nominate me and write in support of the nomination,” Dr. O’Gorman said. The award has deep meaning for O’Gorman because the MAC has been a valuable part of her professional life since graduate school. “I gave my first professional paper…
-
Associate Professor Ethan Watrall Elected as a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
The Department of Anthropology is pleased to announce that Associate Professor Dr. Ethan Watrall has been named a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. Founded in 1707 and granted a royal charter in 1751, the Society of Antiquaries is based in London and charged with furthering the study and preservation of heritage and archaeology in Britain and around the world. The Society’s 3000 elected members include some of the most prominent scholars and professionals in heritage and archaeology, national museum directors, curators, directors of heritage preservation trusts and non-profits, and members of the UK parliament. Fellows are nominated internally and elected by…
-
Dr. Ampson Hagan joins the Department of Anthropology as College of Social Science Dean’s Research Associate
The MSU Department of Anthropology welcomes Dr. Ampson Hagan as their new College of Social Science Dean’s Research Associate. Dr. Hagan earned his PhD in anthropology from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and joined MSU in fall semester 2022. “I applied to the College of Social Science Dean’s Research Associate Program at MSU because it looked like it was one of a kind,” he said. “The dedication to supporting and nurturing scholars from diverse backgrounds caught my eye, and the program’s commitment to doing the work of putting scholars in positions to succeed, with institutional resources, intrigued me.” Dr.…
-
MSU Department of Anthropology holds Human Remains Excavation Course for Michigan State Police
By Katie Nicpon Caption: The MSU Forensic Anthropology Lab facilitated a training session in Lansing for members of the Michigan State Police force. The training involved how to properly excavate and handle remains. The skeletons used for the training were made of plastic. Photo credit: Jacqueline Hawthorne, MSU College of Social Science photographer. In September, the MSU Department of Anthropology offered their four-day, Human Remains Excavation Course for Michigan State Police officers and laboratory personnel. “This training is important for us to expand our skillset and provide the best and highest quality response for the community,” Christina Rasmussen said. She…
-
Anthropology Grad Student Spotlight: Kelsey Merreck Wagner – Human-environment relationships and art as activism
By Katie Nicpon Passionate about the intersection of people, animals, environment and activism, Kelsey Merreck Wagner is a Ph.D. candidate in the MSU Anthropology program and is also an artist. Since the pandemic, she has been weaving community trash into tapestries and preparing for her dissertation research trip to Thailand in October. MSU Anthropology PhD candidate and local artist Kelsey Merreck Wagner stands with her tapestry she wove using plastic. For more of her art, visit her website. Photo credit: Kelsey Merreck Wagner. “I was really drawn to the idea that weavings are inherently based in place because people generally…
-
MSU Anthropology professor and undergraduate participate in Smithsonian global oyster study
Dr. Sanchez, MSU Department of Anthropology assistant professor, and his colleague Dr. Michael Grone, California Department of Parks and Recreation, contributed to the global study of Indigenous oyster fisheries, which synthesized over a century of archaeological findings from the San Francisco Bay Area. The synthesis of these data was supported by MSU Anthropology major Emily Westfall. “I participated in the research to contribute to reimagining Indigenous-environmental relationships, specifically Indigenous fisheries, within archaeological, biological, and ecological literature,” Dr. Sanchez said. “So often, Indigenous relationships with culturally important species, such as oysters, are often minimized. I believe it is critical to center…
-
MSU alum named Executive Director of the Hispanic Latino Commission of Michigan
In September 2021, the Hispanic/Latino Commission of Michigan (HLCOM) named MSU alumna Dr. Isabel Montemayor-Vazquez the executive director, and she began her role that same month. Dr. Montemayor-Vazquez received both her master’s and doctorate’s degrees from the MSU Department of Anthropology. “I was interested in this position because it marries my political science background and applied activist driven anthropology background perfectly,” Dr. Montemayor-Vazquez said. “In this position, I can advocate for the needs of the community, work with non-profit organizations serving the Latinx community, train different state agencies on structural and systemic inequities, and most importantly, contribute to policy change.”…