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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…
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Dr. Barbara Rose Johnston, Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at Michigan State University, has been honored with a named award. At the annual American Anthropological Association (AAA) meeting this year the AAA Environment & Anthropology Society is launching the new award: Barbara Rose Johnston Travel Award.
Barbara Rose Johnston Travel Award is a $1000 competitive grant to allow a society member at any stage in their career who lack institutional support to attend the AAA annual meeting and formally participate in Environment and Anthropology Society sessions. This competition is open to any member of the Society who lacks institutional support for conference travel, including those working for government agencies (federal, state, local, and tribal governments), nonprofits, community colleges, consultants, international scholars, and contingent faculty. Deadline to apply: October 3, 2022 Full details can be found at: https://ae.americananthro.org/prizes/barbara-rose-johnston-award/
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Ph.D. Candidate Kiana Sakimehr wins the 2022 John F. Richards Fellowship offered by the American Institute of Afghanistan Studies (AIAS)
The Department of Anthropology is pleased to announce that Ph.D. candidate Kiana Sakimehr has been awarded the John F. Richards Fellowship by the American Institute of Afghanistan Studies (AIAS). This institute is a private and non-profit organization located at Boston University and headed by scholars to promote and support the study of Afghanistan. Kiana will use the funds to cover expenses related to her field research that focuses on Afghan refugees who recently arrived in the US. She intends to investigate the often-neglected emotional aspect of migration and how it shapes peoples’ interpretations and perceptions of their new reality as…
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Associate Professor Dr. Masako Fujita publishes in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology
Department of Anthropology Associate Professor Dr. Masako Fujita and co-authors Katherine Wander, Tin Tran, and Eleanor Brindle recently published an article in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology. The article is titled “Characterizing the extent human milk folate is buffered against maternal malnutrition and infection in drought-stricken northern Kenya.” This publication investigates whether and how the extent of maternal buffering of milk folate may diminish under prolonged nutritional and disease stress, while taking into consideration infants’ varying vulnerability to malnutrition-related morbidity/mortality. The results of this study suggest that mothers buffer milk folate against their own nutritional stress even during a…
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Associate Professor Dr. Elizabeth Drexler publishes in Oxford University Press’ International Journal of Transitional Justice
Department of Anthropology Associate Professor Dr. Elizabeth Drexler publishes in the International Journal of Transitional Justice. The article, titled, “Impunity and Transitional Justice in Indonesia: Aksi Kamisan’s Circular Time” argues the Indonesian weekly Thursday silent protests by victims’ families, create sites of justice bringing together technical legal demands with compelling artistic performance to highlight the problem of persistent but invisible impunity, counter the legacies of authoritarian era social stigmatization, and expose the problematic nature of temporality in conventional transitional justice mechanisms. Read the full article at: https://doi.org/10.1093/ijtj/ijac010 Abstract: This article positions the Indonesian weekly Thursday silent protests by victims’…
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Ph.D. Student Emily Milton and Assistant Professor Kurt Rademaker publish in the Journal of Archaeological Science
Department of Anthropology Ph.D. student Emily Milton published her Master of Arts research in the Journal of Archaeological Science with co-authors Dr. Kurt Rademaker, Dr. Nathan D. Stansell (Northern Illinois University), Drs Hervé Bocherens and Döbereiner Chala-Aldana (University of Tübingen, Germany), and Annalis Brownlee (University of Alaska-Anchorage). The article, titled, “Examining surface water δ18O and δ2H values in the western Central Andes: A watershed moment for anthropological mobility studies,” reviews the isotopic patterning of surface waters in the western Peruvian Andes and implications for archaeological and forensic migration research. Emily’s research was funded by a National Science Foundation grant (PI:…
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Associate Professor Dr. Joe Hefner and Ph.D. Candidate Micayla Spiros co-publish in the University of Florida Press’ Forensic Anthropology Journal
Department of Anthropology Associate Professor Dr. Joe Hefner and Ph.D. Candidate Micayla Spiros and co-authors Sherry Nakhaeizadeh, Tim J.U. Thompson, Ruth M. Morgan, Viktor Olsson, Alexandra Berivoe, and Martin Arvidsson published their work in the University of Florida Press’ Forensic Anthropology Journal. The article is titled “Using Eye-Tracking Technology to Quantify the Effect of Experience and Education on Forensic Anthropological Analyses.” The article discusses how the human interpretation of analytical outputs is a significant challenge in forensic science, making it vital to explore the application of protocols as we enhance our practices. This study assesses decision making in forensic anthropological…
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Associate Professor Dr. Masako Fujita co-authors article in Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health
Department of Anthropology Associate Professor Dr. Masako Fujita and co-authors Katherine Wander, Siobhan Mattison, Blandina Mmbaga and others publish in Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health. The article is titled “Tradeoffs in milk immunity affect infant infectious disease risk.” The article discusses research on milk immune activity, a new area of research, among almost 100 breastfeeding mother–infant dyads in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. The study used a new lab-based technique and described how mothers’ milk differed in their immune responses to some bacteria, and followed the infants to see whether those receiving milk with stronger responses in lab were less likely to develop infectious diseases. They found support for this with…
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Assistant Professor Dr. Lucero Radonic, Ph.D. Candidate Cara Jacob, alumna Dr. Rowen Kalman, and community partner Yvonne Lewis co-publish in Case Studies in the Environment
Department of Anthropology Assistant Professor Dr. Lucero Radonic, Ph.D. Candidate Cara Jacob, alumna Dr. Rowen Kalman, and community partner Yvonne Lewis co-publish in Case Studies in the Environment. The article is titled “Questionable Quality: Using Photovoice to Document Women’s Experiences of Water Insecurity in Flint, USA.” The article discusses a Flint, Michigan based community-based participatory research project documenting grassroots narratives about the impacts of water insecurity on the lives of women. Read the full article at: https://doi.org/10.1525/cse.2022.1706476 Abstract: “Household water insecurity is a global problem; one not escaped by residents of high-income nations. In this article, we review a community-based…
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MSU Anthropology Undergraduate Spotlight: Senior Jackson Schooley
“I’ve made life-long friends that I have met in my Anthropology classes,” said senior Jackson Schooley, who graduated May 2022 with a degree in Anthropology. A lifelong learner of language and people, Jackson found the human-centric discipline in the MSU Department of Anthropology to be a perfect marriage of his interests. “Anthropology gives us a unique role to play in the fight against injustices: one characterized by empathy, curiosity, and a deep understanding of the ways contemporary issues intersect with other aspects of our lives and identities.” Schooley sees his major as a tool that can help address the things…