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Ph.D. student Kelly Kamnikar and Dr. Joe Hefner publish a chapter in Avances en Antropología Forense.
Department of Anthropology Ph.D. student Kelly Kamnikar and assistant professor Dr. Joe Hefner recently published a chapter in Avances en Antropología Forense. This chapter reviews population affinity estimation using macromorphoscopic trait analysis. The authors focus on the application of this method to Latin American groups and discuss refining broad categories used in population affinity estimation, like Hispanic. They aim to provide a starting point for investigation into biological distance and population affinity for practitioners working with Latin American populations to improve methodology used in identification of migrant remains at the Mexico-US border, and victims of violence that may occur in transit from…
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Ph.D. student Kelly Kamnikar and Dr. Joe Hefner publish in Forensic Anthropology
Department of Anthropology Ph.D. student Kelly Kamnikar, assistant professor Dr. Joe Hefner, and co-authors Dr. Timisay Monsalve, and Dr. Liliana Maria Bernal Florez recently published an article in Forensic Anthropology. The article is titled “Craniometric Variation in a Regional Sample from Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia: Implications for Forensic Work in the Americas.” This publication examines a sample from Antioquia, Colombia within a population affinity estimation framework. The authors aim to investigate intraregional variation via social labels within Antioquia and craniometric variation on a broad level, when pooled, as compared to other global, comparative samples. This research directly contributes to the refinement…
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MSU Anthropology alum finds success in the business world
“Rarely is there another person in any meeting room that I’m in that has the background that I have,” MIchigan State University alumnus Jeffrey Bennish laughed good-naturedly. Bennish is the Vice President of QuVA Pharma Inc., a 503B pharmacy drug manufacturer, who graduated with a degree in anthropology. “I think you can use a lot of the skills from an applied anthropology standpoint that translate incredibly well into business environments, and find yourself with a unique skill set amongst your peers and those business environments that make you stand out,” he said. Bennish attributes his success to his early training…
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Ph.D. students Micayla Spiros, Amber Plemons, and Jack Biggs publish in Science & Justice
Ph.D. students Micayla Spiros, Amber Plemons, and Jack Biggs co-authored a paper in a special issue of Science & Justice on the Future of Teaching, Training and Learning in Forensic and Crime Sciences. Their paper, entitled: “Pedagogical Access and Ethical Considerations in Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology” focuses on access, ethics, and pedagogy in fields using skeletal collections. It also incorporates the digital tools Spiros, Plemons, and Biggs created during their tenure as CHI fellows into the greater narrative. Read the full article at: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1erEk4q6IcubKw Abstract: “Traditional education in biological anthropology relies primarily on hands-on, highly visual experiences. Forensic anthropologists, bioarchaeologists,…
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Ph.D. Student Priyanka Jayakodi wins 3rd place in Shao Chang Lee Scholarship Fund Best Paper Competition
The Department of Anthropology is pleased to announce that Ph.D. student Priyanka Jayakodi has been awarded the 3rd place prize in the Shao Chang Lee Scholarship Fund Best Paper Competition through the Michigan State University Asian Studies Center. The Shao Chang Lee Scholarship Fund was established by friends and colleagues of the late Professor Lee to provide scholarship awards for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at MSU who have made outstanding accomplishments in Asian studies and are pursuing or planning to pursue a program that includes Asian studies. Priyanka’s paper is titled “Chronicity of Militarism: Sri Lanka’s Militarized Response to…
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Ph.D. Student Priyanka Jayakodi wins Dr. Delia Koo Global Student Scholarship
The Department of Anthropology is pleased to announce that Ph.D. student Priyanka Jayakodi has been awarded the Dr. Delia Koo Global Student Scholarship. The Dr. Delia Koo Global Scholarship is administered by the Asian Studies Center to provide scholarships to students from Asia and to further MSU’s interest in obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body. Priyanka will use the funds during her fieldwork in summer 2022 in Sri Lanka, where she will investigate environmental and health issues related to water justice and water governance in the context of Chronic Kidney Disease of uncertain etiology. Following…
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Ph.D. Candidate Alexis Goots, alumna Dr. Mari Isa, and Anthropology Department Chair Dr. Todd Fenton publish in Forensic Science International
Department of Anthropology Ph.D. candidate, Alexis Goots, MSU Anthropology alumna, Dr. Mari Isa, Anthropology Department Chair, Dr. Todd Fenton, and Dr. Feng Wei recently published an article in Forensic Science International: Reports. The article is titled “Blunt force trauma in the human mandible: An experimental investigation.” The article discusses the number and types of fractures produced in controlled blunt force trauma experiments to the human mandible, and provides a comparative sample of known blunt force trauma cases for practitioners to use in their own analyses. Read the full article at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsir.2021.100252 Abstract: “There exist sparse data associating known points of…
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Dr. Stacey Camp edited a special edition of The SAA Archaeological Record featuring articles from current and graduated Ph.D. students
MSU Department of Anthropology Associate Professor and MSU Campus Archaeology Program Director, Dr. Stacey Camp edited a special edition of The Society of American Archaeology Archaeological Record that features many different US-based Campus Archaeology Programs, including the MSU Campus Archaeology Program. There are several articles in this volume that include our current and graduated Ph.D. students, and the cover of the publication features MSU’s campus, our students, and our MSU Campus Archaeology Program staff. Dr. Camp wrote the introduction; Jack Biggs, Jeff Burnett, Rhian Dunn, Emily Milton, and Amber Plemons wrote an article titled: “The Campus Archaeology Program at Michigan State University:…
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Dr. Mara Leichtman publishes in The Muslim World
MSU Department of Anthropology Associate Professor Dr. Mara Leichtman recently published an article in a special issue of The Muslim World, titled “Centering Muslims in Global Humanitarianism and Development”. Dr. Leichtman’s article, “Da‘wa as Development: Kuwaiti Islamic Charity in East and West Africa” examines the work of one transnational Islamic charity headquartered in Kuwait in two very different African countries. Read the full article at: DOI:10.1111/muwo.12423 Abstract: “Direct Aid (formerly Africa Muslims Agency), Kuwait’s largest charity focused on Africa, carefully mediates between Gulf donor wishes, aid recipient needs, Kuwaiti and African government regulations, and various development priorities. Since the 1980s, Direct Aid…
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Dr. Kurt Rademaker publishes in Ñawpa Pacha (Journal of the Institute of Andean Studies) on “Sayrosa, a Minor Obsidian Source in the Puna of Arequipa”
MSU Department of Anthropology Assistant Professor Dr. Kurt Rademaker and co-authors Dr. Richard Burger (Yale University), Eisei Tsurumi (University of Tokyo), Matthew Boulanger (Southern Methodist University), Véronique Bélisle (Millsaps College), and Michael D. Glascock (University of Missouri) report the discovery and geochemical characterization of a new source of obsidian in southern Peru. The team tracks the transfer of this obsidian across the Andes to multiple archaeological sites in the valley of Cusco. This research provides new information on past use of geologic resources and reveals ancient social connections across the Andean highlands. Read the full article at: https://doi.org/10.1080/00776297.2022.2029157 Abstract: “This…