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Professor Emeritus Dr. William Lovis publishes in QSR
Professor Emeritus Dr. William Lovis, an environmental archaeologist, coauthored an article in Quaternary Science Reviews with Alan Arbogast, Professor of MSU Spatial, Geographic and Environmental Sciences, Dr. Kevin McKeehan of the US Geological Survey, and the late Dr. G. William Monaghan of Indiana University and Indiana University/Purdue University Indiana. Their collective interdisciplinary research addresses the evolution of coastal sand dune systems along the eastern and northern shores of Lake Michigan, addressing one of Lovis’ primary interests in coastal archaeological site taphonomy and preservation. “There are lots of archaeological sites right along the coast of Lake Michigan,” Lovis said. “And those…
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MSU Museum Welcomes Dr. Ethan Watrall as Curator of Archaeology
The Michigan State University (MSU) Museum is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Ethan Watrall as Curator of Archaeology, effective August 15, 2023. Dr. Watrall’s expertise as an anthropological archaeologist coupled with his scholarly focus on the use of digital methods and computational approaches in archaeology and heritage will significantly enhance the Museum’s strategic priorities. In his new role, Dr. Watrall will take the lead in developing, researching, interpreting, and stewarding the archaeological collections housed by the MSU Museum. With a deep passion for the power and purpose of museum collections, Dr. Watrall aims to ignite enthusiasm and engagement…
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Associate Professor Heather Howard named the recipient of the 2023 College of Social Science Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Excellence Award
Associate Professor of Anthropology Dr. Heather Howard has been named the College of Social Science’s recipient of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Award. This award recognizes a faculty member who plays a leadership role in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion by demonstrating activities which may include serving underrepresented populations, developing or implementing innovative programs that enhance participation and opportunity, or enhancing the ability and effectiveness of the College to be an inclusive and welcoming environment. The Office of the Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers the Dean’s Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Awards once every two years. On…
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MSU unearths observatory foundation more than a century old
Discovery gives insight into campus history, provides educational opportunities In summer of 2023, workers from Michigan State University Infrastructure Planning and Facilities, or IPF, were installing hammock posts close to student residence halls near West Circle Drive when they encountered a hard, impenetrable surface under the ground. Believing it to be either a large rock or building foundation, IPF called MSU’s Campus Archaeology Program, or CAP. After cross-checking old maps, campus archaeologists determined that it was the foundation of the first observatory on MSU’s campus, constructed in 1881. “The campus archaeology program is designed to protect and mitigate our below ground heritage…
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Melanie Pitt named Outstanding Senior
Graduating Senior Melanie Pitt of Farmington Hills, Mich. has been chosen by the Department of Anthropology as this year’s Outstanding Senior. Pitt said she was elated and shocked when she heard the news. “It was very unexpected,” Pitt said. “I don’t tend to expect much from what I have done, but it was a nice surprise. I was really happy.” Professor of Anthropology and director of the MSU Bioarcheology Laboratory Dr. Gabriel Wrobel nominated Pitt for the award because she showed initiative with organization, something that is crucial for work in the lab. Wrobel said Pitt’s organization set her apart…
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Associate Professor Dr. Elizabeth Drexler publishes in Visual Anthropology Review
Department of Anthropology Associate Professor and Director of Peace and Justice Studies Dr. Elizabeth Drexler published an article in Visual Anthropology Review. The article is titled, Seeing Gaslighting: Photo-Dialogues and Structural Injustice. Focusing on gaslighting, the article reveals a process that manipulates perception to obscure systemic inequality and injustice and produce complacency and/or inability to perceive complicity in an unjust system through photo-dialogs that engage the sensory and affective rather than evidentiary aspect of images of injustice. This article is based on a project supported by the Provost Undergraduate Research Initiative Award (2019-20 and 2020-21) that generously funded Isabel Hersey’s research assistance. Read the…
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Associate Professor of Anthropology Dr. Heather Howard co-publishes chapter in Michigan Salvage: Bonnie Jo Campbell and the American Midwest
Associate Professor of Anthropology Dr. Heather Howard co-published a chapter in Michigan Salvage: Bonnie Jo Campbell and the American Midwest. “Indigeneity in Once Upon a River” and accompanying teaching activity, “What’s your Indigenous narrative?” In this chapter, Howard-Bobiwash examines transformations in the tropes of indigeneity in Bonnie Jo Campbell’s Once Upon a River (2011), from novel to the feature film version of the book released in 2019. The role of fiction in the production of knowledge about Indigenous peoples is explored through questions of representational practice, and intersections of race, gender, identity, and landscape. The accompanying teaching activity prompts students…
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Associate Professor of Anthropology Dr. Heather Howard co-publishes an article in the Epidemiologic Reviews
Associate Professor of Anthropology Dr. Heather Howard co-publishes an article in Epidemiologic Reviews with Danielle Gartner (Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MSU, primary author), Madeline Nash (Doctoral Student, Sociology, MSU) and Ceco Maples (Undergraduate Major in Anthropology, MSU). The review article is titled, Misracialization of Indigenous People in Population Health and Mortality Studies: A Scoping Review to Establish Promising Practices. This review identifies four primary limitations of approaches used in population health research that misracialize or misclassify indigenous people and offers promising practices to consider. Read the full article at: https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxad001 ABSTRACT: Indigenous people are often misracialized or misclassified as other racial or ethnic identities…
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MD-Ph.D. Student Jessica Ding Wins an Honorable Mention in Shao Chang Lee Scholarship Fund Best Paper Competition
The Department of Anthropology is pleased to announce that MD-Ph.D. student Jessica Ding has won an honorable mention 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. Jessica’s paper is titled “Household Registration System Reform: A Sociohistorical Comparison of Shanghai and Ho Chi…
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Dr. Masako Fujita coauthors published article
Associate Professor of Anthropology Dr. Masako Fujita recently coauthored Does the immune system of milk increase activity for infants experiencing infectious disease episodes in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania? which appears in the American Journal of Human Biology. Read the article here: Does the immune system of milk increase activity for infants experiencing infectious disease episodes in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania? – Wander – American Journal of Human Biology – Wiley Online Library Read more about Dr. Fujita here: Featured Faculty, Dr. Masako Fujita: A passion for anthropology and making a difference in women’s health and wellness – Department of Anthropology (msu.edu)