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Anthropology PhD student’s research examines dismemberment through shape analysis to help solve crimes
By Jalen Smith and Louise Henderson When forensic scientists (people who solve crimes using science) find bones that have been cut with a saw, they try to figure out what kind of saw was used. This can help them narrow down the tools and possibly catch the person who did it. To do this, they look at the marks left on the bones with the saw. One important mark is called the kerf floor shape, which is the shape of the bottom of the cut made by the saw. Think of it like the footprint of the saw blade. In the…
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Dr. Stacey Camp Featured on WKAR TVs Curious About Careers
Dr. Stacey Camp was recently featured in WKAR TVs Curious About Careers program – learning how STEM is used in archaeology and exploring how innovative remote sensing techniques like ground penetrating radar can help archaeologists see the unseen and preserve our collective archaeological heritage.
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Associate Professor Joe Hefner published in Forensic Anthropology
Department of Anthropology Associate Professor has published an article in the journal Forensic Anthropology, along with coauthors Dr. Stephen Ousley of the University of Tennessee (posthumously) and Dr. Ron Richardson of Mercyhurst University. The article is titled “MaMD Analytical 1.0: A Computer Program for Macromorphoscopic Trait Analysis” and covers the use of MaMD Analytical software, an analytical software package for forensic anthropologists to use during their routine casework. MaMD Analytical 1.0 replaces older, less robust methods of analysis and provides a greater number of reference groups for analysis. Abstract: We outline the functionalities and application of MaMD Analytical—a new,…
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Ph.D. Candidate Kelsey Merreck Wagner’s Artwork Featured in Bangkok Art Exhibit
Department of Anthropology Ph.D. candidate Kelsey Merreck Wagner’s artwork is currently featured in Warin Lab Contemporary, an arthouse in Bangkok, Thailand. The exhibit is titled “Threads of Change” and will be on display from April 6th until May 25th, 2024. Kelsey’s work utilizes plastics and other recycled material through the medium of weaving to bring new life to trash. Per the exhibit description: “Wagner’s art is shaped by the implementation of recomposing used plastics. Plastics have become increasingly indispensable for humans, from household products, sports gear, and medical equipment to the automotive and construction industries. Plastics are lauded for their…
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Anthropology Undergraduate Sasha Franklin awarded Andrew Undergraduate Fellowship and Dean’s Assistantship from College of Social Science
Anthropology undergraduate student Sasha Franklin has been awarded the Andrew Undergraduate Fellowship and a Dean’s Assistantship from the MSU College of Social Science. Sasha’s proposal was titled “Online Learning and Digital Cultural Heritage in Belize”, and the project will begin in the fall 2024 semester. It is an applied research project involving the creation of an ArcGIS StoryMap for archeology education in Belize. The project will be in partnership with the Belize Institute of Archaeology and the Belize Ministry of Education. For more information about the Dean’s Assistantship, Andrew Undergraduate Fellowship, and other funding awards from the MSU College of…
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Anthropology Undergraduate Allison Thomson awarded Dean’s Assistantship from the College of Social Science
Anthropology undergraduate student Allison Thomson has been awarded a Dean’s Assistantship from the MSU College of Social Science. The project is titled “Utilizing GIS to Visualize Bioarchaeological Data,” and funding will take place over the 2024-25 academic year. This project aims to improve accessibility and visualization of archaeological data by using Microsoft Access to build a database comprising burial data from excavation records and past skeletal analyses from the Maya site of Chau Hiix, Belize. The data will be linked to a variety of contextual information, including specific geo-referenced locations at the site. This complex dataset eventually will be incorporated into a Geographic…
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Associate Professor Najib Hourani awarded Creating Inclusive Excellence Grant
Department of Anthropology Associate Professor Najib Hourani, along with fellow PI Dr. Rebecca Karam (Sociology) received the 2023-24 Creating Inclusive Excellence Grant from the Michigan State University Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion. The project, entitled “Counting MENA In,” also received funding from MSU’s Department of Anthropology, Department of Sociology, Muslim Studies Program, and the Global Studies in the Arts and Humanities Program. The project’s research team also includes Dr. Salah Hassan (English) and Dr. Stephen Gasteyer ( Sociology). This project explores MENA (Middle East and North African) communities and their experiences at MSU in their different roles as students,…
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Ph.D. Candidate John Boyd awarded Dissertation Research Overseas Fellowship
Department of Anthropology Ph.D. candidate John Boyd has been awarded a Dissertation Research Overseas Fellowship from the MSU African Studies Center. This funding is in support of fieldwork taking place in Morocco during the 2024-25 academic year. During this fieldwork, John will be researching social and youth movements in Morocco through participant observation and interviews with ultras (soccer fan groups) inside and outside of stadiums to further understand how political, economic, and social marginality are embodied, addressed, and combatted publicly and performativity in urban Morocco. For more information on this fellowship or the MSU African Studies Center, click here.
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Ph.D. Student Priyanka Jayakodi Awarded Rose Graduate Fellowship Fund in Water Research
Department of Anthropology Ph.D. Student Priyanka Jayakodi has been awarded the 2024-25 Rose Graduate Fellowship in Water Research by the Michigan State University Graduate School. The Rose Graduate Fellowship is an annual award for graduate students at Michigan State University aimed at supporting research that addresses the looming global water crisis. In her doctoral research, Priyanka examines entanglements of ecological and bodily health and household water insecurity in communities where Chronic Kidney Disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu) is prevalent in Sri Lanka. Priyanka will use the fellowship funds to support her upcoming dissertation fieldwork in Sri Lanka.
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Professor Emeritus Dr. William Lovis Publishes in Textos Antropológicos
Professor Emeritus Dr. William Lovis, in collaboration with Bolivian colleagues José M. Capriles (The Pennsylvania State University) and David Trigo Rodríguez (Universidad Mayor de San Simón, formerly of the Museo Nacional de Arqueología, or MUNARQ), coauthored the article “La Repatriación de una momia andina del Museo de la Universidad Estatal de Michigan al Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia” (The Repatriation of an Andean Mummy from Michigan State University Museum to the Plurinational State of Bolivia) in the Bolivian journal Textos Antropológicos. The article, in Spanish and accessible to the South American archaeological community, details the long and remarkable several year journey…