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Ph.D. Student Priyanka Jayakodi wins Dr. Delia Koo Global Student Scholarship and 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 won two awards from the MSU Asian Studies Center this past year: the Dr. Delia Koo Global Student Scholarship; and 3rd place in the Shao Chang Lee Scholarship Fund Best Paper Competition. 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. The Shao Chang Lee Scholarship Fund was established by friends and colleagues of the late Professor Lee…
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Dr. Gabe Wrobel wins 2022 Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentor of the Year Award for Michigan State University
The Department of Anthropology is happy to announce that Professor Dr. Gabe Wrobel has received the 2022 Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentor of the Year Award for Michigan State University. This award is presented annually and recognizes faculty who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to mentoring undergraduate researchers. This award is completely student-driven; only undergraduate student researchers can submit nominations, and the University’s Undergraduate Research Ambassadors choose the finalists. Honorees are selected with the following criteria: faculty members who demonstrate a commitment to undergraduate research, provide strong professional mentoring, and serve as role models in their field of study. Dr. Wrobel…
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Meet Dr. Melissa Anderson-Chavarria, Medical Anthropology
Dr. Melissa Anderson-Chavarria is a dual degree DO and PhD student and finished her PhD in 2021 under the mentorship of Dr. Linda Hunt. Dr. Anderson-Chavarria’s dissertation, “Forgotten Families of the Sea and Sun: An Ethnography of Autism in Puerto Rico,” focuses on autism families in a setting whose history and socio-economic situation bears little resemblance to North America and Europe, where most studies of autism have been conducted. Dr. Anderson-Chavarria presents a thorough review of existing autism models and management strategies, and provides a rich overview of the Puerto Rican historical and socio-economic context that challenges current autism approaches. …
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MSU anthropologist member of $1.4 million NIH grant team to develop image library for facial features requiring surgery
The National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded Joseph T. Hefner, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of Kentucky a five-year, $1.4 grant to develop a standardized graphic library to assist clinicians and biomedical researchers to communicate anatomical concepts with their patients and their families. Hefner is an MSU Department of Anthropology assistant professor and CO-PI on the grant team led by Melissa Clarkson, Ph.D., assistant professor of biomedical informatics from the University of Kentucky. The project, titled, “Developing standardized graphic libraries for anatomy: A focus on human craniofacial anatomy and phenotypes,”…
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MSU Department of Anthropology hosts the 2021 Midwest Archaeology Conference
The Michigan State University Department of Anthropology hosted the joint annual meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference and the Midwest Historical Archaeology Conference October 7–9, 2021, on MSU’s campus. Jodie O’Gorman, MSU associate professor and archaeologist, led the team responsible for organizing the conference. “Our membership gets together every year to share the research we’ve been doing. It’s an important opportunity for us to see colleagues, meet new and prospective students, and debate and discuss issues that are important to all of us,” O’Gorman said. The Midwest Archaeological Conference is the regional association for archaeologists and students working in the Mid-continent. It…
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Dr. Najib Hourani Receives Dean’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Faculty Award
Dr. Najib Hourani, an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Global Urban Studies Program and core faculty in the Muslim Studies Program, is the winner of the inaugural 2021 College of Social Science Dean’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Excellence Faculty Award. The award recognizes social science faculty who have made comprehensive, impressive and sustained efforts surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion. “Dr. Hourani is richly deserving of the inaugural DEI Faculty award because he has a demonstrated and sustained record of making our campus a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all,” said Dr. Nwando Achebe, the Associate…
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PhD Student Marwa Bakabas named diversity torch for MSU College of Social Science
Department of Anthropology doctoral student Marwa Bakabas was featured as the Diversity Torch in the College of Social Science “Diversity Matters” issue for Arab American Heritage Month. Arab American Heritage Month commemorates the contributions of Arab Americans to American life and their struggles to receive full protections as American citizens. The College of Social Science Diversity Torches celebrate students who uphold a diversity value or ideal. As “Diversity Torches,” they provide light, guidance, and awareness to their fellow students and all who see them. Marwa Bakabas is a sociocultural anthropology PhD student in the Department of Anthropology whose work centers…
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Introducing: Jessica Yann, NAGPRA Program Manager
The Department of Anthropology is pleased to introduce the new NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) Program Manager, MSU Anthropology alum Jessica Yann, who began this role in August 2021. Although the role is based in the Office of the Associate Provost for University Collections and Art Initiatives, Jessica also continues to work with the archaeology collections and teach through the Department of Anthropology. This position is designed to create and take a proactive approach to NAGPRA compliance and outreach, including creating a strategic plan for effectively implementing NAGPRA work. This includes auditing collections for potentially NAGPRA eligible…
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Announcing Three New Anthropology Scholarships
The Department of Anthropology is proud to announce three new scholarships, each generously funded by an MSU Anthropology alum! These scholarships will allow undergraduate and graduate students in the department to embark on travel, undertake research, and gain educational experiences that may not have otherwise been possible. First, with the financial support of alum Aaron Whiteford, the Whiteford Cultural Anthropology Fieldwork Scholarship has been established. Preference will be given to students conducting research in Latin America. The inaugural scholarship has recently been awarded to PhD student, Juan Carlos Rico Noguera. Second, with the financial support of archaeology alum Don Weir,…
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Message from the Chair: Dr. Todd Fenton
This edition of the Department of Anthropology newsletter highlights outstanding faculty, students, and alumni and invites you to learn more about their work across the diverse fields of anthropology. Although we are still navigating the global pandemic and following MSU safety mandates and protocols in accordance with directives from health and government officials, this fall semester we were delighted to welcome students back to campus to provide more experiential learning opportunities. We celebrate the ability to once again safely engage with students in the classroom and in the field, and appreciate the ways in which we have adapted and incorporated…