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PhD Student Clara Devota awarded National Institute of Justice American Indian & Alaska Native Student Travel Scholarship
To enhance diversity in the field of criminal justice, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) American Indian and Alaska Native Student Travel Scholarship supports 15 American Indian and Alaska Native students to attend criminal justice-related conferences. The award supports travel, room and board, and conference fees for the selected student. Department of Anthropology PhD Student,
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Ayla Schwartz, Biological Anthropology
Ayla Schwartz has contributed greatly to research activities in the MSU Bioarchaeology Laboratory directed by Dr. Gabriel Wrobel. With majors in Anthropology and Neuroscience and a minor in Environment and Health, Schwartz’s interests within bioarchaeology include skeletal indicators of stress, and digital imaging and 3D modeling of artifacts and human skeletal remains. During her undergraduate
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Lulu Nestor, Sociocultural Anthropology
Lulu Nestor discovered her passion for peace and justice work at MSU through her focus on sociocultural anthropology and peace and justice studies. During her first year, Nestor learned about the work of the Lansing violence de-escalation and unarmed civilian accompaniment nonprofit, Meta Peace Team (MPT), in Dr. Elizabeth Drexler’s Peace and Justice Studies class.
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Savannah Holcombe, Biological Anthropology
When she first learned about forensic anthropology, Savannah Holcombe found that the field instantly resonated with her. At MSU, Holcombe followed her interests in forensic anthropology and became actively engaged in the MSU Forensic Anthropology Laboratory (MSUFAL) working with Dr. Joseph Hefner. In addition to her anthropology classes and experiences in the MSUFAL, Holcombe highly
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Isabel Hershey, Sociocultural Anthropology
Underlying Isabel Hershey’s educational pursuits has been her dedication for human rights and intersectional social justice. Hershey earned dual degrees in Anthropology and the Arts and Humanities, as well as three minors in Peace and Justice Studies, Human Behavior and Social Services, and Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Drawing on her multifaceted interests, Hershey worked
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Dr. Sabrina Perlman, Medical Anthropology
Dr. Sabrina Perlman’s dissertation research took place over fourteen months in Kumasi, Ghana, where she was a participant observer, carried out interviews, and collected biomarker data from medical records in an urban public hospital’s diabetes clinic. Under the mentorship of Drs. Heather Howard and Masako Fujita, she produced a dissertation titled “Diabetes, Gender, and Poverty
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Dr. Jeffrey Painter, Archaeology
Dr. Jeffrey Painter has played a key role in the Morton Village Project, led by his former advisor Dr. Jodie O’Gorman, throughout his graduate career. His dissertation, “Cooking and Coalescence: Exploring the Construction of Community and Cuisine at Morton Village,” investigates foodways practices at this site located in the central Illinois River valley. Dr. Painter
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Dr. Jessica Ott, Medical Anthropology
Dr. Jessica Ott came to MSU with a background in public health focused on HIV and gender-based violence prevention. From her first course to the completion of her dissertation in 2020, she expanded her theoretical analysis as she engaged with new perspectives on anthropological analysis of violence and rights, as well as with questions of
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Dr. Jessica McLeod, Sociocultural Anthropology
Dr. Jessica McLeod’s dissertation, “Living in Limbo: Western Immigrants’ Experiences in Japan as a Product of Japaneseness”, is described by her dissertation chair, Dr. Andrea Louie, as an important contribution to the existing literature on migration, Japaneseness, and intersectional identities. Dr. McLeod combined her experience as a foreigner who has lived in Japan with her
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Dr. Anna Martínez-Hume, Medical Anthropology
Dr. Anna Martínez-Hume’s dissertation research, titled “Refractions of ‘Doing Good’: The State, Subjectivity, and NGO Health Workers in Maya Guatemala”, is described as innovative and compelling by her advisor, Dr. Linda Hunt. Based on interviews, observations, and document review conducted over five years, Dr. Martínez-Hume examines the shifting position and commitment of Mayan NGO healthcare