Department of Anthropology

  • Dr. Rowenn Kalman receives Gill-Chin Lim Award

    Dr. Rowenn Kalman receives Gill-Chin Lim Award

    Dr. Medina and Dr. Kalmann with Dr. Kalmann's awardOur own recent graduate and adjunct faculty, Dr. Rowenn Kalman has been awarded the Gill-Chin Lim Award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation in Global Studies from the MSU International Studies and Programs. This award, given every academic year, acknowledges a graduate student for their outstanding doctoral dissertation. The dissertation submitted had to be completed the preceding year of the award, and must focus on global studies. This award is named after the late Dr. Gill-Chin Lim, MSU Professor of Geography and Urban Planning and Dean of International Studies and Programs. MSU faculty, as well as from deans, directors, chairpersons, and academic advisors, nominate students from across the university for the Gill-Chin Lim Award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation in Global Studies.

    Dr. Rowenn Kalman received her degree this past May of 2017. Her dissertation entitled “‘Conciencia’ for Conservation: Andean Indigeneity, Economic Rationalism, Technical Science and the Production of Diverse Subjectivities through Rural Stewardship in Ancash, Peru” examined the need for a new scholarly approach to subjectivity and environmental governance through the analysis of the broader context of competing discourses and multifaceted identities that lead rural stewards to engage in diverse, strategic, and sometimes ambivalent ways.

    Rowenn received multiple fellowships and recognition during her time as a graduate student in our department including: Foreign Language and Area Studies to learn Quechua, an International Studies Program pre-dissertation research grant, a Fulbright-Hays Dissertation Research Fellowship and GenCen’s Rita Gallin Award for best graduate student paper on gender.

    Dr. Kalman received her award at the awards ceremony on March 29th. Congratulations Dr. Kalman on your outstanding dissertation research and your award.

     

    Click here to read the 2018 Spring newsletter.

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  • Alumnae Dr. Mary Ann Ladia to visit March 28 and 29

    photo of Mary Ann Ladia, PhD
    Dr. Mary Ann J. Ladia

    Mary Ann J. Ladia, PhD currently serves as University Researcher III of the Institute of Clinical Epidemiology at the National Institutes of Health and Faculty of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology of the College of Medicine at the University of the Philippines Manila. Dr. Ladia received her PhD from the Department of Anthropology in 2008 under the guidance of Drs. Judy Pugh and Linda Hunt, as adviser and committee member, respectively.

    On March 28th, she will be speaking to Dr. Heather Howard’s Anthropology 370 course, Culture, Health, and Illness. Dr. Ladia will be presenting her paper entitled “Clinical ramifications of TB stigma in Baguio City, Philippines.” This event is open to interested undergraduates from 12:40 – 2 pm in C100 Wonders Hall. You can hear Dr. Ladia discuss her paper below.

     

    On March 29th, Dr. Mary Ann J. Ladia will be presenting her talk “TB Patient Care Pathway and Stigma” at noon in Baker Hall 155. This event is open to the public.

    Using surveys, ethnography, and secondary data, this presentation highlights the Philippine national tuberculosis (TB) program from the establishment of sanitoria at the end of 19th and early 20th centuries to the present. The age-old understanding of the disease transmission continues to play a major role in the patient care pathway despite the discovery of scientific methods of TB control. Due to stigmatized health condition, Filipinos affected by TB shift care from public to private clinics and move away from their hometown to seek care.

    This visit is sponsored by the Department of Anthropology of the College of Social Science, Michigan State University.

     

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  • Dr. Stacey Camp receives S3 Grant

    Dr. Stacey Camp receives S3 Grant

    S3 campus archaeology digDr. Stacey Camp, Dr. Lynne Goldstein (Anthropology), and Dr. Leigh Graves Wolf (College of Education) with the Archaeology STEM Camp Pilot Project will use a grant from Science and Society at State (S3)  to run a two-day archaeology camp this June for 15 International Baccalaureate (IB) high school students on Michigan State University’s campus. Founded in 1968, the International Baccalaureate is a non-profit educational foundation that offers internationally respected curricula and programming. IB programs are growing in popularity, representing 90,000 students worldwide. All IB students are required to conduct research for and complete ad 4,000 word “extended essay.” This pilot project will provide a unique hands-on experiential opportunity for IB students to learn about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and archaeology. It will also allow students to gather data for their extended essay requirement.

    Dr. Stacey Camp, Dr. Lynne Goldstein, and Dr. Leigh Wolf (College of Education) initiated their collaboration in October of 2017 after Dr. Goldstein was contacted by a local school district with requests to develop a targeted archaeology outreach program. Additionally, university administration expressed support for the development of an ongoing program to connect the MSU Campus Archaeology Program (CAP) to secondary school students. CAP had worked with schools in the past to present workshops and demonstrations, but they wanted to develop an ongoing long-term program to provide both a participatory experience for high school students and an interdisciplinary research opportunity for the project team members.

    While archaeology is not always considered a STEM discipline, archaeologists use principles and approaches from geometry, geography, geology, various physical sciences, botany, and zoology to study the past. Archaeologists also study landscapes, use engineering equipment and GIS, do various kinds of digital work, and we identify artifacts, plant and animal remains, and study soils.

    Team Leader
    Stacey L. Camp, Department of Anthropology, College of Social Science

    Team Members
    Leigh Graves Wolf, College of Education

    Lynne Goldstein, Department of Anthropology, College of Social Science

    Science and Society at State (S3), is an interdisciplinary research institution offering financial support for scholarship across disciplines at Michigan State University. Their mission is to promote interdisciplinary research and education that utilizes methods, approaches, and scholarship from STEM, the health sciences, and science studies (studies of science using methods and scholarship from the humanities and/or social sciences).

     

    Click here to read the Spring 2018 newsletter.

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  • Guide to Giving in Anthropology

    Your gifts can be directed to (https://www.givingto.msu.edu/gift/index.cfm?sid=701):

    Department of Anthropology – This is a general fund used to support undergraduate and graduate student travel and research, bring in visiting scholars for lectures and workshops, and support other learning events across the sub-disciplines.

    Alumni and Friends Expendable Fund in Archaeology – This fund supports a competitive archaeology student research enhancement award and visiting archaeology scholars that provide public lectures, visit classes, and provide student workshops.

    Forensic Anthropology Lab Fund – Special equipment needed for the lab as well as forensic student research and learning support is provided with this fund.

    Department of Anthropology Memorial Fund – Used occasionally to collect donations in honor of a recently deceased member or friend of the department. Families of the deceased typically help decide how the memorial funds are used, usually a scholarship related to the individual’s work.

    Archaeology – This is a general archaeology fund that can be used to cover lab and field equipment, student support for conferences, research, or teaching needs.

    Lynne Goldstein Fellowship Fund – Provides fellowships to graduate students in any of the sub-disciplines who have worked with the Campus Archaeology Program.

  • Publications & Book Releases

    Invisible in Plain Sight book jacketInvisible in Plain Sight: Self-Determination Strategies of Free Blacks in the Old Northwest by alumna, Dr. Jill Rowe

     

     

    African Medical Pluralism by alumni Dr. William Olsen and alumna Dr. Carolyn SargentAfrican Medical Pluralism book jacket

    Evil in Africa by alumni Dr. William Olsen and Walter Van Beek

    “Public heritage at scale: Building tools for authoring mobile digital heritage and archaeology experiences” in Journal of Community Archaeology and Heritage by faculty, Dr. Ethan Watrall

     

    “’Fiery Technology’ and Transformative Placemaking: A Contextual Examination of a ‘Crematory’ at the Aztalan Site in Wisconsin,” in Cremation and the Archaeology of Death (J. Cerezo-Roman, H. Williams, and A. Wessman, eds.). Oxford University Press. Chapter 5 by faculty, Dr. Lynne Goldstein

    “Contextual and Biological Markers of Community Identity in the Effigy Mound Manifestation of Southern Wisconsin,” in The Bioarchaeology of Community (S.L. Juengst and S.K. Becker, eds.) by alumni Jered B. Cornelison, alumni Wendy Lackey-Cornelison, and faculty Lynne Goldstein

    “Medicaid Healthcare Access Must Be Protected” in Adelante by Hannah S. Bell, (faculty) Linda M. Hunt, Luciana Solis

    ““They Treat You a Different Way”: Public Insurance, Stigma, and the Challenge of Health Care Inequality” in Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry by alumnus Anna C Martinez, Hannah Feig, Allison M Baker, Kristan Elwell, Isabel Montemayor, (faculty) Linda M Hunt

    “Electronic Health Records and the Disappearing Patient” in Medical Anthropology Quarterly by faculty Linda M. Hunt, Hannah S. Bell, Allison M. Baker, and faculty Heather Howard

  • Alumni & Friends of Archaeology Fund Update

    Kate Frederick excavating
    Kate Frederick excavating at the UMBS

    The Alumni and Friends of Archaeology Expendable Fund, established to enhance research and learning of undergraduate and graduate students in the archaeology program through the MSU Department of Anthropology, provided two student awards Spring 2017. This was the inaugural year for the Alumni and Friends of Archaeology Research Enhancement Award. The Enhancement Award was granted to two doctoral students, Kate Frederick and Susan Kooiman. Dr. Bill Lovis serves as the doctoral advisor for both students.

    Ms. Frederick was able to complete the fieldwork/data collection portion of her dissertation using these funds, which allowed her to spend two weeks in the field. She is now completing her data analysis. Kate’s research examines prehistoric food storage as a risk management strategy and the landscapes suitable for caching along inland waterways in Northern Michigan.

    Kate’s interdisciplinary field research, carried out at the University of Michigan’s Biological Research Station, was completed with the assistance of graduate and undergraduate students from the Department of Anthropology, and Dr. Randy Schaetzl from the Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences.

    Becca Alberts performing macrobotanical analysis
    Undergraduate Becca Alberts analyzing macrobotanicals for Susan Kooiman

    Ms. Kooiman was able to fund the processing of additional laboratory samples for her dissertation. She sent out samples for laboratory analysis of Carbon to Nitrogen stable isotope ratios and lipid residue analysis. Some of these results allowed her to confidently say that predatory fish were consistently cooked in the ceramic vessels she is using. Her dissertation research examines dietary and technological change through time (200 BC – AD 1700) for precontract Native Americans. Her research takes place in Northern Michigan waterways, along Lake Huron.

    Susan’s interdisciplinary work involved Department of Anthropology undergraduate student Becca Alberts, Dr. Frank Telewski from the Department of Plant Biology, Dr. Catherine Yansa from the Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences and Dr. Ryan Tubbs from the Department of Radiology, Division of Human Anatomy here at MSU.

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  • News from Around the Department

    Graduate student and PhD. Candidate Susan Kooiman received the 2016-2017 Moreau Maxwell Scholar Award. This award is given to an Anthropology graduate student for an outstanding research contribution in Anthropology. The award is named in honor of the late Professor Moreau Maxwell, who is internationally recognized for his research contributions in Arctic archaeology. This award was presented in recognition of Ms. Kooiman’s two journal articles published in 2016, and co-authoring two more in the year 2017. Congratulations Susan for your recognition.

    Dr. Gabe Wrobel and his Central Belize Archaeological Survey project (CBAS) have recently published an article in Antiquity on stone panels they found depicting kings playing a ballgame. This article has been highlighted in several other news sources such as Archaeology Magazine, the UK Daily Mail, Live Science and the Archaeology Channel podcast. The CBAS project is a multidisciplinary effort and the article is authored by several people, highlighting this focus on bringing experts together from all over. Check out all the live links to explore this fascinating discovery.

    Graduate student, PhD. Candidate and Graduate Student Association President Caitlin Vogelsberg was awarded one of 20 fellowships by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) for their Graduate Research Fellowship in STEM for the 2017-2018 academic year for her project “Increasing Identifications of Deceased Border Crossers: Investigating Spatial and Skeletal Attributes of Migrant Deaths”. This award will support Caitlin during her dissertation project research and writing phases. Ms. Vogelsberg hopes to complete her dissertation this spring.

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  • Graduate Students of Anthropology (GSA)

    Our Graduate Student Association has been busy this fall. The first order of business was elect new officers. Congratulations to President Caitlin Vogelsberg, Vice President Jack Biggs, Information Officer Amber Plemons and Treasurer Kelly Kamnikar.

    Jack Biggs and trophy
    Graduate student Jack Biggs with his 1st place chili trophy

    So far this semester, the GSA has awarded two scholarships, hosted our annual Chili & Cornbread Cookoff, participated in the Puerto Rico Rises donation campaign and held a workshop for undergraduates. Amber Plemons and Alex Goots were awarded Academic Enhancement Scholarships to fund things like travel, technical training, and software and equipment purchases. The Annual Chili & Corn bread cookoff saw 10 chili entries, 5 cornbread entries and full stomachs all around. Congratulations to our winners, Jack Biggs in the meat chili category, Lisa Bright in the vegetarian chili category and Kelly Kamnikar in the cornbread category.

    After the devastating effects of Hurricane Maria, the GSA partnered with the Ann Arbor branch of Puerto Rico Rises to gather donations for the victims of the hurricane. This organization is partnered with several corporations and universities to help the relief effort. Big thanks go out to everyone who contributed.

    For the first time, the GSA also partnered with the undergraduate MSU Anthropology Club to host a “Prepping for Graduate School” workshop. Undergraduates were paired with graduate students in their field of interest to ask questions about the application process, receive comments on the resumes and personal statements and to discuss the graduate school experience in general. This event was attended by 10 undergraduates and 10 graduate students and we hope to make it an annual event.

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  • Adjunct Feature: Dr. Erica Dziedzic

    Dr Erica DzedicDr. Erica Dziedzic is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology, who has taught for the department several times. At the young of 8, Erica decided she wanted to become an archaeologist and made it a reality in August of 2016 when she received her doctorate from our department under the guidance of Dr. Lynne Goldstein. Early during her collegiate career, the love for archaeology had her gravitating towards anthropology because of its ability to answer questions about human behaviors by focusing on cultural groups rather than individuals. The way in which groups of people use art to convey information sparked her curiosity as a child because we have been creating art for thousands of years. She believes, as do many, that it is an integral part of our humanity. This sentiment continues to drive both her research and teaching.

    Dr. Dziedzic’s dissertation research focused on the organization of geometric designs on Andean ceramic vessels. Using the archaeological record as a tool to explore the cultural messages encoded within art and design, her dissertation allowed her to analyze the information these designs offer us regarding human interactions with their environment. Her research interests still closely align with this, focusing on art and design as forms of communication that can be relayed through the mortuary archaeology of prehispanic, Andean South America.

    The creativity of art and forms of design carries over into her work on campus. Dr. Dziedzic employs the creative processes and the exciting opportunities that present themselves in academia in her pedagogy and utilizes the dynamic work environment of the MSU campus to invigorate both her teaching and research endeavors. Through teaching, Dr. Dziedzic engages with anthropology in innovative ways, tailoring her classes to the students’, often first, experiences with anthropology. Why are people interested in anthropology as a field and what drives them to want to learn more about it? Engaging with her students offers a way to answer these questions and has ignited a newfound passion. Had she not had the opportunity of being an adjunct lecturer, she would have never known how much she loved teaching.

    Dr Dzedic in Peruvian lab
    Dr. Dzedic working on ceramic analysis in Peru

    Dr. Dziedzic says The Department of Anthropology at MSU prepared her for a successful career by allowing her to take each new professional step, one at a time. Large research and writing projects can be daunting, but Erica feels that her mentors worked with her at each hurdle to break the overwhelming into small, manageable parts. The advice she received from her advisors continues to help her find a balance between career (research, travel, teaching) and family.

    Eventually, Dr. Dziedzic plans to explore the role perception plays in how humans process and transmit information through art forms and behavioral patterns through interdisciplinary teamwork. Over the course of the summer months and the coming year, we should look for several articles from Erica about ceramic form and design.

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  • Alumnae Dr. Jane Wankmiller, Director of FROST

    Dr Jane WankmillerWe are very proud to announce that our recent alumna, Dr. Jane Wankmiller, is the new Director of the Forensic Research Outdoor Station (FROST), and Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Northern Michigan University (NMU). FROST, is currently under construction, and will function as an outdoor forensic anthropology research and training facility located in Marquette, MI, near the NMU campus. Her position is part of a new major in anthropology started Fall Semester 2017. Currently, NMU offers concentrations in either cultural anthropology or archaeology, and Dr. Wankmiller will be bringing a third concentration in physical anthropology to the program. She will develop course work over the next few years to serve as the basis for that concentration and as prerequisites for students who wish to work on projects associated with the forensic anthropology lab or the FROST.

    Dr. Wankmiller’s general research interests stemmed from working for the Michigan State Police (MSP) throughout her graduate career in anthropology here at Michigan State University. During that time, she assisted on several cases and was called on for advice in several others. Her work generated specific research questions about estimation of time since death, search and recovery, and positive identification of decomposed remains, but due to the nature of her position within MSP, opportunities to explore those questions never surfaced. While at NMU, Dr. Wankmiller will consult as a forensic anthropologist on medical examiner cases involving decomposed human remains and remains requiring positive identification and skeletal trauma analysis. She will also be developing a workshop program to provide training for law enforcement, educators, and students in the Upper Peninsula. These various research opportunities will allow her to finally examine some of the questions her work with the MSP provided.

    Originally, Dr. Wankmiller was a biology major with an interest in scientific illustration. It was in art school when she enrolled in her first anthropology class. It changed her life and in her own words, “It showed me how connected we all are to one another and how our past has shaped our present.” This is the moment she realized she wanted a career in anthropology. Given her focus was always more biological, the realization that she could study human remains and still be an anthropologist caused her focus to shift and through the discovery of forensic anthropology, an awareness that her knowledge of human skeletal remains could make an immediate impact on real-time cases was realized. She quickly changed her academic trajectory and never turned back. Dr. Jane Wankmiller graduated in 2010 with an MS in Forensic Science (concentration in anthropology) and in 2016 with a Ph.D. in Anthropology (focus on bioarchaeology) from MSU.

    Jane’s current work with NMU builds on her past work with MSU’s own Dr. Norm Sauer as his assistant for forensic anthropology cases.

    Dr Wankmiller in the field
    Dr. Wankmiller working in the field

    This opportunity allowed her to work with the local medical examiner’s office as a death investigator. Both positions factored into her employment with the MSP. Her position at FROST allows her experiences to coalesce in a meaningful way. Her future research interests lie in the improvement of forensic art techniques, and the contributions they can potentially yield regarding effects of taphonomy on forensic anthropology.

    FROST is only the 8th such facility in the United States, with a similar facility in Massachusetts focusing on studying the taphonomy and postmortem condition of non-human subjects. In that regard, the work at FROST is not new, but it stands to contribute to our understanding of human decomposition and taphonomy as it is the farthest north of all such facilities. The extreme northern nature of FROST will enable Dr. Wankmiller to systematically study the effects of a cold climate on those processes. Through the collaborative research between the NMU facility and the other facilities across the country, Jane is hopeful they can serve the law enforcement and medical examiner communities with high quality forensic anthropology services and training that complement those of MSU Forensic Anthropologists.

    As far as the near future goes, the infrastructure for the forensic anthropology research facility and the accompanying laboratory should be in place by the spring of 2018. Dr. Wankmiller anticipates starting some of their law enforcement training workshops and educational programs by the summer of 2018.

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