Department of Anthropology

  • MSU alum named Executive Director of the Hispanic Latino Commission of Michigan

    In September 2021, the Hispanic/Latino Commission of Michigan (HLCOM) named MSU alumna Dr. Isabel Montemayor-Vazquez the executive director, and she began her role  that same month. Dr. Montemayor-Vazquez received both her master’s and doctorate’s degrees from the MSU Department of Anthropology. 

     “I was interested in this position because it marries my political science background and applied activist driven anthropology background perfectly,” Dr. Montemayor-Vazquez said. “In this position, I can advocate for the needs of the community, work with non-profit organizations serving the Latinx community, train different state agencies on structural and systemic inequities, and most importantly, contribute to policy change.”

    According to their website, the commission exists to advocate for the well-being of the Hispanic/Latino population with the vision of achieving an environment of social justice and economic parity for the Hispanic/Latino population. As executive director of the commission, Dr. Montemayor-Vazquez is charged with organizing the activities of the commission and working directly with the commissioners to serve as a bridge between state government and the communities of constituents they serve. 

    “It’s an incredible and humbling leadership role, where I am able to amplify the voices of the community through various grants, partnerships, and programs we have established. Working for the state of Michigan as a civil servant, there are few Latinas in positions of leadership, and so it’s an exceptional opportunity to serve as a mentor for young first-generation Latinas who have a similar background and family history .”

    As executive director, her first goals were to hold individual listening sessions with each of the commissioners to better understand how they see their role as commissioner. Another immediate goal was to recruit a legislative intern to assist in producing a legislative report in Spanish and English that follows legislative bills and their impact on the Latinx community. Increasing job opportunities and improving economic prosperity for the Latinx community are priorities found in the mission and vision of the commission, so a third goal was to create a Latinx job fair for recent college graduates.

    “I am proud to say that all three ofthese immediate goals along with improving the on-boarding process for our new commissioners have come to fruition.”

    Dr. Montemayor-Vazquez received both her master’s and doctorate degrees at MSU in cultural anthropology. During her time at MSU, she felt the most meaningful opportunity she experienced was being able to teach. Her teaching experience at MSU prepared her for accepting a professorship at UTA Arlington where she taught Sociology and Anthropology for six years. As executive director, she still has opportunities to teach on many of the topics that were interesting to her as a student and are pertinent to the Latinx community of Michigan. 

    Another meaningful experience during her time at MSU was when the department funded her and several other graduate students to present their research at the Society for Applied Anthropology conference in Merida, Yucatan. 

    “My research was centered around Michoacan and I had never ventured as far as Merida. It was such a unique experience to travel with fellow anthropology students to present in such an accepting environment, on a panel together, and also learn about the indigenous history of Yucatan together.” 

    Dr. Montemayor-Vazquez looks back on receiving her advanced degree in anthropology as a wonderful and useful tool in being able to give back to her community. 

    “I never could have imagined I would be able to use my degree in the community where I grew up and make a difference in so many people’s lives. The Hispanic/Latino Commission does a lot of work behind the scenes to ensure the Latinx community has the necessary platforms to voice their concerns. Additionally, the commission strives to provide ample opportunities for the Latinx community to thrive in the state of Michigan. It’s a privilege to work in this capacity and serve my community.” 

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  • MSU Anthropology alum finds success in the business world

    “Rarely is there another person in any meeting room that I’m in that has the background that I have,” MIchigan State University alumnus Jeffrey Bennish laughed good-naturedly. Bennish is the Vice President of QuVA Pharma Inc., a 503B pharmacy drug manufacturer, who graduated with a degree in anthropology. 

    “I think you can use a lot of the skills from an applied anthropology standpoint that translate incredibly well into business environments, and find yourself with a unique skill set amongst your peers and those business environments that make you stand out,” he said. 

    Bennish attributes his success to his early training in anthropology from MSU. 

    “I actually found that the skills that I learned, in particular, the skills of ethnography (the scientific description of the customs of individual peoples and cultures) and the ethnographic toolkit that you pick up translates incredibly well into the world of business, especially on the sales side, where you’re really trying to build relationships with people that don’t know you, and create a pathway in that relationship for business to occur,” Bennish said. 

    Bennish knew he wanted to study anthropology in high school because he was drawn toward a major that focused on other cultures.  

    “In high school, I was most interested in my humanities courses, and multidisciplinary courses:  about that intersection of different cultures and geographies and histories,” he said. “And really, just the opportunity to expand on that with the undergraduate degree in anthropology, Michigan State was just a perfect fit for what I was interested in in life.”

    Bennish values the training he received, although his path isn’t quite what he imagined when he first began as an anthropology major at MSU. During his senior year, Bennish realized that he would have to attend graduate school if he wanted to continue on to a career in anthropology academia. Because he wanted to graduate after four years and begin his career, he decided to try working in medical sales, and never left. 

    “To graduate with a degree in anthropology, you really have to learn how to be a writer,” he said. “And so that translates incredibly well into business in terms of developing business plans, developing proformas and focusing on other people’s voices. Because really, when you write an ethnography, you are trying to emphasize other people’s voices, not your own. You learn how to write from other’s perspectives, and that is a very unique skill.”

    To further his education, he received a graduate degree in Medical Anthropology from the University of Colorado. Throughout his career, he increasingly took on leadership roles and felt that his skills transferred to each new position. 

    “In anthropology, there’s a lot of focus put on agency and the emotional attachment that people have with with different interests, and I think it sets you up incredibly well for acting as a leader in a complex organization, because you can definitely use your skills to help make sure that you’re connecting with people at different levels and different layers based on what they’re looking for out of their careers.”

    Bennish realizes he has taken a unique path, and is often surrounded by peers with more traditional degrees in his career field. 

    “When I compare my skills to people who had more traditional business degrees or marketing degrees – not that you can’t learn a lot in those disciplines – but as it pertains to business development and in the world of sales within business, you have those cultural skills that you that you pick up through anthropology that really allows you to see a lot of nuances in people’s behaviors,” he said. “What you learn is how people emotionally attach themselves to certain perspectives and experiences. And you learn how to deconstruct those meanings. So that you can find ways to create connections there.”

    Bennish is hoping to attract more graduating anthropology majors to his field. 

    “I talk to people in our human resources department about wanting to find incredible sales talent, I always tell them they should be looking in the anthropology departments of the undergraduate programs,” he said. 

    His advice for current anthropology undergraduates or high school students considering anthropology as a major. 

    “I wouldn’t shy away from a career in business if you decide you’re not going to work in academia or continue on to grad school,” he said. “I think you can use a lot of the skills from an applied anthropology standpoint that translate incredibly well into business environments. You’ll find yourself with a unique skill set amongst your peers and those business environments that make you stand out.”

    To learn more about the MSU Department of Anthropology, visit https://anthropology.msu.edu/.

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  • Department of Anthropology Call for Applications: Commonwealth Heritage Group Diversity Scholarship in Archaeology

    Department of Anthropology Call for Applications: Commonwealth Heritage Group Diversity Scholarship in Archaeology

    We are happy to announce the call for applications for the Commonwealth Heritage Group Diversity Scholarship Award in Archaeology at Michigan State University. This scholarship is open to undergraduate and graduate students who have high financial need and who have been enrolled in archaeology courses offered by the Department of Anthropology. Preference will be given to students who show an interest in public archaeology research including the investigation of diverse cultures, demonstrated through their extracurricular activities, research, and/or coursework. Preference will also be given to students who are first generation to attend college and/or are educationally disadvantaged. Special consideration shall be given to ensure that this scholarship supports the Donor’s desire of building and supporting a culture of diversity and inclusion in the Department of Anthropology.

    Applicants must submit a written statement expressing interest in and/or experience with public archaeology, plans to incorporate public archaeology into their career, and provide the names of two references.

    Application deadline is: April 15, 2022. Please submit applications to anpdept@msu.edu.

    Recipients will generally be selected during the spring semester, with awards to be effective the following fall semester. The Scholarship shall be awarded to one student each year in the amount of $5,000.

    CHGDS-Scholarship-Announcement-Flyer-SS222Download

    Header photograph by ©Nick Schrader, All Rights Reserved

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  • Department Statement on RVSM and Title IX

    Please Note: This statement refers to events that may trigger traumatic memories for members of our community. Resources and assistance are available through the Center for Survivors1, MSU Safe Place2, Counseling and Psychiatric Services3 and the Employee Assistance Program4. 

    The Department of Anthropology is committed to fostering an inclusive, safe, and welcoming  environment where all faculty, staff and students are valued, respected, and celebrated. Foremost in our priorities is the physical and emotional safety of our students, faculty, and staff. We also validate and stand by survivors of sexual harassment and misconduct, sexual  abuse, and relationship violence; recognizing that all too often their voices are not heard and  their stories not believed1. We know that it is our responsibility to not only listen to survivors, but also to serve as active bystanders, willing to intervene when we observe actions that threaten our community’s safety and violate our deeply held beliefs.  

    As such, we acknowledge the seriousness of RVSM and Title IX violations in the university and  are committed to taking action with regard to the violations that arise in our department, including our classes, offices, labs, and field schools. We do this while following all department,  college, and campus policies and procedures, including the Anti-Discrimination Policy (ADP)5, Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct (RVSM)6, Mandatory Reporting7, and Pregnant and Parenting Student policy8. 

    Training and education on campus policies has been and continues to be taken seriously in the Department of Anthropology. All faculty and staff are current in their required RSVM training as  mandated by MSU; however, we recognize that it is our responsibility to ensure that everyone  in our department knows how to put this training into practice. We have proactively taken  continuing educational measures for faculty through participation in a Prevention, Outreach, and Education (POE)9 workshop on Monday, January 25, 2021. At this time, we ask that all  faculty, staff, and students review RVSM and Title IX policy terms and examples10 and reporting  requirements11. We also remind all faculty and staff members that any sexual misconduct  divulged to them in the context of their position must be reported to the Office of Institutional  Equity (OIE)12 as per university policy.  

    Furthermore, we encourage anyone who has experienced discrimination, harassment, or  retaliation to contact the OIE. Any individual who experiences conduct that violates the criminal law is encouraged to contact MSU Police13 and local law enforcement. Michigan State  University also provides Confidential Resources14 free of charge where those who experienced relationship violence or sexual misconduct may explore their options, talk about what happened, and obtain support services. The Department of Anthropology has and will continue  to prioritize a healthy and safe environment for students, staff, and faculty, while striving for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Misconduct of any sort is unacceptable as is the silencing of any victim. It is our duty to unite and raise awareness to enhance the safety and proper conduct of  our university. 

    We see our commitment to providing a safe environment as part of our larger departmental efforts to increase and sustain diversity, equity, and inclusion. The diversity that each and every  one of us brings to the department and to the university is immense, and a source of our  strength. We recognize that making spaces safe and welcoming is utmost in fostering an inclusive culture.  

    Todd Fenton, Chair and Professor 

    Mindy Morgan, Graduate Program Director 

    Resources: 

    1Center for Survivors  

    https://centerforsurvivors.msu.edu/education-resources/index.html

    2MSU Safe Place 

    https://safeplace.msu.edu/

    3Counseling and Psychiatric Services 

    https://caps.msu.edu/

    4Employee Assistance Program 

    https://eap.msu.edu/

    5Anti-Discrimination Policy (ADP) 

    https://www.hr.msu.edu/policies-procedures/university-wide/ADP_policy.html

    6Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct and Title IX Policy

    https://civilrights.msu.edu/policies/relationship-violence-and-sexual-misconduct-and-title-ix-policy.html

    7Mandatory Reporting 

    https://civilrights.msu.edu/policies/reporting_protocols.pdf

    8Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972: Pregnant and Parenting Student Information

    https://civilrights.msu.edu/policies/index.html#

    9Prevention, Outreach and Education Department 

    https://poe.msu.edu/programs/index.html

    10Terms 

    https://poe.msu.edu/resources/rso%20handbook%20draft.pdf

    11Reminder regarding faculty reporting:  

    https://poe.msu.edu/resources/Faculty-Staff2020.pdf

    12Office of Institutional Equity 

    https://civilrights.msu.edu/file-a-report/index.html

    13MSU Police 

    https://police.msu.edu/contact/report-a-crime/

    14Confidential Resources 

    https://civilrights.msu.edu/file-a-report/confidential-resources.html

    Additional Resources: 

    Heath-Stout, Laura E. (2020) Who Writes about Archaeology? An Intersectional Study of  Authorship in Archaeological Journals, American Antiquity, Volume 85, Issue 3, July 2020, pp.  407 – 426. https://doi.org/10.1017/aaq.2020.28 

    Voss, Barbara L. (2021a) Documenting Cultures of Harassment in Archaeology: A Review and  Analysis of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Studies, American Antiquity, Volume 86, Issue  2, April 2021, pp. 244 – 260. https://doi.org/10.1017/aaq.2020.118 

    Voss, Barbara L. (2021b) Disrupting Cultures of Harassment in Archaeology: Social Environmental and Trauma-Informed Approaches to Disciplinary Transformation, American  Antiquity, Volume 86, Issue 3, July 2021, pp. 447 – 464. https://doi.org/10.1017/aaq.2021.19

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  • MSU Alumnus Don Weir – The artifacts of a career devoted to archaeology

    As a kid, Don Weir followed his dad — an amateur archaeologist working with University of Michigan in the 1930s — around archaeological sites, collecting arrowheads and attending meetings. Looking back, it was a unique way to grow up, surrounded by people unearthing and analyzing artifacts. But as a kid who has many other important interests, meetings and digs weren’t Weir’s favorite. 

    That was until he came to Michigan State University in 1968 as part of an archaeology work study with the MSU Museum followed by a 10-week archaeological field school in in Northern Michigan directed by Charles Cleland, Ph.D., with field director William Lovis, Ph.D. Both of the individuals played an important role in mentoring him to be a future professional archaeologist. 

    “Doing my first field season with them in 1969 did it,” he said. “That’s when I decided what I wanted to do: be a full-time archaeologist.”

    Caption: Don Weir (right) at a field site in Kentucky in 1970. 

    After graduating from MSU in 1970, Weir worked for Gilbert/Commonwealth Associates as a full-time archaeologist, then decided to continue his education returning to MSU.

    Caption: Don Weir graduates from MSU in 1970. 

    “In ‘76, I worked full time and went to graduate school full time with two kids, it was interesting at best,” he mused. 

    He graduated in 1979 with his M.A. from MSU and continued his work with Gilbert/Commonwealth Associates, an architectural and engineering firm. In 1988, he began his own cultural resources management company, Commonwealth Cultural Resources Group with Dr. Donna Roper.

    Cultural resources management (CRM) is part of the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. Both require companies that are either licensed, permitted or funded by the federal government to take into consideration their impacts on archaeological and historic sites. 

    “CRM is important because It’s the one mechanism we have to save archaeological sites from being destroyed during construction,” he said.

    For example, Weir worked with the City of Detroit during the building of the People Mover in the 1980s. He’s also worked to evaluate and preserve sites during multistate pipeline projects and in national forests. 

    “It’s a viable career, and I’ve lectured at Michigan State several times to archaeology students,” he said. “There are viable alternatives to getting a Ph.D. and being a professor someplace. There are jobs at federal and state agencies and private firms, like mine.” 

    Whether sharing through lectures or meeting with students one-on-one, Weir wants to share his story with the next generation of archaeologists, so they understand the breadth of opportunities they have in the field. 

    “In fact, I just met with an MSU graduate student, and we had a 2-hour conversation about what his options might be outside of the academy.

    Weir has a passion for the next generation, and in addition to giving of his time, he has also given to MSU through funding scholarships. The first is the Archaeology Alumni and Friends Fund.

    “Those funds are to bring in guest speakers into the department so that undergraduates and graduates have a chance to learn from outside experts,” he said.

    Most recently, Weir and his son, Andy Weir, have set up the Commonwealth Heritage Group Diversity Scholarship Award in Archaeology at MSU for undergraduate and graduate students who are or who have been enrolled in archaeology courses offered by the Department of Anthropology. 

    “Diversity is a big issue in archaeology and anthropology, especially in archaeology,” he said. “When I went into the profession, it was 90% white male, and it’s now probably 60% female, 40% male, but still 90% white. So I want to encourage diversity in the profession, and I think the profession lacks that, and it will be to the betterment of society, and it’s important to have diversity in archaeology especially with indigenous archaeologists.” 

    “We appreciate Don’s support of our department and support of our students,” said Todd Fenton, Ph.D., and chair of the MSU Department of Anthropology. “He has given generously of his time to talk with our students and by providing funding to support their education and development.” 

    Through Weir’s company, which he ran until 2017 when he retired, he is proud to have hired MSU graduates and mentored young archaeology professionals.

    “I’ve mentored a lot of those young professionals in the company to be able to function in the business world in addition to the world of archaeology,” he said.

    Weir has also been an advocate for archaeology, visiting state and federal representatives to share how policy impacts the field. This year, he visited Washington D.C. to share about Biden’s infrastructure bill.

    “I talked with our senators, representatives and their staff about how important it is that infrastructure projects are done in a way to protect historical and archaeological resources,” he said. 

    In October 2021, Weir received the Distinguished Career Award from the Michigan Archaeological Conference (MAC) which recognizes archaeologists who have demonstrated excellence and contributed significantly and regularly to the advancement of Midwestern archaeology. 

    “Throughout his career Don has mentored many students and employees through professional development opportunities, and he has shared his knowledge and passion for stewardship of the past at universities, professional organizations, government agencies, and other nonacademic organizations,” said Janet Brashler, MAC president. “He continues to support students through scholarships and always has a kind word for students and colleagues. We are pleased to acknowledge Don for his contributions to Midwest archaeology by awarding him the Distinguished Career Award.”

    Caption: Don Weir (right) receives the Distinguished Career Award presented by Janet Brashler (right), MAC president. 

    This award is the highest one made by MAC and honors someone with a lifetime commitment to Midwestern archaeology and achievement in areas such as research, publication, collection and site preservation, program development, and education.

    “The award was really special because I received it in East Lansing where I studied for my career,” Weir said. “It’s an organization that is strictly an archaeological organization, historically they are primarily academics in it, so it was special to be recognized by that group.”  

    Weir has received multiple awards for his contributions to the field. He was awarded the 2010 McGimsey-Davis Distinguished Service Award by the Register of Professional Archaeologists, the 2017 ACRA Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Cultural Resources Association, and the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Michigan Historic Preservation Network.

    As evidenced by widespread recognition in the field, Weir has had a far-reaching impact on the field of archaeology. He has been looking back on his legacy and reflecting on his achievements. 

    “I’m really proud of starting and running one of the largest and most successful CRM companies in the country,” he said. “I’m also proud that we’re able to do that and also do excellent work. Also, that I’ve given back to the profession: I’ve also encouraged my employees to be active professionally and provided professional development opportunities for them.”

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  • MSU Forensic Anthropology Lab participates in Operation UNITED

    This September, the MSU Forensic Anthropology Laboratory (MSUFAL) participated in Operation UNITED in collaboration with the FBI’s Evidence Response Team, the Detroit Police Department (DPD), and several other local universities and law enforcement agencies. Operation UNITED is an acronym which stands for “Unknown Names Identified Through Exhumation and DNA.”

    Operation UNITED began as a grassroots effort between DPD Sgt. Shannon Jones and FBI Special Agent Leslie Larsen to solve as many cold case homicides in Detroit as possible. By exhuming the remains of unidentified homicide victims and comparing their DNA with family reference samples, Operation UNITED seeks to make identifications and jump start cold case investigations. This is the third season of the project and participants have successfully exhumed the remains of over 100 unidentified homicide victims, several of which have ultimately led to positive identifications.

    Dr. Carolyn Isaac, Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology and MSUFAL Laboratory Director, as well as graduate students in the Department of Anthropology Clara Devota, Rhian Dunn, Micayla Spiros, and Alex Goots attended the three-day excavation. Each graduate student joined an interdisciplinary team and worked to locate and excavate remains based on cemetery records and autopsy details. Dr. Isaac rotated between the teams, providing her expertise in forensic anthropology and confirming whether or not the remains matched the demographic details of the person in question.

    According to Special Agent Leslie Larsen, “Forensic anthropologists on scene are the instrumental piece that we need to make sure we are exhuming the correct bodies from the ground. They review the case files and autopsy reports then match those findings with the human remains uncovered by our dig site teams. Without on-site forensic anthropologists working with us, we would not be able to do these body recoveries.”

    Over the course of the three day excavation, Operation UNITED was able to recover human remains from 21 individuals, bringing the running grand total of DNA samples to 121 individuals for the whole project. In short, 121 individuals who have been missing, some for decades, finally have the opportunity to be identified and properly laid to rest, thanks to the tireless efforts of everyone involved in Operation UNITED.

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  • PhD Student Juan Carlos Rico Noguera wins Whiteford Cultural Anthropology Field Work Scholarship

    The Department of Anthropology is pleased to announce that the inaugural Whiteford Cultural Anthropology Field Work Scholarship was awarded to PhD student Juan Carlos Rico Noguera. With the financial support of MSU Anthropology alumni Aaron and Jill Whiteford, the Whiteford Cultural Anthropology Field Work Scholarship has been established to support graduate students in sociocultural anthropology in their field work endeavors, with preference given to those students conducting research in Latin America.

    Rico Noguera’s research involves different ways of understanding the human experience, including the conceptual definition of the State, the role experts have in modern politics, and the way collective memory is produced by political agents. In particular, his research focuses on the Colombian armed conflict, which began in 1964. According to Rico Noguera, after almost 60 years of political violence, it is difficult to find a common understanding over questions such as: what are the causes of the Colombian political violence? Who is responsible for massive human rights violations, such as forced disappearing, targeted killings, massacres, forced displacement, torture, and kidnapping? Paintings in walls across the country, like the one pictured below, dispute pervasive narratives suggesting Colombia is a regular and stable democracy by reminding people of the prevalence of targeted killings that have become hallmarks of political violence.

    A mural in Colombia reads, “They are disappearing us.”

    Rico Noguera is interested in contributing to a better understanding of Latin American social processes and the Colombian politics associated with how its violent past is collectively evoked. Further, Rico Noguera intends to explore how communities with very different experiences and understandings of the Colombian past engage with transitional justice mechanisms. His research will involve institutions such as the Truth Commission and other organizations who have a legal obligation to clarify human rights violations and the causes of those violations.

    The funds from the Whiteford Cultural Anthropology Field Work Scholarship will enable Rico Noguera to cover research expenses for the first phase of his dissertation research in Colombia. This phase of research will explore how three different communities engage with the Colombian State and its duty to remember 50 years of armed conflict. The first phase of this ethnographic study will take place in the offices of the “Institutional Memory” group, belonging to the Colombian National Police.

    Rico Noguera would like to express his gratitude to Aaron and Jill Whiteford, as their generosity is enabling Rico Noguera to begin his dissertation field work in Colombia. Rico Noguera notes that the Whiteford scholarship has provided him with a vital asset in the scholarly world: a vote of confidence. He plans to use both the funds and confidence gained from the Whiteford scholarship to seek further funding and successfully complete his dissertation field work. Additionally, Rico Noguera expresses his appreciation for the guidance and support of his dissertation committee: Dr. Elizabeth Drexler (chair), Dr. Lucero Radonic, Dr. Mindy Morgan, and Dr. Edward Murphy.

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  • Dr. Joe Hefner receives five-year NIH funding to develop graphical library for craniofacial anomalies

    The Department of Anthropology is pleased to announce that the National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Department of Anthropology Assistant Professor Joseph T. Hefner (Co-PI) and colleagues at the University of Kentucky (PI: Dr. Melissa Clarkson) a five year $1,447,281 grant to develop a standardized graphic library to assist clinicians and biomedical researchers in communicating anatomical concepts and patient-specific anatomy.

    The project—Developing standardized graphic libraries for anatomy: A focus on human craniofacial anatomy and phenotypes—began Summer of 2021. The purpose of the graphic library is to support rapid and anatomically-accurate communication in clinical practice, medical education, and clinical research. The graphics will depict craniofacial anatomy, variation in phenotypes, and anomalies of clinical importance (such as orofacial clefting) and serve as standardized visual representations for information systems and software applications. The research team will develop graphical representations of both adult and developmental anatomy. Their work will include developing prototypes for two web-based tools—one incorporating graphics into the Human Phenotype Ontology and the other documenting craniofacial phenotypes and malformations in clinical settings.

    As a biological anthropologist, Dr. Hefner brings both his knowledge of global human craniofacial variation and his understanding of biometric methods to this work. Dr. Hefner notes that his contribution to the project “will provide a more nuanced understanding of craniofacial anomalies to the clinician, based in part on a better understanding of human variation.”

    Project PI, Dr. Clarkson, explained, “I am very happy to have Dr. Hefner on this project. Our goal is to clarify the definitions and classifications used to describe craniofacial phenotypes and malformations. Many definitions are based on population-level data. For example, ‘wide mouth’ is defined as the distance between the corners of the mouth greater than two standard deviations above the mean. But what does that look like in a living individual? Drawing that phenotype will depend on population-level data, and that data should reflect different ages and populations. Dr. Hefner will help us to understand population-level differences in phenotypes and how to incorporate craniometric and macromorphoscopic datasets into our work.”

    Please join us in congratulating Dr. Hefner on this exciting, collaborative, and important new project!

    “The National Institutes of Health is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, investing nearly $43 billion in fiscal year 2021 to enhance life, and reduce illness and disability. NIH-funded research has led to breakthroughs and new treatments helping people live longer, healthier lives, and building the research foundation that drives discovery.” For more information, visit www.nih.gov.

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  • Dr. Kurt Rademaker publishes in Science on the evolution of the hepatitis B virus

    Department of Anthropology Assistant Professor Kurt Rademaker recently coauthored a publication in the prestigious journal Science. The article is entitled “Ten millennia of hepatitis B virus evolution.” In this new study, researchers uncover the evolution of the hepatitis B virus since the Early Holocene by analyzing the largest dataset of ancient viral genomes produced to date.

    The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major health problem worldwide, causing close to one million deaths each year. Recent ancient DNA studies have shown that HBV has been infecting humans for millennia, but its past diversity and dispersal routes remain largely unknown. A new study conducted by a large team of researchers from all around the world provides major insights into the evolutionary history of HBV by examining the virus’ genomes from 137 ancient Eurasians and Native Americans dated to between ~10,500 and ~400 years ago. Their results highlight dissemination routes and shifts in viral diversity that mirror well-known human migrations and demographic events, as well as unexpected patterns and connections to the present.

    The oldest known HBV genome in the Americas was identified in an Andean burial dated to 9,000 years ago from Cuncaicha rockshelter in southern Peru. Dr. Rademaker discovered the Cuncaicha site in 2007 and has led investigations of the site since 2010. At 4480 m (14,700 feet) above sea level, Cuncaicha is the highest-elevation ice-age site in the Americas and one of the highest Pleistocene sites in the world.

    Cuncaicha contains a well-dated sequence of occupation deposits spanning from 12,300 years ago to present day. This material evidence indicates that men, women, and children lived here episodically for millennia. Beginning in the Early Holocene, about 9000 years ago, some plateau residents were buried in the rockshelter. Collaborative research between Rademaker’s MSU-based Paleo Andes working group and colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and University of Tübingen in Germany has revealed insights about early Andean diet, mobility, and adaptations to life at high elevation.

    As the oldest HBV case in the Americas, Cuncaicha’s 9,000 year-old genome helped the team determine that the most recent common ancestor of all HBV strains worldwide existed around the end of the Pleistocene. This common ancestor gave rise to one or several lineages that spread across Eurasia and eventually reached Africa and Oceania, and to another lineage that spread into the Americas with early settlers of the western hemisphere.

    Read the full article at: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abi5658

    Abstract: “Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been infecting humans for millennia and remains a global health problem, but its past diversity and dispersal routes are largely unknown. We generated HBV genomic data from 137 Eurasians and Native Americans dated between ~10,500 and ~400 years ago. We date the most recent common ancestor of all HBV lineages to between ~20,000 and 12,000 years ago, with the virus present in European and South American hunter-gatherers during the early Holocene. After the European Neolithic transition, Mesolithic HBV strains were replaced by a lineage likely disseminated by early farmers that prevailed throughout western Eurasia for ~4000 years, declining around the end of the 2nd millennium BCE. The only remnant of this prehistoric HBV diversity is the rare genotype G, which appears to have reemerged during the HIV pandemic.”

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  • Dr. Stacey Camp featured in film on WWII Japanese-American internment experiences

    Dr. Stacey Camp featured in film on WWII Japanese-American internment experiences

    By Katie Nicpon

    A Buddhist temple, a church, a hotel, grocery stores, homes, a barbershop – Nihonmachi or “Japantown” in Santa Barbara, California, was thriving in the 1920s and 1930s. But that was before February 1942, when President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 that allowed the United States government to incarcerate over 120,000 Japanese-Americans. 

    The new feature film, Sonzai: Japantown in Santa Barbara, tells the story of this community through oral histories, research and archaeological artifacts to examine life before and after the Japanese-American residents were forcibly removed from their community and their presence was erased. Stacey Camp, PhD, who is an archaeologist and associate professor in the MSU Department of Anthropology and the Campus Archaeology Program Director, participated on the research team highlighted in the film. 

    “My research is on Japanese-Americans incarcerated during WWII and how material practices changed after being incarcerated,” Camp said. “When I was hired at MSU in 2017, I used my start-up funds to look at a collection of materials from a Japanese-American community that was excavated during a dig for Spanish-colonial remains in downtown Santa Barbara.” 

    The collection was enormous and had a lot of potential with reports written by famous archaeologists of the 1960s and 1970s. But it was in need of being rehoused and rehabilitated, slowly degrading away in storage. Camp knew that it deserved a collaborative, deep-dive, so she reached out to Koji Lau-Ozawa, a historical archaeologist and Stanford doctoral candidate, about leading the research project to examine this material. 

    “He had family who were incarcerated in Japanese-American internment camps, and this was a part of his doctoral dissertation to understand what life was like prior to people being incarcerated,” Camp said. “Also, Koji knows the descendant community well, he speaks Japanese and he was able to talk to a number of descendant community members and collect their stories.” 

    While Lau-Ozawa studied the larger collection of data, Camp contributed to the project by studying two boxes of material pieces that did not have “provenance,” which means the pieces that did not have a precisely documented or clear location where it was archaeologically uncovered. 

    The film, directed by Barre Fong, covers this story about how this collection is coming to life. 

    “One of the stories that stuck with me is that a Nihonmachi descendant, her family came back to Santa Barbara and wanted to rent an apartment because they lost their business and their property, but no one would rent to them,” said Camp. “In the three years of the war, Japanese-Americans were intentionally erased from the landscape and they lost everything on the West Coast.” 

    The film was created for the second annual Tadaima! A Community Virtual Pilgrimage, a virtual event created to safely experience the Japanese American Memorial Pilgrimages that have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, Tadaima’s focus was identity, indigeneity, and intersectionality related to the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans, and the virtual event invited the Japanese-American community and allies to participate. The film was shown live followed by a discussion with Fong and Lau-Ozawa that was moderated by Camp. 

    “I am proud of the film, and really grateful to have had the chance to moderate an interview with Barre and Koji during Tadaima,” Camp said. “To bring people in communities together around archaeological collections is why I am an anthropologist. This is the most fulfilling part of my career.” 

    The treatment of Japanese-Americans has far-reaching implications for today. 

    “This is an important American story that everyone needs to understand about how immigrants have been treated,” Camp said. “We need to understand intergenerational trauma and the impact it has had on these communities, and bring that understanding to the decisions we’re making about immigrants today.” 

    To watch the film and Camp’s moderated conversation with Lau-Ozawa and Fong, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOofWgTz8SA.

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