Dr. Ellen Elizabeth Foley graduated from MSU in 2002 with a PhD in Anthropology and African Studies. Following graduation, she conducted a post-doc at University of Pennsylvania. In 2009 she received a Fulbright to study HIV and sexual politics in Senegal. She is currently a tenured professor at Clark University in International Development and Social Change, and is currently conducting action-research in Worcester, MA on urban youth and gang violence prevention. Most recently, Dr. Foley published “Your Pocket is What Cures You: The Politics of Health in Senegal”, a book that focuses on the implementation of global health policies, and how these are entangled with social and political inequalities in Senegal.

Dr. Marcy Hessling O’Neil received her PhD from the Department of Anthropology in December 2012, and her dissertation focused on the role that higher education plays in family relationships among students at the University of Abomey-Calavi in Cotonou, Benin. She is teaching courses for the Peace and Justice Specialization at MSU and advises undergraduate students. Dr. O’Neil is the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation for the Youth Entrepreneurs Partners (YEP), which won the Fulbright Alumni Innovation Fund. This helps young entrepreneurs in Benin to create business plans that will be funded by YEP’s microfinance partners. In September 2013, Dr. O’Neil was invited to the UN General Assembly for two meetings related to the Millennium Development goals, and plans to return to Benin next year.

Dr. Michael French Smith graduated from MSU in 1970. Thanks to the advice and support of Dr. Bernard Gallin and Dr. Ralph Nicholas, he went on to do a PhD in Cultural Anthropology at the University of California. While there, he had the  good fortune to fall in with Dr. Theodore Schwartz, and was taken as his research assistant in 1973. Dr. Smith went back to Papua New Guinea in 1975-76 to do dissertation research and continued his work there after he received his degree in 1978. The result has been three books on cultural and economic change in Kragur Village. Recently, he gave an Anthropology Brown Bag on his book: “A Faraway, Familiar Place: An Anthropologist Returns to Papua New Guinea”.

Kimya Massey  is an alumni of the Anthropology program, and is currently the Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services at the University of Central Florida. Massey works with student-athletes to determine what academic resources they need to be successful, including tutoring, mentoring and academic advising. She learned many lessons from her Anthropology classes and that training has served her well. Understanding the culture, language and customs of coaches, administration, students and parents is critical to communicating effectively and motivating others to be successful. Massey credits her success and love of Anthropology to Dr. Norman Sauer, Dr. Bill Derman and Dr. Todd Fenton. She is proud of her MSU education, and welcomes current students interested in collegiate athletics to contact her.

Joseph Podrasky graduated from the Department of Anthropology in 2011 and spent a year and a half studying in Morocco and Egypt, where he earned another degree in Arabic from MSU. After that, he travelled to Washington, DC and worked for an NGO focused on fostering democratic transitions in the Middle East. He received a 2013 Fulbright research grant to Egypt to study Nationalism in Popular music in Alexandria. Unfortunately, due to security issues, the Fulbright was cancelled. Joseph is still insistent on finding work with business associations in the Middle East as a way to understand the nexus of business and politics in the region and go on to grad school in order to research the role of business in the politics of Middle East.

Rebecca Richart graduated from MSU in 2012 with B.A. degrees in Anthropology, History, and Spanish, and a specialization in Latin American and Caribbean Studies.  After graduation, Rebecca served as an AmeriCorps VISTA for one year at the Backside Learning Center (BLC), which provides education, life skills development, and community activities for the equine workers of Churchill Downs. The Undergraduate Anthropology Club and mentoring from professors helped her grow intellectually, and her experience at BLC helped her explore her interests. In Fall 2013, Rebecca entered the Anthropology PhD program at the University of California, Irvine with numerous fellowships, and will study immigrant labor in the horse racing industry. Current undergraduates are welcome to contact her: rrichart@uci.edu.

[These articles are featured in the Winter 2014 Department of Anthropology Newsletter]

Students and faculty from the Department of Anthropology participate in numerous outreach events throughout the year. Here are some of the highlights.

On April 2013, MSU hosted its first ever Science Fest. The Department of Anthropology had three events including “Dig the Past” at Fenner Nature Center, “Hominid Evolution: What did our ancestors look like?”, and Campus Archaeology Program. Volunteers included Blair Zaid, Amy Michaels, Sylvia Deskaj, Katy Meyers, Sabrina Perlman, Kate Frederick, Julie Fleischman, Ashley Kendell, Nicole Geske, Emily Niespodziewanski, Jen Vollner and others.

At the end of July, MSU also hosted its annual Grandparents University, where grandparents and grandchildren get the chance to attend three days of classes and stay in a dorm. Over three days, the Department of Anthropology had two events including “Bones and the Law: Techniques of Forensic Anthropology” with volunteers Julie Fleischman, Ashley Kendell, Nicole Geske and Jen Vollner, and “Campus Archaeology Program” with volunteers Katy Meyers, Katie Scharra, Ryan Jelso, Josh Schnell, and Marie Schaefer.

On September 21, MSU Campus Archaeology hosted its first sessions of “Dig the Past” at the MSU Museum, and on October 26 for Michigan Archaeology day it held its second “Dig the Past”. “Dig the Past” is an education and engagement project created by Adrianne Daggett in which kids learn about archaeology. Visitors can dig, sift, and sort their way towards learning about how archaeology builds knowledge about the human past. The program involves hands-on activities for kids of all ages that occur once monthly during the academic year at the MSU Museum.

[This article is featured in the Winter 2014 Department of Anthropology Newsletter]

For senior undergraduate Bethany Slon, anthropology, and more specifically archaeology, has always been a passion.  For as long as she can remember, she was fascinated by ancient populations and what we can learn from archaeology. But it wasn’t until she began her freshman year at Michigan State University that she realized she could take that interest farther, turn it into a major and a career.

Bethany has taken advantage of opportunities to expand her knowledge of archaeology and help narrow down her interests.  During her junior year, she was an intern for the Campus Archaeology Program under the direction of Dr. Lynne Goldstein.  Bethany spent the fall semester in the archives, looking through old scrapbooks from the 1900s made by the female students of MSU, researching the history of Morrill Hall, and learning about the archaeological significance the building had on the campus.  She then presented her findings at the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum in the spring.  Additionally, she volunteered at archaeology events around campus, and helped to survey construction on campus to make sure nothing of significance was destroyed.

During Summer 2013, Bethany was a member of the Campus Archaeology Program summer archaeology crew. The team surveyed campus construction, excavated an old road outside of the MSU Museum, and conducted labwork to clean and catalog artifacts.

During June, she participated in a five week field school in Belize, during which she excavated within an ancient Maya burial cave and portions of a small Maya city. Under the direction of Dr. Gabriel Wrobel, she learned how to map caves, uncover delicate skeletons, identify pottery sherds, and properly set up an archaeological site. She spent her days hiking through the dense rainforest with  other Spartan peers and learning what it takes to become an archaeologist.

When Bethany got back to East Lansing, she began her funded undergraduate research project studying the teeth of the ancient Maya. In this study she is examining dental health in a Mayan population, in order to determine what kind of diet they ate, and how the population differs from others. In November she will present her findings at the Chacmool Conference for undergraduate and masters research in Calgary.

Bethany plans on attending graduate school next fall.  She wants to specialize in bioarchaeology, and hopes to continue her research on the ancient Maya.

[This article is featured in the Winter 2014 Department of Anthropology Newsletter]

The Undergraduate Anthropology Club provides students with the opportunity to learn about anthropological resources, network with professionals, and further their opportunities within the discipline. The 2013-2015 executive board is President Josh Schnell, Vice President Sarah Skoropa, Treasurer Blake Bass, and Secretary Taylor Flaherty.

Over the Fall semester, they hosted talks by Dr. Howard and Dr. Lovis, toured the Forensic Lab, had a bake sale to raise funds, and a Graduate student panel discussion. Most importantly for MSU’s history, the club painted the famous rock on campus.

Website: https://www.msu.edu/~anthro/

Twitter: @MSUAnthroClub

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MSU-Anthropology-Club

[This article is featured in the Winter 2014 Department of Anthropology Newsletter]

Congratulations to our graduate students on their grants and fellowships. If you have accomplishments you would like to share, please send them to us!

April Greenwood received a Fulbright Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad fellowship to conduct research on cross-cultural workplace relationships between Indian employers and African employees in the port city of Tanga, Tanzania. The project is called “’Indian Bosses’ and ‘African Workers’: Race, Stereotype, and Community in Tanga, Tanzania”.

Emily Niespodziewanski was accepted to attend the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command Central Identification Laboratory Forensic Science Academy for the Fall 2013 semester. This is a four-month fellowship during which fellows are in residence at the CIL and receive specialized training in forensic anthropology, archaeology, and lab techniques.

Sylvia Deskaj received a Lewis and Clark Exploration Grant from the American Philosophical Society for “Assessing Change and Continuity: Intra- and Inter- Regional Interaction During the Bronze – Iron Age of Northern Albania” which will aid in continuing her dissertation research in Albania.

[This article is featured in the Winter 2014 Department of Anthropology Newsletter]

Andy fell into archaeology and anthropology largely through happenstance. While a freshman at Miami University his options for the summer recess entailed moving back home and finding a part time job or finding something exciting to do. He chose the latter. After a quick application with the Student Conservation Association he found himself in the Great Smoky Mountains as an archaeological intern. Over 20 site assessments, a dozen bear encounters, a new site named after him, an Archaic Savannah River point and an historic Qualla point later and he knew he was hooked. Returning to Miami the following fall Andy determined to turn this adventure into a career.

The following summer Andy accepted another archaeological internship through the Student Conservation Association, this time at southern California’s Los Padres National Forest. “Our only shower opportunity was via a hose connected to underground hot springs, which sounds like paradise except when you’re covered in poison oak.” Following a stint as a Miami University Undergraduate Scholar studying the funerary practices of Amish and Mennonites, especially in Ohio, Andy then found himself at Michigan State.

He quickly found a home as part of Dr. Jodie O’Gorman’s long-term research project in the Central Illinois River Valley, and decided to focus his dissertation there. He plans to examine the intersection of ceramic production with population aggregation, factionalism and conflict during the Late Prehistoric period.

Andy has also been seeking to answer an important question about technological properties of Late Prehistoric eastern North American ceramics. The results of Andy’s initial research efforts have already garnered him a 2nd place award in the 2012 Midwest Archaeological Conference Student Paper Competition. Building on this work with the assistance of Professors Bill Lovis, and Jerry Urquhart, Andy just completed a new round of controlled experiments to assess the degree to which the alkalinity of liquids in which maize is cooked. The research involved  using archaeological pottery fragments from Morton Village courtesy of Dr. Jodie O’Gorman and the Illinois State Museum, experimentally replicated ceramic briquettes, and a replica shell tempered ceramic vessel produced with assistance from Cincinnati artist Emily Repp.

Andy will be compiling the data for a paper to be presented at the 2014 Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting in Austin, TX.

[This article is featured in the Winter 2014 Department of Anthropology Newsletter]

Kristan Elwell found her calling in Anthropology while conducting research in a National Institute of Health study on children’s health in the Philippines. It was here and while she was conducting her Masters work in applied and medical anthropology at Northern Arizona University that she saw the contribution of anthropology to public health and how this perspective could contribute to understanding of health disparities in low-income populations. She sought out a PhD in order to teach courses in medical anthropology and global health, and conduct research on global health issues from a critical perspective.

Since beginning her graduate studies at MSU, she has enjoyed her involvement in the university. For the past two semesters, Kristan has been teaching ANP 370 “Culture, Health and Illness”, and ANP 201 “Sociocultural Diversity.” Prior to this, she was a research assistant for Dr. Linda Hunt on her study of “Clinicians’ Concepts of Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Management Of Chronic Illness”. In addition to this, she works at the MSU Gender Center to help with the publication of the Gendered Perspectives on International Development publication series. Kristan is also a Research Assistant for the project, Linking Community Engagement to Public Health Biobank Research, which addresses ethical issues related to use of neonatal biobanks within Michigan.

For her dissertation, Kristan is looking at social and structural factors that affect HIV positive women’s choices in seeking health care and programs to prevent mother to child transmission in Malawi. She is specifically interested in how gender inequalities may shape HIV-positive women’s ability to access treatment for AIDS. From December 2011 to December 2012, Kristan conducted research in Malawi, worked at a district hospital in urban Blantyre, and several rural health centers. Prior to this, she was granted funding through the Foreign Language and Area Studies Program to study the Chichewa language in 2009, and during the summer of 2010 she was granted funds to conduct pre-dissertation research to identify her field sites and meet contacts. She exudes passion for her research, and loved working with the community.

Kristan also had outdoor adventures while in Malawi. During her year in the field, a friend made her a wooden kayak, which she paddled for 5 days down the coast of northern Lake Malawi. She employed her skills as a former kayaking guide and taught her co-paddlers how to kayak. She enjoyed surprising villagers with her knowledge of Chichewa and was very pleased when they promised her that the only crocodile in the region was a “vegetarian.” The highlight of the trip was trading a kayaking lesson with a fisherman for a lesson on paddling his fishing boat.

Throughout this process, Kristan continues to have incredible support from her committee, Anne Ferguson, Linda Hunt, James Pritchett, and Rebecca Malouoin.

[This article is featured in the Winter 2014 Department of Anthropology Newsletter]

Dr. Anna Jefferson first became interested in anthropology while she was an undergraduate. She turned to anthropology to give her a holistic framework she could use to more deeply and dynamically understand any issue. In May 2013, Dr. Jefferson graduated from MSU with her doctorate. Her dissertation research focused on the foreclosure crisis in Michigan, and conducted field research with housing counseling agencies, independent nonprofits that work with the state and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. She examined emerging notions of citizenship in the foreclosure crisis, and how these processes intersected with narratives of the American Dream.

Dr. Jefferson is currently a Senior Analyst in the Social and Economic Division at Abt Associates. They provide policy research, program evaluation, technical assistance; and program implementation for federal agencies, states and cities, organizations, international development organizations, and foundations. Dr. Jefferson conducts research and evaluation focusing on access to housing and consumer finance. She has worked on projects for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, New York City government, Corporation for National and Community Service, and Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Jefferson began working at Abt while she was writing her dissertation because her research directly related to their study about the outcomes of housing counseling, and filled their need for a subject matter expert.

The knowledge and skills she acquired while studying anthropology have been extremely valuable to her position. As the only PhD anthropologist at Abt, Dr. Jefferson believes she is able to look at questions and problems in a different way than her colleagues, and this approach brings both creativity and flexibility to her work. She serves as an internal consultant on ethnography, promoting participant observations, and other qualitative fieldwork for projects across all of Abt’s practice areas.

Her advice to current graduate students is to take advantage of the department and university’s support, and interdisciplinary and methods courses. She strongly suggests writing and talking to people about the value of anthropology so you can share its importance with non-anthropologists. In addition to this, she believes it is important to look at different career paths and possibilities. Dr. Jefferson is enthusiastic about her work, and welcomes students with questions about policy research or evaluation to contact her at anna_jefferson@abtassoc.com.

[This article is featured in the Winter 2014 Department of Anthropology Newsletter]