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Anthropology

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Lorena Madrigal Interviewed by Science About the "Grandmother Hypothesis"

Dr. Lorena Madrigal was recently interviewed by Science regarding new research that lends support to the "grandmother hypothesis," the idea that older women spread their genes most effectively by helping their daughters take care of their children. Dr. Madrigal comments on the importance of the study for evolutional biologists.

Antoinette Jackson wins two National Park Service Grants for Cultural Heritage Research

In August 2009, Dr. Antoinette Jackson was awarded two research grants from the National Park Service totaling over $90,000. The awards tap Jackson’s expertise in conducting and managing cultural research projects at National Historic Sites. Both projects will be managed through Dr. Jackson’s Heritage Research and Resource Management Lab located in the Department of Anthropology at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

The Nicodemus National Historic Site (NICO) project, totaling over $48,000 in funding, includes providing professional ethnography and qualitative research expertise to Nicodemus National Historic Site in support of the park’s efforts to document and record oral history and traditions of the Nicodemus, Kansas community. The project is meant to increase the understanding and appreciation by the NPS for the people, places and organizations that contributed materially to the creation and continued existence of Nicodemus as the only remaining western town established by African Americans during the Reconstruction period following the Civil War, and to assist the NPS in the preservation of related resources and in the interpretation of Nicodemus for the education and enjoyment of present and future generations.

The Jimmy Carter National Historic Site (JICO) project, totaling over $44,000 in funding, will provide professional ethnography and qualitative research expertise to the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in support of the park’s efforts to produce an ethnohistorical profile of the historic African American community of Archery, which was the location of the Boyhood Farm of President Jimmy Carter. The Jimmy Carter National Preservation District includes part of the town of Plains and its environs. The Jimmy Carter National Historic Site and Preservation District was established by Congress in 1987 to interpret President Jimmy Carter’s life and presidency in relation to Plains, Georgia. The park preserves the resources associated with this story. In essence, the site commemorates and interprets the rural southern culture of Plains, Georgia, that revolves around farming, church and school, and that had a large influence in molding the character and in shaping the political policies of the 39th President of the United States.

Both projects include funding for graduate and undergraduate student participation. Dr. Jackson plans to lead a Summer 2010 Heritage Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program with an emphasis on conducting research focused on these two project sites. Interested students should contact Dr. Jackson.

Elizabeth Bird Receives International Communication Association Award

Elizabeth Bird is the 2009 winner of the Communication Research as Open Field Award, presented annually by the International Communication Association. This “honors researchers who have made contributions to our field from outside our discipline. It honors collaborative research and practice that cuts across disciplinary boundaries in ways that develop more complex understandings of the communications environment and the public sphere.” It will be awarded at the ICA Annual Convention this May.

Graduate Student Receives Boren Fellowship

Naheed Ahmed recently received a Boren Fellowship from the National Security Education Program (NSEP), for study of the KiSwahili in Tanzania and fieldwork on nutrition as part of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment there. The NSEP focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security. Boren Fellowships provide up to $30,000 to U.S. graduate students to add an important international and language component to their graduate education through specialization in area study, language study, or increased language proficiency. NSEP draws on a broad definition of national security, recognizing that the scope of national security has expanded to include not only the traditional concerns of protecting and promoting American well-being, but also the challenges of global society, including sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration, and economic competitiveness.

Visual Anthropology Class Project Cited in Tampa Tribune

A Visual Anthropology graduate course project recording memories of local folk artist Taft Richardson was cited in the Tampa Tribune on April 15, 2009 (http://centraltampa2.tbo.com/content/2009/apr/15/st-folk-artists-bones-need-resting-place/news/). The video project, created by Lance Arney, Mabel Sabogal, and Natalie Odom was produced as a tribute to the artist who died in 2008, and was used as part of a celebration of his life and art that took place recently at the George Bartholomew North Tampa Center.

Graduate Students Kelley Sams and Betsy Danforth Awarded Fulbright Scholarships

Graduate student Kelley Sams was recently awarded a Fulbright IIE Fellowship to conduct her dissertation research on Trachoma Infection in Niger, as was Betsy Danforth for her dissertation research in Tanzania.

Graduate Student Aki Nakanishi Earns Top Prize at Dubai Conference

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (April 1, 2009) -- As the Education Without Borders 2009 conference wraps up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, USF’s Aki Nakanishi, a master's student in anthropology, was awarded the Al Faraa' award in the section "The Role of Education in Meeting Global Challenges" for her paper Facilitating Youth Participatory Action Research: Reflections, Strategies & Applications. Only eight such prizes were awarded across the breadth of conference topics ranging from “Global Solutions to Economic Recovery,” to “Harnessing Technology for a Better World,” and “Cultural Exchange for Tolerance, Understanding and Peace”. Nakanishi received her award from Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan and Princess Astrid of Belgium.

“This has certainly been a transformative scholarly and cultural experience for our 16 undergraduate and graduate students,” said USF Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Ralph Wilcox. “We may have the largest student delegation from any one university outside of the UAE, certainly from the United States. Watching them interact with more than 1,000 others from 120 countries has been immensely rewarding. They’ve certainly done themselves and USF proud. Thanks to their faculty mentors who have been both understanding and supportive of the opportunities presented by this remarkable educational experience.”

For more information on the Education Without Borders Conference, visit: http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Education/10299930.html

Two Anthropology Doctoral Students Receive Provost's Awards for Outstanding Teaching

Two of our doctoral students did the department proud with their teaching achievements and were recognized by the Provost’s Awards for Outstanding Teaching by a Graduate Teaching Assistant.

Jason Miller was among only five Teaching Assistants across the entire University to win the Provost’s Award, with a plaque and a $1,000 prize.

Lance Arney was among a small group of T.A’s who received the Provost’s Commendation, with a the award of a plaque. Lance also received a Graduate Achievement Award from the Graduate and Professional Student Council on March 27, 2009.

The nomination process entails putting together a detailed and careful teaching portfolio, which documented the exciting innovations that both Lance and Jason have introduced into teaching their own classes in the department.

They join several department students who have won top awards in the last couple of years, including John Trainor, Kate Brelsford, Jodi Nettleton, and Daphine Washington.

Graduate Student Receives Scholarships for Archaeological Research

Graduate student Meg Stack has been awarded two competitive scholarships to support her field studies in Honduras this summer. The first is the Jane C. Waldbaum Archaeological Field School Scholarship awarded by the Archaeological Institute of America (http://www.archaeological.org/webinfo.php?page=1040). This is a very competitive, international scholarship awarded to only five students per year. The second is the Compass Scholarship, awarded by USF Education Abroad (http://global.usf.edu/educationabroad/out-funding.php#scholarships).

Fathauer Travel Awards Given to Three Graduate Students

The Fathauer Endowed Travel Awards were created to provide field work funding for graduate students within the USF Anthropology Department. In this, the inaugaral year of their award, the receipients are: Cassie Workman-Whaler, Carylanna Bahamondes, and Betsy Danforth. Congratulations!

Jacqueline Messing Awarded Prestigious Fellowships

Jacqueline Messing was awarded two prestigious and competitive fellowships for research in 2008-09 for her book project: “Identity, Language, Ideology, and Social change in Colonial and Contemporary Tlaxcala, Mexico.” She is currently the Kislak Fellow in American Studies at the Kluge Center for Scholars of the Library of Congress. The Kislak Program supports scholarly research that contributes understanding of the cultures and history of the Americas. A generous endowment from John W. Kluge enabled the Library to establish the Kluge Center in 2000. Its mission is to bring together the world's best thinkers to stimulate scholarly discussion, distill wisdom from the Library's rich resources and interact with policymakers in Washington. Fellows are chosen by the Librarian of Congress based on their scholarly contributions to their field, the appropriateness of their proposed research to Library collections, and the nomination by peers assembled by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

In spring 2009 she will be a fellow at the Latin American Studies Center at the University of Maryland-College Park, where she will be affiliated with the Anthropology department, teaching a course about indigenous communities in Latin America.

Several New Awards for Anthropology Faculty

We'd like to recognize a recent series of terrific awards for our Anthropology faculty!

  • Dr. Antoinette Jackson won the Vera Green Publication Award for her paper, "Changing Ideas about Heritage and Heritage Resource Management in Historically." The paper will be published in Transforming Anthropology, the journal of the Association for Black Anthropologists (ABA). Dr. Jackson received her award in front of a large crowd at the American Anthropological Association in San Francisco this November.

  • Dr. Karla Davis-Salazar was the sole winner of the Jerome Krivanek award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching, USF’s highest teaching award. She received her award at the Faculty Honors and Awards ceremony the first week of December 2008.

  • Dr. Curtis Wienker is the winner of the Lasker award, a prestigious award made by the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. It is given for long-time service to the AAPA to individuals who have served the association with distinction over an extended period. Dr. Lorena Madrigal will accept the award on his behalf at the AAPA’s annual meeting in 2009.

  • Dr. Michael Angrosino won the 2008 Annual Society for Humanistic Anthropology Fiction Award for his ethnographic short story, "The Shrine."

Nancy White writes "Archaeology for Dummies"

Please see the story on Nancy White’s Archaeology for Dummies book, which was prominently displayed on the USF main web page. Congratulations to Dr. White for this accomplishment!

Anthropology faculty win several new grants

Several anthropology faculty have been awarded major federal grants in the last few weeks, totaling just over $750,000 . They include:

  • David Himmelgreen and Nancy Romero-Daza: The impact of economic change on food habits and nutritional health in Monteverde, Costa Rica: Mixing agriculture and tourism.

    $303,107. National Science Foundation.

  • Linda Whiteford (and PI Graham Tobin, Geography): Collaborative research: Social networks in chronic disasters - Exposure, evacuation and resettlement.

    To continue their work on resettlement of people displaced by continuing volcanic eruptions in Ecuador. 100,514. National Science Foundation.

  • Erin Kimmerle: Estimation of biological parameters for identification in cases of missing persons, mass disasters, and human rights violations.

    Will investigate issues of human variation in aging and other biological parameters among Nigerian populations so that appropriate standards can be developed for human identification. The grant also funds mass grave excavation to test and apply the new methods developed. $311,115.00; National Institute of Justice.

  • Becky Zarger: Development and resilience of complex socioeconomic systems: A theoretical model and case study from the Maya Lowlands.

    Total award amount: $900,000. USF is a collaborating institution with the University of Oregon, University of California-Davis, University of New Mexico, and the University of Southern California. Zarger is PI on USF portion: $62,034. An interdisciplinary project involving archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, and climate scientists to study the relationships between cultural landscapes, climate change, and the resilience of complex sociopolitical systems in the Maya lowlands of southern Belize. National Science Foundation.

Kathy Borman Wins $3.5 Million in New Funding!

Kathy Borman has just been awarded nearly $3.5 million in new funding from the National Science Foundation, Spencer Foundation, and Florida Department of Education. Further details of each award follow:

  • On-Track for STEM Careers: Access to Rigorous and Relevant STEM Coursework in Florida’s High Schools, Kathryn M. Borman, PI, National Science Foundation for 3 years, $996,966.

    The purpose of the study is to provide a critical, in-depth understanding of the impact of accelerated academic programs (such as, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Honors) on students’ science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) course-taking in high school and during their first year of college.

  • Expanding Opportunities for Innovative and Technology Rich STEM Experiences through Florida’s High School Career Academies, Kathryn M. Borman, PI; National Science Foundation for 3 years, $1,499,910.

    Focus is on career academies in Florida’s high schools. The research questions include: Who enrolls in career academies? and What are the outcomes for students who enrolled?

  • Dual Enrollment in Florida: Who is Served and Who Benefits? Kathryn M. Borman, PI; Spencer Foundation for 3 years, $155,659.

    Focuses on access and impact of students in dual enrollment programs in Florida’s high schools.

  • Evaluation of the Florida Voluntary Public School Choice Program. Kathryn M. Borman, PI, Reginald Lee, Co-PI, Bridget Cotner, Co-PI; Florida Department of Education for 5 years, $750,000.

    Will evaluate how well Parent Resource Center in Florida disseminates information to parents of students eligible for school choice, as well as documenting progress of inter-district agreements in reaching their goals of providing school choice services to students.

Kevin Yelvington Wins Guggenheim Fellowship!

Read the announcement here.

"Enduring Threads" Exhibit Created by Museum Methods Class

Read the Oracle article here.

Elizabeth Bird Writes a St. Pete Times Opinon Piece About Higher Education Budget Cuts in the State of Florida

Read the complete article at: http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/essays/article453658.ece

Susan Greenbaum Featured on Against the Grain

This interview, in which Dr. Greenbaum criticizes federal policies that disperse public housing residents in the name of reducing poverty was broadcast on KPFA 94.1 FM (Berkeley, CA) on April 15, 2008, followed by a replay of a 1981 interview by Eric Hobsbawm discussing socialism, democracy, Poland, and the USSR. To listen or download the Pacifica Radio mp3 file, click on the link below.
http://kpfa.org/archives/index.php?arch=25817

Lorena Madrigal Featured in New Scientist!

Please see the article that just appeared in the online version of the prestigious New Scientist magazine, featuring the work of Dr. Lorena Madrigal, of the Department of Anthropology. Congratulations, Lorena!

USF Second in the Nation!

A recent assessment by the Center for Public Anthropology rated USF’s Anthropology Department second in the nation, narrowly nudged out by Michigan State University. The ranking assesses departments’ levels of public visibility and engagement, using factors such as citations in public media, collaborative programs involving the community, and the engaged scholarship and outreach of individual faculty members. The assessment included 394 schools, with the top five being Michigan State, USF, University of Pennsylvania, Arizona State, and the University of California, Berkeley.

Anthropology Award Winners

The Fall and Spring 2007 semesters were stellar ones for Anthropology faculty and graduate students, with many prestigious award and honors coming our way:

Faculty Awards

  • Elizabeth Bird won the USF Askounes-Ashford Award for Distinguished Scholarship, 2007, an annual award given to recognize a superior research career.
  • Linda Whiteford won the USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy program's annual Faculty Research Recognition Award, 2007, which recognizes research that makes a difference in the lives of women.
  • Christian Wells won a USF Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award for 2007, continuing a departmental tradition, in which anthropology faculty have won this award every year for the past four years, as well as in other previous years.
  • Kathy Borman was named a USF Million Dollar Researcher for second year in a row.
  • Karla Davis-Salazar was the 2007 winner of the Hispanic Pathways Award, given by the USF Latin Community Advisory Board in recognition of “outstanding research and outreach that creates pathways to the betterment of the lives of Latinos.”
  • Nancy Romero-Daza was the 2007 winner of the Hispanic Heritage Award, (Faculty) given by USF Hispanic Heritage Celebration Committee to recognize scholarship and outreach that benefits the Hispanic community.
  • Antoinette Jackson was the winner of a McKnight Junior Faculty Fellowship for 2006-07, awarded by the Florida Education Fund.
  • Karla Davis-Salazar and Elizabeth Bird were also recognized as Outstanding Faculty Mentors.

Student Awards

  • John Trainor (Ph.D. student) has been given the Provost's Award for Outstanding Teaching by a Graduate Assistant. John has been instrumental in designing the lab section for ANT 2511. This award not only affirms that John is an outstanding teacher, but also that our program and graduate students are excellent. Congratulations to John! Also at the same ceremony, there were other departmental awards:
    Michelle Formica: Provost’s Commendation for Outstanding Teaching by a Graduate TA
    Edgar Amador: Certificate of Recognition , Provost’s Award for Outstanding Teaching by a Graduate TA
  • Aki Nakanishi (MA student) won the 2007 Society for Medical Anthropology Rudolph Virchow Award (undergraduate division) for her paper, “Protecting Indigenous Medical Knowledge: Confronting Biopiracy and Neo-cultural Imperialism.” Through this award the SMA honors work deemed to best reflect, extend or advance critical perspectives in medical anthropology. Aki was also awarded the Alvin Wolfe Scholarship in applied anthropology by the department.
  • Travis Doering (Ph.D. 2007) was a 2007 winner of USF’s Outstanding Dissertation Award
  • Shana Hughes (Ph.D. student) won first prize for her presentation, “AIDS death and structural violence in Miami-Dade County, Florida,” in the inaugural Office of Graduate Student Success' and Graduate Professional Student Council's Research Symposium Soiree.
  • Dina Martinez (Ph.D. student) was the 2007 winner of both major research achievement awards given annually by the Anthropology Department -- the Michael V. Angrosino Research Achievement Award and the Linda M. Whiteford Awards. Dina was also awarded the 2007 Student Award by the USF Hispanic Heritage Celebration Committee.
  • Chrystal Smith (Ph.D student) won the inaugural Alliance for Applied Research in Education and Anthropology Research Achievement Award, given annually in recognition of a superior research achievement in the areas of education and anthropology.
  • Jason Miller (Ph.D. student) won the inaugural Alliance for Applied Research in Education and Anthropology Travel Award, given annually to support participation in a national or international professional meeting in the areas of education and anthropology.
  • Juan Luque (Ph.D. 2006) was the 2007 winner of the Alumni Award, given by the USF Hispanic Heritage Celebration Committee. Edgar Amador and Jose E. Moreno-Cortes (both Ph.D. students) were winners of the USF Successful Latino Student Awards for 2007.