Anthropology News
The "Immunity passport": new forms of biological citizenship post-COVID-19
Cristiana Giordano was awarded a seed grant from the COVID-19 Research Accelerator Funding Track Program for a project titled The "Immunity passport": new forms of biological citizenship post-COVID-19.
Dr. Naomi L. Martisius, who earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology in 2019, published dissertation research on Neandertal bone technology in Scientific Reports on May 8, 2020
Professor Teresa E. Steele and Dr. Mark N. Grote of the Department of Anthropology were co-authors on the research. Martisius and her colleagues used the technique of ZooMS, which analyzes tiny molecules of collagen from archaeological bones and can determine which animal the bone originated from. Importantly, this study did not destructively sample the bone tools, but the plastic surfaces of the bags and boxes that the bone tools were stored in, meaning that the technique was non-destructive. Martisius' research determined that Neandertals in southwest France were consistent in their choice of bison or aurochs ribs over reindeer ribs when making bone tools, even though reindeer were more available on the local landscape. This selectivity indicates that Neandertals understood the properties of the raw materials that they worked with.
Dr. Cristina Moya and Colleagues Awarded NSF RAPID Grant for Covid-19 Research
Congratulations to Dr, Moya and her colleagues (Jones, Kline, Smaldino, and Almquist) for their NSF-RAPID project: "Coupled Contagion, Behavior-Change, and the Dynamics of Pro- and Anti-Social Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic." This research will examine how people's health related behaviors (e.g., social distancing) change through the course of the pandemic, and how these in turn affect disease dynamics.
Dr. Brenna Henn Awarded NIH Maximizing Investigators Research Grant for Early Stage Investigators
Congratulations to Dr. Henn on her NIH MIRA grant for ESI ($1.9 M over 5 years) for her project: "Improving Inference of Genetic Architecture and Selection with African Genomes." This research focuses on heritable traits like height and skin pigmentation as model systems in order to improve genotype-phenotype association in diverse African populations with small sample sizes.
Dr. Christyann Darwent Awarded Distinguished Teaching Award
Congratulations to Dr. Darwent who was awarded a Distinguished Teaching Award for Undergraduate Instruction (2020) from the UC Davis Academic Senate.
Dr. Naomi Martisius, recent UC Davis Anthropology Ph.D., was a recent Fulbright Scholar and contributed to UC Davis being recognized as a top-ranked producer of Fulbright Scholars
UC Davis is a “top producer” of Fulbright U.S. Scholars in 2019-20, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Biodiversity Museum Day, February 15, 2020.
UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, 9th Annual Event, opens 13 collections across campus, which includes the Department of Anthropology Museum, on Saturday, February 15.
Dr. Jeffrey Kahn awarded 2019 Haitian Studies Association Avant Garde Book Prize
Dr. Jeffrey Kahn, assistant professor of anthropology, awarded the 2019 Haitian Studies Association Avant Garde Book Prize.
ANT Undergrad Valencia Scott named as "Aggie Hero" and 2019-20 Student Advisor to Chancellor
Valencia Scott, an undergraduate double majoring in anthropology and international relations, was recently named as an "Aggie Hero" by the Office of the Chancellor.
Cole Williams '20 named "Undergraduate of the Year" by College of Biological Sciences
In the lab of Associate Professor Brenna Henn, College of BioSci Undergraduate of the Year Cole Williams studied familial relationships in African hunter-gatherer and pastoralist groups, some of which are the most diverse human populations on Earth
Silvia Gruner in conversation with Tarek Elhaik
On February 20th 2019, the Arts Research Center at UC Berkeley featured a talk with Silvia Gruner, followed by a conversation with Tarek Elhaik
From Tool Use in Primates to Animal Movement: Animal Behavior Graduate Student Claudio Monteza-Moreno
One of Dr. Meg Crofoot's students, Claudio Monteza-Moreno, has been featured in a College of Biological Sciences article.
Congratulations to the recipients of support from the Sacramento Archaeological Society!
Congratulations to the recipients of support from the Sacramento Archaeological Society!
UC Davis undergrads, grad and faculty mentor win the BEST POSTER award at C-WESS 2018
Benjamin R. Witzel, UCD, Jentin D. Jo, UCD, Noah A. Wilfert, UCD, Caleb K. Chen, UCD, Lauren J. Duckworth, UCD, Patricia J. McNeill, UCD, Sam J. Dunham, UCD, Nicholas Radtkey, UCD, Liu Chang, UCD, Kevin N. Smith, UCD, & Nicolas Zwyns, UCD: The Use of Replicative Studies in Understanding the Evolution of Shell Fishhook Production on San Nicolas Island, CA
2018 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
Trisha McNeill - first year paleo/arch student awarded research fellowship
Faculty Dr. Nicolas Zwyns received a The Leakey Foundation grant
provide support for his fieldwork at Trou Al’Wesse, Belgium
Graduate student Grace Davis received a The Leakey Foundation grant
$15,000 grant for her project "Leading according to need in spider monkey fission-fusion societies"
Graduate student Jason Miszaniec received a North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) Graduate Student Research Award
$25,000 to support his research on prehistorical coastal adaptations in Alaska
Cristiana Giordano awarded the 2017 Boyer Prize for her 2014 UC Press book: Migrants in Translation
The Boyer Prize for Contributions to Psychoanalytic Anthropology is awarded annually to a book or article published in the preceding three years that addresses the psychodynamic process in a cultural context. In receiving the prize, Giordano will join a line of distinguished scholars who have made signal contributions to the field. Please see link for additional information: http://spa.americananthro.org/prizes-2/boyer-prize-for-contributions-to-psychoanalytic-anthropology/
Publication by Graduate student Christian Doll
The Journal of Eastern African Studies.
Muneeza Rizvi Awarded Wenner-Gren for her doctoral research
Mourning Hussain in London: Islamic Moral Criticism and the Majilis-e-Ulama Shia Europe
A Race to Save the Artifacts
Climate change is drastically altering the archaeological record in northwestern Greenland. Archaeologists from Bowdoin College, UC Davis, and the Greenland National Museum are in "A Race to Save the Artifacts." Featuring Anthropology Research Associate Dr. John Darwent and PhD Candidate Jason Miszaniec: http://features.bowdoin.edu/save-the-artifacts
Laura Meek Awarded the Rudolf Virchow Award, Graduate Student Award
Travel award from the Society for Medical Anthropology to attend the AAA conference, “Critical Anthropology for Global Health” (CAGH). Category, for 2017. Paper “Fakes, Poisons, & Medicines: Pharmaceutical Capacities in the Context of Radical Uncertainty in Tanzania” Any additional links or info: http://www.medanthro.net/interest-groups/
Anthropology Students Analyze Strategy for Slowing Climate Change
REDD+ provides financial incentives to nations, organizations, and communities who work to slow local rates of deforestation. Here, the students of ANT 103H: Conservation and People, led by Professor Monique Borgerhoff Mulder, assess the program’s efficacy in slowing global climate change.
Erum A. Syed awarded Diversity and Inclusion Innovation Grant
Diversity and Inclusion Innovation Grant
Sarah Hrdy Awarded Honorary Doctor of Science
Sarah Hrdy is Professor Emerita in the Department of Anthropology.
2017 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
Sara Watson - first year paleo/arch student awarded research fellowship. Trish McNeill incoming paleo/arch student receives honorable mention
Professor Smriti Srinivas and Team Awarded Global Affairs Regional Grant
Professor Smriti Srinivas and her team were awarded a UC Davis Global Affairs Regional Faculty grant for 2107-2018
