News & Events

Alumni, Jeffrey Brzezinski and Guy Hepp's Co-Authored Article Published in Latin American Antiquity

Renee Kuban — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 17:50:46 +0000

Alumni, Jeffrey Brzezinski and Guy Hepp's Co-Authored Article Published in Latin American Antiquity Renee Kuban Thu, 07/23/2026 - 11:50

Alumni, Jeffrey Brzezinski (PhD, 2019) and Guy Hepp (PhD, 2015) have recently co-authored a new study in Latin American Antiquity. Their article, titled "Ritual Transformation, Deity Embodiment, and Nagualism in Formative Period Oaxaca, Mexico," delves into ritual embodiment, shifting identities, and relational understandings of personhood in ancient Oaxaca.

Read the Article Latin American Antiquity

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Stephania Zneimer Successfully Defended Her PhD Dissertation

Renee Kuban — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:20:20 +0000

Stephania Zneimer Successfully Defended Her PhD Dissertation Renee Kuban Wed, 07/15/2026 - 10:20

Stephania Zneimer (Biological Anthropology, PhD Candidate) successfully defended her dissertation, "Drivers of Setaria tundra transmission in Finnish semi-domesticated reindeer: An Agent-Based Modeling Framework for a Subarctic Pastoral System: ReMoST-ABM." Stephania's committee included Professors Matthew Sponheimer (chair), Colin Wren, Fernando Villanea, Jerry Jacka, Sauli Laaksonen, and Lene Jung Kjær

Congratulations Dr. Zneimer!

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Kelsey Hoppes Successfully Defended Her PhD Dissertation

Renee Kuban — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 17:58:32 +0000

Kelsey Hoppes Successfully Defended Her PhD Dissertation Renee Kuban Mon, 07/13/2026 - 11:58

Kelsey Hoppes (Archaeology, PhD Candidate) successfully defended Her PhD dissertation, "Tracing Origins Through Pottery: Attribute Analysis Within a Communities of Practice Framework at a Thirteenth- and Fourteenth-Century Multicultural Settlement on the North American Great Plains." Kelsey's committee members included Professors Doug Bamforth (chair), Samantha Fladd, Scott Ortman, Sarah Kurnick, and Jennifer Birch.

Congratulations, Dr. Hoppes!

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Yuti Gao Successfully Defended Her PhD Dissertation

Renee Kuban — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 17:27:24 +0000

Yuti Gao Successfully Defended Her PhD Dissertation Renee Kuban Mon, 07/13/2026 - 11:27

Yuti Gao (Biological Anthropology, PhD Candidate) successfully defended her dissertation, "Metagenomic Analyses of Cercopithecid Oral Microbiomes: Associations with Host Phylogeny, Habitat and Diet." Yuti's committee included Professors Steven Leigh (chair), Fernando Villanea, Sharon DeWitte, Katherine Amato, Tanvi Honap.

Congratulations Dr. Gao!

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Sanggay Tashi's Essay Published in The Conversation

Renee Kuban — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:11:28 +0000

Sanggay Tashi's Essay Published in The Conversation Renee Kuban Mon, 07/06/2026 - 10:11

Sanggay Tashi (Cultural Anthropology, PhD in Progress) recently published an article in The Conversation titled "How the development of solar and wind farms on the Tibetan Plateau is affecting local communities." The piece is based on his PhD research examining the impacts of the world's largest solar farm.

Read the essay The Conversation

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Yuti Gao Awarded a Postdoctoral Research Position at the University of Michigan

Renee Kuban — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 19:00:17 +0000

Yuti Gao Awarded a Postdoctoral Research Position at the University of Michigan Renee Kuban Thu, 07/02/2026 - 13:00

Yuti Gao (Biological Anthropology, Candidate) will begin a postdoctoral research position in the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Michigan Medical School starting in September.

Congratulations, Yuti!

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Will Taylor’s Research Reclassifies Colorado Moose as Native

Renee Kuban — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 15:46:30 +0000

Will Taylor’s Research Reclassifies Colorado Moose as Native Renee Kuban Mon, 06/29/2026 - 09:46

New research by Professor Will Taylor has debunked the long-held belief that Colorado’s moose are an "invasive" species introduced in the 1970s.

By pairing Indigenous traditional knowledge and oral histories with historical records, Will and an interdisciplinary team proved that moose are actually native to the southern Rocky Mountains. This major discovery has huge implications for local wildlife conservation and has captured widespread media attention:

A&S Magazine: Are Colorado moose invasive? New research says no
Rocky Mountain PBS: Moose are native to Colorado, new CU �鶹ӰԺ study
The Denver Gazette: New study disputes claim moose are non-native to Colorado: ‘Here for centuries, likely longer

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Sanggay Tashi Awarded the Cora Du Bois Fellowship

Renee Kuban — Tue, 19 May 2026 22:16:22 +0000

Sanggay Tashi Awarded the Cora Du Bois Fellowship Renee Kuban Tue, 05/19/2026 - 16:16

Sanggay Tashi (Cultural Anthropology, PhD in Progress) awarded the Cora Du Bois Fellowship at Harvard University.

This fellowship will allow Sanggay to utilize Harvard's Tozzer Library collections in Anthropology, Indigenous Studies, and Tibetan Studies as he completes his dissertation.

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Cristian Figueroa Presented His Co-Authored Paper at the SAA Annual Meeting

Renee Kuban — Tue, 12 May 2026 22:04:41 +0000

Cristian Figueroa Presented His Co-Authored Paper at the SAA Annual Meeting Renee Kuban Tue, 05/12/2026 - 16:04

Cristian Figueroa (Archaeology, PhD in Progress) participated at the Society of American Archaeology (SAA) 91st Annual Meeting, where he co-authored a paper presentation titled “Archaeological Collections, Institutional Policies, and Community Self-representations in Indigenous Museums of Sonora, Mexico” with Dr. Anabella Coronado (Universidad de Sonora & Instituto Sonorense de Cultura).

Additionally, Cristian was a Discussant in the Lightning Round titled “Queer Archaeology Part III: Queer Lightning” where he engaged in conversation with other scholars about how archaeologists are practicing Queer Archaeology.

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Lauren Hosek's Co-Authored Article Published in American Journal of Biological Anthropology

Renee Kuban — Tue, 12 May 2026 21:49:09 +0000

Lauren Hosek's Co-Authored Article Published in American Journal of Biological Anthropology Renee Kuban Tue, 05/12/2026 - 15:49

Lauren Hosek's co-authored article, "On Making Descendant Communities: Three Case Studies From Historical Bioarchaeology," Published in American Journal of Biological Anthropology.

Abstract

Bioarchaeologists, museums and universities, journal editorial boards, and academic professional organizations are working toward ethical engagements with human remains, with a focus on descendant community engagement. This article reexamines past and present bioarchaeological descendant community engagement to consider how “descendant community” has been defined. The authors present three case studies to highlight variation in descendant community definition in practice. The first describes the Loretto Bioarchaeology Project, a community-engaged investigation of the lives of Catholic Sisters (1870–1969) based in Denver, Colorado. The Loretto Community of Sisters and affiliates acts as the descendant community, centering ‘chosen’ family over biological relationships. The second case study discusses two hurricane victims from the 1928 Hurricane, in Belle Glade, Florida. A biological descendant community is impossible given the population of migrant laborers that died in the storm, but a community of care has been developed at a local memorial site for the storm. The third case study considers next-of-kin reported in archival documents pertaining to persons in the Huntington Anatomical Collection (1893–1921), currently housed at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. While next-of-kin documented at decedents' deaths include biological kin, bonds were also created through shared residence and life in New York City, problematizing notions of lineal descendants in the present. The case studies represent a multiplicity of “family,” “descendants,” and “kin,” complicating policies for defining and prioritizing descendant communities and offering examples of paths forward through different iterations of community in bioarchaeological practice.

Read the article American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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