GW Anthropology alumna Amanda Eller gets article published and Undergraduate Peri Buch awarded Fulbright Scholarship

The article written by Amanda Eller is titled: Transactional sex and sexual harassment between professors and students at an urban university in Benin. It was published in the Culture, Health & Sexuality: An International Journal for Research, Intervention and Care. Eller discusses the relationships between female students and their professors. She analyzes the determination of power and how it affects the professor's ability to determine consent as well as why the professor, in these cases, is perceived as the victim.

The link to the article is posted below.

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13691058.2015.1123295

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Undergraduate Peri Buch, a senior in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences double-majoring in Archaeology and History, has been awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship. She will be studying at the University of Haifa in Israel while on this grant. Peri has worked on multiple archaeological digs in Israel with GW's Dr. Eric Cline, including his sites at Megiddo and tel-Kabri.

News about our recent Alumni!

Helen Alesbury (B.S. Bio Anth & B.A. Arch 2010) is serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Los Cimientos, El Salvador, where she works specifically on health and sanitation issues.

Shweta Bansil (B.A. Anth 2012) is entering the GW Medical School program as the second step in her 7-year B.A./M.D. program.

Carla Blauvelt (M.A. Anth-Intl. Dev. 2009) is working as the Senior Research Program Coordinator for the Department of International Health at the Bloomberg School of Public Health (Johns Hopkins University). She is currently in Tanzania studying the care of newborns.

Geoffrey Cain (Intl. Affairs & Anth 2008) is working as a journalist and commentator across the world while also pursuing a Ph.D. in political anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.

Adam Chamy (B.A. Intl. Affairs 2009), a 2008 recipient of the Anthropology Department’s Cotlow award, will attend the University of Maryland’s dual master’s program in city planning and architecture this fall.

Heather Dingwall (B.A. Arch & B.S. Bio Anth 2012) will enter the Anthropology Ph.D. program at Harvard University this fall. Heather plans to continue her work on the evolution of bipedalism.

Andrea Farnan (B.A. Intl. Affairs & Anth 2011) works as a senior leadership consultant for the sorority Alpha Delta Pi.

Christine Foltz (B.A. Intl. Affairs & Anth 2011) is working on her M.S. in forensic anthropology at Boston University.

Jacqueline Hazen (M.A. Anth 2012), Amanda Kemble (B.A. Anth 2012), and Briel Kobak (B.A. Anth 2012) are working with Dr. Joel Kuipers and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History on a project investigating the cultural and communicative patterns made by cell phones.  Amanda has also joined the staff of Anthropological Quarterly, the journal edited by Dr. R. Richard Grinker.

Adrienne Lagman (M.A. Anth-Intl. Devel. 2011) will enter the Ph.D. program in Anthropology at the University of Michigan this fall.  Adrienne is interested in the performance of gender roles within the Chinese legal system and anticipates focusing on women at legal aid centers in China.

Candice Lanius (B.A. Anth 2012) will enter the Ph.D. program in Communication and Rhetoric this fall at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) where she will be studying computer-mediated communication and social analysis.

Cheyenne Lewis (B.A. Arch & B.S Bio Anth 2012) will enter the M.A. program in Biological and Forensic Anthropology at Mercyhurst University this fall. Cheyenne has a particular interest in osteology and the excavation of human remains.

Jillian Mallis (B.S. Geology & B.A. Arch 2011) is working on her Ph.D. in Geology at Stanford University. She was fully funded for her studies.

Daniel Miller (M.A. Anth 2011) is working on a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Previously, he was doing molecular biology research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Hospital.

Huma Mohibullah (M.A. Anth 2011) is working on her Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. She is interested in identity construction and imagined communities, among other subjects.

Lisa Nevell (Ph.D. Hom Paleo 2008) is working as a Post-Doctoral Research Assistant in the lab of Nobel laureate Mario Capecchi at the University of Utah. Lisa designs targeting vectors for cells and mice.

Alicia O’Brien (B.A. Intl. Affairs & Anth 2011) is working as the Staffing and Payroll Coordinator for Facilities and Operations at GW.

Sarah Ray (B.A. Anth 2008) is now working as an administrative assistant in the Office of Communications and External Relations at Columbia University after completing a 26 month stint teaching English in Macedonia.

LaMarie Reid (B.A. Archaeology 2009) is working in the Washington, DC Historic Preservation Office (DC HPO) as the Assistant Archaeologist of the city. LaMarie works with the City Archaeologist, Dr. Ruth Trocolli, to identify, record, and protect archaeological sites in the District of Columbia, as well as conduct Section 106 project reviews. She also works with collections manager Tara Tetrault to preserve the artifact collections.

Sean Reid (M.A. Anth-Int. Dev. 2010) is a research assistant for the Southern African Slave Wrecks and Heritage Route Project under GW’s Anthropology professor Stephen Lubkemann.

Rebecca Roberts (M.A. Anth 2012), along with Sarah K. Schmidt, wrote Images of America: Historic Congressional Cemetery on behalf of the Historic Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC.

Shanyn Ronis (B.A. Anth & Latin American Studies 2009) is working as a political accounts executive at Gumbinner & Davies Communications in Washington, DC.

Tanya Shpigel (B.A. Intl. Affairs & Anth 2011) is working on her M.A. in social science at the University of Chicago.

Taylor Tibbetts (B.A. Anth & English 2011) received a presidential scholarship from GW and is working on her M.A. in Strategic Public Relations while working in GW’s Office of Media Relations.

Kory Trott (B.S. Bio Anth 2011) is working on his M.P.H. at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Kristina Zarenko (B.A. Intl. Affairs & Anth 2011) is working on her M.A. in anthropology with a focus on biological anthropology at the University of California Chico. 

What are our graduates from the olden times doing?

Joanna Brugger (B.A. Anth 2007) is working on the Millennium Cities Initiative at Columbia University’s Earth Institute in New York City. The Millennium Cities Initiative focuses on urban development in various African metropolitan areas.

Zeb Eckert (B.A. Anth & Journalism 2003) is a reporter for Bloomberg Television based in Hong Kong. He has had reporting assignments in Japan, Thailand, South Korea and elsewhere.

Tricia Gabany-Guerrero (M.A. 1988 Anth-Int. Dev.) is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at California State University at Fullerton. She studies the Tarascan Empire in Mexico.

Chris Garces (M.A. Anth 1999) is an assistant professor of Anthropology at Cornell University. He has recently contributed an essay, People’s Mic and ‘Leaderful’ Charisma, to Cultural Anthropology’s “Occupy, Anthropology, and the 2011 Global Uprisings.”

Glenn Geelhoed, M.D. (M.A. Anth 1995) is an alumnus of four different GW schools and a professor in Surgery, International Medical Education, and Microbiology and Tropical Medicine at the GW Medical School. In addition to teaching, he works across the world to provide medical help, train doctors, and establish clinics. One of his current projects involves bringing together the warring peoples in Sudan through marathons. He does this by providing medical equipment and training as a reward.

Rachel Harvey (M.A. Anth 2003) is a doctoral student in Anthropology at the University of Florida, where she studies the impact of cultural tourism in post-apartheid countries. Her research in Cape Town was funded by a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship.

Tracy Nasca (M.A. Anth 2001) is working in corporate accounts for Waterstones, a book retail store, in London, UK.

Diana Santillán (M.A. Anth 2006) is working as a Global Health Fellow at USAID. In her role as Gender Advisor for the Office of Population and Reproductive Health (PRH), she researches gender-related issues, including women’s rights and reproductive health.

Jen Schiller (M.A. Anth 2004) is working at the director of Shelter House’s Katherine K. Hanley Family Shelter in Fairfax, Virginia.

Hope Williams (M.A. 2005) is working on her Ph.D. in Anthropology and Archaeology at Arizona State University. She is working on multiple publications concerning strontium isotopes in various materials.

Matthew Wolfgram (M.A. Anth 1999) is an assistant professor of linguistic anthropology at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. Matthew studies Ayurveda medical practices and language in U.S. public schools.

Senior Heather Dingwall Chosen as a CCAS Distinguished Scholar

Heather Dingwall, a double major in Biological Anthropology and Archaeology, has been selected as a 2012 Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Scholar. (Two students are chosen each year.) This is the highest academic honor that the CCAS accord our graduating students, and she will now be delivering an address at the graduation ceremony.

Heather’s research as a Gamow Fellow (2010-11), Vice President for Research Fellow (2011-12), and Lewis N. Cotlow Award recipient (2011), all excavating and analyzing ancient human footprints in Kenya under the direction of Prof. Brian Richmond. This work led to her being co-author of articles in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology and PaleoAnthropology.

Heather will be entering a doctoral program next year but is still weighing her options.

2011 Rogers Excavation Scholarship Recipients

The Anthropology Department is pleased to announce the 2011 Rogers Excavation Scholarship recipients, who will participate in archaeological fieldwork at sites in the U.S., Israel, Mexico, Belize, Kenya, and Greece during Summer 2011.

Joaille Araujo (B.A. Anth / Intl Affairs)
Alexandria, VA. Director: Pamela Cressey

Rebecca Biermann (B.A. Anth)
Oaxaca, Mexico. Director: Jeffrey Blomster

Sarah Cahlan (B.A. Archaeology)
Tel Kabri, Israel. Director: Eric Cline

Charlotte Doney (B.A. Anth)
Say Kah, Belize. Director: Linda Brown

Gabriela Farias (B.A. Arch / Geology)
Tel Kabri, Israel. Director: Eric Cline

Cheyenne Lewis (B.A. Arch / B.S. Bio Anth)
Astypalaia, Greece. Director: Simon Hillson

Lisa Mangiarelli (B.A. Arch)
Say Kah, Belize. Director: Linda Brown

Katie Paul (M.A. Anth)
Tel Kabri, Israel. Director: Eric Cline

Laurel Poolman (B.A. Arch / Anth)
Tel Kabri, Israel. Director: Eric Cline

Madeline Shaffer (B.A. Arch)
Say Kay, Belize. Director: Linda Brown

Harrison Ward (B.S. Bio Anth)
Koobi Fora (Director: Brian Richmond) and Olorgesailie (Director: Alison Brooks), Kenya.

The Rogers Excavation Scholarship provides funding for undergraduate or graduate students to do fieldwork in archaeology. Preference is given to those participating in an excavation for the first time and to those working with GW faculty. This scholarship, administered through the Capitol Archaeological Institute, was established in 2011 through the generosity of alumni Deborah Lehr and John Rogers.

2011 Lewis N. Cotlow Recipients

The Anthropology Department is pleased to announce the 2011 recipients of Lewis N. Cotlow Awards for anthropological research. The following students will conduct research during the coming months and will present highlights of their findings at the annual conference on student research, which is held on the Friday of Colonials Weekend in October 2011:

Tanvi Avasthi (B.A./M.A. Anth): Identity Politics among Progressive Indian Clinicians
Advisor: Barbara Miller

Carrie Benjamin (M.A. Anth): Talibés and Marabouts: Children's Rights, Development, and Local Perspectives in Saint-Louis, Senegal
Advisors: David Gow and Ilana Feldman

Heather Dingwall (B.S. Bio Anth and B.A. Arch): Analysis of Homo erectus Fossil Footprints from Ileret, Kenya, in the Context of Unshod Daasanach Experimental Prints
Advisor: Brian Richmond

Justin Greco (B.S. Bio Sci and B.A. Arch): Determining Site-Status via Analysis of Maya Ceramics from Say Kah, Belize
Advisors: Jeffrey Blomster and Linda Brown

Cheyenne Lewis (B.S. Bio Anth and B.A. Arch): Use of Dorsal Parturition Pits as a Female Characteristic on the Human Pelvis
Advisor: Douglas Ubelaker

Kate Markham (B.S. Bio Anth): Monitoring Nitrogen and Energy Balance in Wild Bornean Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) in a Peat Swamp
Advisor: Erin Vogel

Alicia O'Brien (B.A. Int Aff): Describing the Gap: The Impact of Identity and Culture for Individuals with Cognitive Disabilities after Transitioning from School
Advisors: Frances Norwood and Barbara Miller

Danielle Pelaez (B.A. Int Aff): 21st Century Pilgrims: Exploring the Transmutation from the Religious Pilgrim to the Secular Adventurer
Advisor: Catherine Allen

Claire Ragozzino (B.A. Intl Aff): West Meets East: The Effects of Western Commodification of Yoga on Indian Yogic Identity and Practice
Advisors: Barbara Miller and Frances Norwood

Rebecca Remis (B.A. Intl Aff): The Chinese Experience in the Organic Movement: A Case Study of Little Donkey Farm
Advisors: Barbara Miller and Robert Shepherd

Tatiana Reyes (B.A. Intl Aff): Working Women: An Ethnography of Tourism and Its Impact on the Women of San Juan del Sur
Advisors: Catherine Timura, Robert Shepherd, Barbara Miller

Kristina Short (M.A. Anth): Materializing Social identity: Ceramic Figurines at Middle and Late Formative Etlatongo
Advisor: Jeffrey Blomster

Since 1990, the Lewis N. Cotlow Field Research Fund has supported over 150 anthropological research projects by GW students in nearly 50 countries. The Fund was created by a $150,000 bequest from the estate of Lewis Cotlow (1898-1987), an explorer, author, and filmmaker who attended GW.

Anthropology Society announces study hours, general meeting

The GW Anthropology Society hosted study hours on September 12 in the Anthropology Department seminar room and plans to hold these regularly throughout the year. The Society will have their first General Interest/Body Meeting September 13 at 8 p.m. in the same room. These events follow a well-attended potluck on September 10.

The Society's e-mail address is nacirema.gwu@gmail.com. All anthropology students, faculty, staff, and alumni are invited to join.

Warren Awards Announced; Eight Students Funded for Summer 2010

The Departments of Anthropology and of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations are pleased to announce the 2010 winners of fellowships for archaeological research. This year, all the students will be working in Israel or Jordan. The winners are:

Joseph DiVirgilio (B.A. candidate, undeclared): Megiddo, Israel

Amanda Kemble (B.A. candidate, Anthropology): Megiddo

Samantha Malone (B.A. candidate, undeclared): Megiddo

Joseph Mazzariello (B.A. candidate, Archaeology): Megiddo

Clara Merchant (B.A. candidate, Anthropology): Megiddo

Katie Paul (M.A. candidate, Anthropology): Megiddo

Kyle Tomanio (B.A. candidate, Anthropology): Megiddo

Jonathan Warner (B.A., undeclared): Bir Madhkur, Jordan

This is the third year Warren awards have been made. The endowment was created by a generous gift from William Warren, a retired Foreign Service Officer, who received a B.A. in 1967 from what is now the Elliott School of International Affairs. He was American Consul in Adana, Turkey, served as Charge d'Affaires of the American Embassy in the Solomon Islands and in Samoa, and held other overseas posts. Warren established two awards, the Thomas and Ola Herbert Reidling Undergraduate Award for B.A. or B.S. candidates and the Zelma Reidling Warren Bannister and William Warren Graduate Fellowship Award for M.A. and Ph.D. candidates.

For more information, visit the Warren Fellowship page of the Anthropology Department website: http://www.gwu.edu/~anth/atgw/warren.cfm

Department Halloween Bash

The Department had a Halloween party yesterday. Approximately 30 students were in attendance to partake in the festivities, socialize with faculty and take a swing at the piñata.

Prof. Robin Bernstein, Biological Anthropology, blindfolds Prof. Jeff Blomster, Archaeology


Undergraduate Shanyn Ronis '10 takes a mighty swing

After conquering the piñata, undergraduate Lauren Deal '09 celebrates her victory

PhD student David Green and Prof. Robin Bernstein

MA student Isaac Morrison chats with alumna Suzanne Leclerc-Madlala