Fall 2020
MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIR
Dear Alumni and Friends…
Over the course of this challenging year, our faculty and students have embodied every characteristic, unique or otherwise, that defines the human condition and our relationship to the world around us. These are the same qualities that anthropologists and geographers study and teach about: We were nimble and innovative when forced to move to online teaching because of COVID-19 in March. And, we were collaborative, empathetic, and supportive when engaged with our respective communities of students, colleagues, families, and friends as we all have navigated new modes of learning, teaching and interacting. Most of all, we have adapted to our new reality and, as we begin a new academic year, we continue to deliver important educational experiences to our students and work on our various research interests, some directly related to the COVID-19 crisis. And, what I am most proud of: We showcased how important our disciplines are to making sense of our world, underscoring the enduring significance of our perspectives.
I hope you enjoy reading about the various additions to the department, both people and programs, as well as the many student and faculty successes. We hope all of you are safe and well. Please look for new ways of connecting to the department this year.
With best wishes,
Mica Glantz
MESSAGE FROM OUR COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
Hello friends,
My name is Josh Zaffos and I’m the department communications specialist. I joined the department last October so it’s been an eventful start! I am looking forward to my first full year working for Anthropology and Geography and getting to better know our alumni and supporters. While we continue to adapt and respond to circumstances surrounding COVID-19, I am excited about the stories we can share from Anthropology and Geography students, faculty, alumni, and friends. Please feel free to reach out and say hello by email or phone: joshua.zaffos@colostate.edu or 970/491-3791.
Best,
Josh
Colorado State University continues to address and respond to challenges surrounding COVID-19.
Find information, details and links on the CSU COVID-19 Information & Resources website
UPDATES FROM OUR DEPARTMENT
Archaeology Field School Breaks New Ground This Summer
The CSU Archaeology Field School, in its 51st year, was one of a limited number of field schools taking place – in the actual field – this year. Over three weeks, the field school – led by director Dr. Edward Henry and Dr. Mary Van Buren – excavated on campus to uncover the 1874 “Claim Building,” which allowed Fort Collins civic leaders to secure the land to eventually become the campus for Colorado’s land-grant university. The class’s work – and its perseverance during COVID-19 – earned excellent coverage from CSU and the media and a visit from CSU President Joyce McConnell!
READ AND WATCH
After 130 years, students unearth site of CSU’s first building, Coloradoan, August 9, 2020
Claim Building archaeology dig continues with visit from President McConnell, SOURCE, August 3, 2020
Despite Pandemic, CSU Archaeology Students In To Campus History During Field School, KUNC, July 24, 2020
Claim Building Dig: Archaeology students help solve a long-buried CSU history mystery, SOURCE, July 22, 2020
Archaeology Field School breaking all sorts of ground this summer, CSU Anthropology and Geography, July 10, 2020
Lastly, THANK! YOU! to everyone who supported our Summer 2020 Anthropology Field School Scholarship program! With your generosity, we reached our fundraising goal, which allows our department to ease student costs to participate in field schools.
FACULTY & PROGRAM NEWS
Welcome Professor Diego Pons!
We welcome Diego Pons, Ph.D, our new Assistant Professor of Geography, an applied climatologist with a background in biology and paleoclimatology.
Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies Program Launches
This fall, Professor Jeannine Pedersen-Guzman and our department are launching a new undergraduate Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies Program.
A Poet Laureate in Our Ranks
Professor Autumn Bernhardt has been named Fort Collins Poet Laureate, a recognition from Wolverine Farm Letterpress. As part of this honor, she will host workshops, readings, and other events.
FACULTY RESEARCH & AWARDS
Galvin: Indigenous People Vital for Understanding Environmental Change
Dr. Kathy Galvin and others have collected 300-plus environmental indicators developed by Indigenous people for monitoring ecosystems.
Du: There’s no place like home – for early humans
Dr. Andrew Du and colleagues find that ancient ecosystems where humans evolved are like none that exist today -- complicating research to understand how environmental conditions triggered prehistoric evolutionary changes.
The Neandertal Debate Continues at Krapina Cave
Anthropology professors, Dr. Michael Pante, Dr. Connie Fellmann, and Dr. Mica Glantz, are collaborating and using novel tools to expand knowledge about Neandertal culture.
READ MORE College of Liberal Arts Magazine, Winter 2019/ Spring 2020
Fisher: Why The Earth Must Be Mapped
Dr. Chris Fisher is on a mission to digitally catalog the planet's landscapes. Fisher and Dr. Stephen Leisz have launched the Earth Archive with a plan to scan the world's cultural and ecological heritage using LiDAR.
READ MORE SAPIENS, December 2019
Congratulations Professor Van Buren!
This January, Dr. Mary Van Buren won a $30,000 fellowship award from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support her research on the history and culture of small-scale, Indigenous silver mining in Potosí, Bolivia, the former location of the Spanish colonial silver mint.
Congratulations Professor Hausermann!
Congratulations Dr. Heidi Hausermann on winning the Harrier “Patsy” Boyer Scholarship from the Center for Women’s Studies and Gender Research! The scholarship recognizes a women's studies researcher and faculty member and their work.
Congratulations Professor Snodgrass!
Congratulations Dr. Jeffrey Snodgrass, on being awarded a nearly $30,000 National Science Foundation Award to examine how online social connections may promote – rather than compromise – immune health during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Congratulations Professor Glantz!
Congratulations to our Chair, Dr. Mica Glantz, on winning the Margaret B. Hazaleus Award! Awarded by the Center for Women’s Studies and Gender Research, this honor recognizes women mentors, role models, and advocates on campus.
We're Social!
Keep in touch and stay connected with department news and events online
STUDENT NEWS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Virtual Commencement, Really Proud
While we weren’t able to hold Commencement in person, we're so proud of our students and the resilience they demonstrated this spring. Instead of our usual Graduation Breakfast, we created a Graduation video to recognize our graduates and share messages from faculty.
Spring Capstones Online
This spring, our students took part in a virtual Capstone Poster Symposium – and did an outstanding job – with their digital posters and online chats with professors. Check out their work in the Capstone Poster Symposium gallery.
Furthering Perspectives Journal Published
The Anthropology Graduate Student Society has published the Spring 2020 volume of its journal, Furthering Perspectives: Anthropological Views of the World. Graduate student Cynthia Ortega served as editor-in-chief; other graduate students and faculty served as editors and reviewers.
More Student Accomplishments!
- Congratulations to geography graduate student Clara Mosso on winning a grant from the Rufford Foundation! The grant will support her research into how growth and development impact forest loss, fire risks, and water resources in the wildland-urban interface surrounding cities in Argentina, specifically in Patagonia.
- Congratulations Eloise Blatherwick, (ANTH, ’20), who is among just eight initiates accepted into the CSU chapter of Phi Beta Kappa this spring! Eloise graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology with a concentration in Biological Anthropology and a second major in Languages, Literatures, and Cultures with a German concentration. Read more
- Congratulations Caroline Dunphy, a sophomore and double major in Anthropology and Geography and International Affairs, on winning a David L. Boren Scholarship from the National Security Education Program! Caroline plans to study in Japan through support from the scholarship. Read more
- Congratulations to master's student Lawrence "Bear" Beals and the Center for Archaeology and Remote Sensing, led by Dr. Chris Fisher and Dr. Stephen Leisz, on winning 1st place and $1,000 in the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Rocky Mountain Region Scholarship Program!
- Anthropology and Geography students earned strong accolades at the 2020 Colorado Council of Professional Archaeologists annual meeting in Pueblo. Congratulations to graduate students Paul Buckner and Marie Taylor, and undergrads Elena Haverluk and Daniel Hemler, who all won awards for their research and posters!
Thank you!
We are grateful for all our friends and family, alumni, and supporters!