News http://www.physanth.org daily 1 2009-06-10T10:42:29Z Integrative Paleoanthropology Grant http://www.physanth.org/news/integrative-paleoanthropology-grant-1 The Biological Anthropology and Archaeology Programs of the National Science Foundation are now inviting investigators to apply for an "Integrative Paleoanthropology Grant." In 2012, contingent on availability of funds, the Programs plan to make a single award of a maximum of $1,000,000 to support a multi-year project of up to five years in duration. The deadline for proposals is fast approaching; applicants should submit their proposal to either the Biological Anthropology Program or the Archaeology Program by 18 April 2012.
Please see the full solicitation information at:  http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503614.

 Carolyn L. Ehardt
 Program Director for Biological Anthropology
 NSF

]]> No publisher Ed Hagen 2012-02-02T15:21:51Z News Item Field School in Paleoanthropology and Paleolithic Archaeology http://www.physanth.org/news/field-school-in-paleoanthropology-and-paleolithic-archaeology 26 June to 26 July, a joint University of Winnipeg and University of Belgrade Field School in Paleoanthropology and Paleolithic Archaeology will be taking place at a hominin bearing Balanica cave complex in Serbia. The school is open to upper undergraduate and graduate students with demonstrated interest in human evolution and Paleolithic studies. Deadline for application is March 15. Students are encouraged to apply earlier as applications are assessed continuously. For more information, visit:

http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/anthro-field-school-index

]]> No publisher Ed Hagen 2012-01-27T17:05:59Z News Item AAPA Meeting Program 2012 now available http://www.physanth.org/news/aapa-meeting-program-2012-now-available The AAPA meeting program for 2012 is now available. AAPA meeting program 2012.

]]> No publisher Ed Hagen 2012-01-13T14:40:00Z News Item Field School in Paleoanthropology at the Drimolen Hominin Site, South Africa http://www.physanth.org/news/field-school-in-paleoanthropology-at-the-drimolen-hominin-site-south-africa The joint University of Victoria-University of Johannesburg Field School in Paleoanthropology at the Drimolen fossil hominin site will be held from June 23 – July 14, 2012. The field school is hosted at the fossil hominin site of Drimolen, South Africa and students receive credit for two archaeology courses. We are currently taking applications - deadline February 15, 2012. More information can be found at:

http://anthropology.uvic.ca/undergraduate/field_schools.php

The site of Drimolen was discovered in 1992 near Swartkrans and Sterkfontein in the "Cradle of Humankind" World Heritage Site. It is one of the richest fossil hominin sites in southern Africa, having produced over 100 hominin fossils representing Paranthropus robustus and early Homo. The Drimolen fossil site is unique in that has produced some of the youngest infant hominin fossils ever discovered in Africa. The site dates to approximately 1.5 million years ago and is incredibly rich in primate fossils. Fossil hominins have been recovered during most field seasons.  

]]> No publisher Ed Hagen 2011-12-08T03:35:56Z News Item vis-à-vis: Explorations in Anthropology http://www.physanth.org/news/vis-a-vis-explorations-in-anthropology vis-à-vis: Explorations in Anthropology is the graduate journal of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto. vis-à-vis is a peer-reviewed annual publication that provides a platform for student scholars to showcase their research and gain experience in all aspects of the publication process. We welcome submissions from current and former students of anthropology and its related disciplines. We are currently planning a special themed issue for 2012. The theme will be the social, cultural, linguistic, and material traces generated by humans and our primate relatives in our daily lives, and the means by which anthropologists derive insight into social lives and collective histories from them. The goal of the special issue is to draw together perspectives from all the fields of anthropology on  the forms of evidence, analytical methods, and theoretical constructs we use. 


The deadline for submission is January 31st, 2012. Submissions are accepted through the online submission system, which can be accessed at http://vav.library.utoronto.ca/.

]]> No publisher Ed Hagen 2011-12-07T19:53:17Z News Item Health and Disease in the Middle Ages http://www.physanth.org/news/health-and-disease-in-the-middle-ages June 24-July 28, 2012. Applications are being sought for a five-week Seminar for College and University Teachers on “Health and Disease in the Middle Ages,” which will be held June 24 through July 28, 2012, in London, England. Part of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Seminars and Institutes program, the Seminar is sponsored by the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (ACMRS) and will convene at the Wellcome Library, the world’s premier research center for medical history. This Seminar will gather together sixteen scholars (including up to two advanced graduate students) from across the disciplines interested in questions of health, disease, and disability in medieval Europe and the Mediterranean.

A primary goal is to explore how the scientific technologies of assessing disease prevalence and identifying pathogens (particularly leprosy and plague) can inform traditional, humanistic methods (historical, literary, art historical, and linguistic) of investigating cultural responses to disease and disability.  Reciprocally, the Seminar also explores how traditional, humanistic studies of medieval medicine can inform modern scientific studies of historical diseases, which are developing at a rapid pace thanks to new methods in paleopathology and aDNA retrieval and analysis.  The two co-Directors, Monica Green and Rachel Scott, are specialists in the fields of medical history and bioarcheology, respectively, and they will be aided by three guest lecturers who bring additional perspectives to interdisciplinary dialogue. Special emphasis is placed on assisting participants with their independent research projects relating to the History of Medicine.

The Seminar is designed for those with no prior background in medical history.  The ideal participant will be a faculty member at a university or college, or an advanced graduate student, working in the humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences with an interest in research on medieval medicine.  The NEH requires that applicants be United States citizens, residents of U.S. jurisdictions, or foreign nationals who have been residing in the United States or its territories for the last three years.  Applications are due March 1, 2012.

For more information, see http://acmrs.org/healthanddisease2012 or e-mail healthanddisease2012@acmrs.org.

]]> No publisher Ed Hagen 2011-12-01T18:55:51Z News Item Field School in Medieval Archaeology and Bioarchaeology at Badia Pozzeveri http://www.physanth.org/news/field-school-in-medieval-archaeology-and-bioarchaeology-at-badia-pozzeveri July 9 - August 3, 2012. The Field School in Medieval Archaeology and Bioarchaeology at Badia Pozzeveri (Lucca, Italy) is an academic program aimed at training students in archaeological and bioarchaeological field and laboratory methods. Excavations will take place at the church of “San Pietro a Pozzeveri” in the municipality of Altopascio. Badia Pozzeveri is located approximately 10 miles east of the city of Lucca, capital of the Tuscan province of the same name. San Pietro’s church was once part of a Camaldolese monastery, which was founded in the 11th century on the shores of Lake Bientina. The medieval lake, now entirely dried up, extended between Lucca and the Arno River. The monastery flourished during the 12-13th centuries thanks to its location along the Via Francigena, a major trade and pilgrimage route, which connected France and Northern Europe with Rome throughout the entire Middle Ages. The monastery’s decline started in the 14th century and eventually led to its dissolution in the 15th century. San Pietro’s church remained as the village’s center of worship and is still in use. During the 2012 field season, the field school will explore the medieval cemetery as well as the monastery’s ruins (the cloister, well, capitular hall, church, and fortifications).

 

Click here for more.

]]> No publisher Ed Hagen 2011-11-26T11:16:25Z News Item The Chimpanzee & Human Communication Institute Apprentice Program http://www.physanth.org/news/the-chimpanzee-human-communication-institute-apprentice-program The Chimpanzee & Human Communication Institute (CHCI) is currently taking applications for our Summer 2012 Apprentice Program. Graduates, undergraduates, and post-graduates from various academic backgrounds (e.g. Anthropology, Biology, Psychology, Linguistics, Philosophy, etc.) and all nationalities are encouraged to apply. The dates of the program are June 24 to August 17, 2012. The research at CHCI involves a group of chimpanzees who use the signs of American Sign Language (ASL).  Washoe, Moja, Tatu, and Dar were part of the cross-fostering research that began in 1966 with Drs. R.A. & B.T. Gardner.  Each chimpanzee was raised in an enriched environment in which his or her human family members used only ASL, much like the environment in which a deaf human child grows up.  Loulis was adopted by Washoe in 1978 and learned his signs from chimpanzees.  Currently, Tatu, Dar, and Loulis reside at CHCI on the campus of Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA, in a large state-of-the-art facility.

Apprentices are at the institute daily -- cleaning enclosures, preparing meals and enrichment, making observations of the chimpanzees, and participating in one or more research projects.  The first week is intensive training in laboratory jobs and chimpanzee behaviors.  After several weeks each apprentice becomes more autonomous and has responsibilities in research and husbandry.  The philosophy of CHCI is that the needs of the chimpanzees come first.  Apprentices are trained in humane care and research techniques.

The program fee is $1900 and there is a non-refundable $25 application processing fee.  The costs do not include housing and transportation.  Housing is available on campus.  A course in ASL is highly recommended but not required.  For more information on the program and the application please see our web page at http://www.cwu.edu/~cwuchci/apprentice.html or contact Bonnie Hendrickson by email at hendricksonb@cwu.edu or by mail CHCI-CWU, 400 East University Way, Ellensburg, WA  98926.  The deadline to apply is February 24, 2012.

]]> No publisher Ed Hagen 2011-11-15T12:26:34Z News Item Application of Genomics to Anthropological Research (AGAR) Workshop http://www.physanth.org/news/application-of-genomics-to-anthropological-research-agar-workshop The Application of Genomics to Anthropological Research (AGAR) Workshop aims to provide students and scholars interested in evolutionary anthropology with a thorough introduction into the theory and application of state-of-the-art genomic research. It will take place on Jan 9-10, 2012 at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute (TBRI) in San Antonio, TX. AGAR is co-sponsored by the American Association of Anthropological Genetics (AAAG) and TBRI. Please visit www.anthgen.org for workshop information and registration.

]]> No publisher Ed Hagen 2011-11-09T18:35:48Z News Item EVAN Toolbox (ET) Training Day http://www.physanth.org/news/evan-toolbox-et-training-day Form and shape analysis for complex geometries. Wednesday, 11th April 2012, 10:00-18:00 (the arrival day of the 81st AAPA Meeting). Galleria North, Hilton Hotel, Portland, Oregon, USA. The EVAN Toolbox (ET) is a software package to facilitate form and shape analysis of objects featuring a complex geometry. It uses Geometric Morphometrics (GM) which includes methods such as General Procrustes Analysis, Principal Component Analysis, Thin-Plate Spline Warping or Partial Least Squares Analysis. The software also supports data acquisition, i.e. to locate landmarks and semilandmarks on surfaces and curves. It is available for the systems Windows XP and Windows 7, Linux, and MacOS X.
Organised by the EVAN-Society (www.evan-society.org) and the
American Association of Physical Anthropologists (http://physanth.org)

            Registration fee: € 30,-

The EVAN Toolbox (ET) is a software package to facilitate form and shape analysis of objects featuring a complex geometry. It uses Geometric Morphometrics (GM) which includes methods such as General Procrustes Analysis, Principal Component Analysis, Thin-Plate Spline Warping or Partial Least Squares Analysis. The software also supports data acquisition, i.e. to locate landmarks and semilandmarks on surfaces and curves. It is available for the systems Windows XP and Windows 7, Linux, and MacOS X.

The idea behind the EVAN Toolbox is to make your life easier if your task is to analyse 3D shape and form of complexly shaped objects as we find them, for instance, in anthropology, palaeontology, and medicine. ET is particularly focused on the advanced visualisation of shape and form comparisons. The application of GM procedures underlying such studies was previously quite demanding in terms of programming and mathematical knowledge. Not every biologist, palaeontologist or medical doctor feels comfortable to code algorithms in programming languages like C++ or R. The EVAN Toolbox is built to allow those users the application of state-of-the-art tools.

Our training day will introduce you to the basic features of ET (e.g., semilandmarks, GPA, PCA, TPS, PLS) using a sample of human crania. In principle, all objects such as postcranial elements of vertebrates, teeth, soft tissues, shells and other can be analysed in a similar way. Please bring your own laptop to the workshop. We will provide temporary licenses for ET that you can install on every current PC (large memory and NVIDIA graphic chips would deliver best results, slow netbooks would not be suitable). The registration fee is € 30,- (all major cards accepted).

To learn a bit about ET in advance, please consult our website at http://www.evan-society.org/node/42 and DOWNLOAD THE MANUALS 1 & 2.

We are looking forward seeing you in Portland,

Gerhard Weber (Chairman EVAN-Society)

Karen Rosenberg (Vice-President AAPA) & John Lukacs (Professor Anthropology University of Oregon)

 

]]> No publisher Ed Hagen 2011-11-08T13:33:51Z News Item William S. Pollitzer Student Travel Award Essay question announced (2012) http://www.physanth.org/news/william-s.-pollitzer-student-travel-award-essay-question-announced-2012 This is an award of $500 in honor of Dr. William S. Pollitzer. It is designed to help students defray the costs of attending the AAPA meetings. Student qualifications: This award is open to all AAPA student members (undergraduate and graduate). You do NOT have to be giving a paper to compete or receive an award. Essay topic:

What important article is missing from the current literature in biological anthropology? Give the title and what you think its impact/benefit would be.

The essay can be no more than 750 words long (not including references). It will be submitted electronically as a Microsoft Word file. Any submission over 750 words will be automatically disqualified. The essay will be sent to Professor Fuentes (afuentes(at)nd.edu) by January 20, 2012. Students should follow up the e-mail with the attached essay by a regular e-mail alerting Dr. Fuentes to the fact that the essay was sent. Students should expect to receive within 24 hours an e-mail acknowledging receipt of the essay.

Essay evaluation and scoring procedures:

The AAPA student prize committee will evaluate each submission with an identification number to mask authors’ identities. When distributed to the judges, each essay will be identified by a number assigned by the committee chair.

The scoring criteria are:

  1. Clarity and focus. 45 points possible  
  2. Originality of thought and insight. 45 points possible  
  3. Grammar and spelling. 10 points possible

 

The average scores from all judges will be used as the basis for deciding the winners of the award, with the AAPA Executive Board giving final approval of the committee’s recommendation.

]]> No publisher Ed Hagen 2011-11-04T19:37:09Z News Item New PhD Program, Genetic Engineering & Society, North Carolina State University http://www.physanth.org/news/new-phd-program-genetic-engineering-society-north-carolina-state-university North Carolina State University is pleased to announce a new doctoral program in Genetic Engineering and Society: Exploring the Case of Transgenic Pests, funded under the National Science foundation’s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program. Our program examines questions linked to the genetic modification of mosquitoes, mice, fish, and other species that affect human health, biodiversity, and sustainable development. These questions include: What genetic engineering techniques are under development? What are the social, ethical, and ecological consequences of these techniques? How can all stakeholders be appropriately and effectively involved in decisions about these products? We are looking for excellent students who have majored in humanities, mathematics, or a social or natural science and want broad and rigorous graduate training across these areas. We also welcome students who have a masters degree specializing in one of these areas and want strong interdisciplinary training at the doctoral level. Students who participate in the program will receive a PhD in a home doctoral program and a graduate minor in Genetic Engineering and Society. The minor will include four courses, one of which will be taught in Latin America. In addition to full fellowships, funds are available for international internships.


Please visit our website for more details on the program, including a list of participating faculty:

http://GeneticEngSoc.ncsu.edu/ 
 

In addition to contacting potential faculty mentors, prospective students are encouraged to email questions to: GES_GPM@ncsu.edu

]]> No publisher Ed Hagen 2011-11-01T19:07:12Z News Item Bioarchaeology field school on the island of Astypalaia, Greece http://www.physanth.org/news/bioarchaeology-field-school-on-the-island-of-astypalaia-greece-1 The field school takes place on Astypalaia, a small, beautiful island in the Aegean Sea and part of the Dodecanese island group in Greece. It is based on a unique archaeological site – the largest ancient children’s cemetery in the world, with at least 2700 children’s burials. In the field laboratory overlooking the sea, students learn the specialist skills required to excavate, record, identify, conserve, measure and catalogue the tiny bones and teeth of young children. This is one of the few sites in the world where children’s remains are abundant enough to provide such experience. Everyone carries out all the tasks required for each burial and so gains a useful range of experience for work on human remains. The children’s cemetery is just below the modern town, which is on the site of the ancient Classical city of Astypalaia. Almost all the burials are in pots, mostly large amphorae previously used to transport the goods traded by the city. Their form suggests that they came from all over the Aegean between around 750 B.C. and A.D. 100. The Field School is taught within a long-term bioanthropology project involving collaboration between the 22nd Ephorate of Prehistoric & Classical Antiquities (part of the Ministry of Culture of Greece) and the UCL Institute of Archaeology at University College London.


Dates: July 2 to August 4, 2012

Project director: Dr Simon Hillson, UCL Institute of Archaeology,
University College London

Click here for a brochure.


For more, visit:


https://sites.google.com/site/astypalaiabioarchaeology/astypalaia-bioarchaeology

 

 

 

 

]]> No publisher Ed Hagen 2011-10-27T13:10:00Z News Item AAPA Professional Development Grants http://www.physanth.org/news/aapa-professional-development-grants The American Association of Physical Anthropologists recognizes that the professional development of young, talented scientists in the early stages of their careers is critical to the continued health and vitality of the discipline. To that end, the AAPA offers up to six Professional Development Grants annually to qualified recipients, each in the amount of $5,000. For information on how to apply, visit:

http://physanth.org/career/funding-sources/aapa-professional-development-grants

]]> No publisher Ed Hagen 2011-10-26T18:57:27Z News Item Site update complete http://www.physanth.org/news/site-update-complete For those who are interested, I've posted a few details about the update. This site is built using Plone, which has every content management feature under the sun, but is a notorious memory hog. The site was originally built using Plone 3, and our memory usage had recently started exceeding our maximum, thus slowing the site to a crawl. Updating to Plone 4 -- which uses less memory -- was a hassle because the original site used a third party theme to improve style and layout, and this theme could not easily be upgraded to Plone 4. I solved this problem by simply removing the theme and reverting to the stock Plone 4 theme, which is what you see here. To avoid future upgrade hassles, I plan to stick with the stock Plone theme from now on.

If you notice any problems with any of the pages on the site, please contact me!

Thanks.

]]> No publisher Ed Hagen 2011-10-26T11:05:00Z News Item