Washington University in
St. Louis
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Letter from the Chair
One of the great pleasures of the newsletter is hearing about the endeavors of our alumni. I am awed by the diversity of projects our former students are involved with, and I am very impressed with your initiatives. This issue includes a profile of John Severson, a 2004 graduate who majored in anthropology and in film and media studies, who has produced documentary films on Cambodia. Irina Levin, AB 2005, chronicles her Fulbright year in Azerbaijan; Eileen Beall, AB 2002, writes about her adventures developing alternative fuel and recycling businesses in New Orleans; and Carmela Morada, AB 2005, describes her work in emergency preparedness in New York City. Carolyn Lesorogol, PhD 2002, conducts research in Kenya focusing on changing land tenure rights among Samburu cattle herders in the context of environmental change; newly promoted to associate professor in Washington University’s George Warren Brown School of Social Work, she exemplifies the interdisciplinary nature of anthropology. See Class Notes for more news about our far-flung alumni. The Department of Anthropology is thriving. We are fortunate that the strengths of the department and of the field align with Washington University’s international, environmental, and public health initiatives. Anthropology has long been at the forefront of scholarship on global issues, and our faculty offer a rich array of research and teaching expertise on the ancient, historical, and modern worlds. Some of the significant and relevant areas that faculty explore include physical and cultural evolution, political and social conflict, environmental change and sustainability, and the effects of culture on the health of populations around the world. For example, Robert Sussman co-organized an interdisciplinary conference that drew scholars from around the world to consider factors that led to the evolution of cooperation, altruism, and sociality among primates and humans. We welcome two new faculty members. Crickette Sanz (PhD 2004, Washington University) is a physical anthropologist who studies chimpanzee behavior and tool use in a remote area of the Republic of Congo. Priscilla Song (PhD 2008, Harvard University) is a cultural anthropologist and China specialist who conducts research on medical anthropology and science and technology. Anthropology faculty carry out research in Europe, East and Central Asia, Africa, Central and South America, the Middle East, and the United States. I am proud of our faculty accomplishments, and I gladly share their triumphs in recent books and notes on other publications, grants, and awards. You also can learn more about our faculty and their research on the department’s web site. Our medical anthropology program continues to grow. This newsletter includes a profile of Brad Stoner (MD/PhD), who conducts research on sociocultural aspects of sexually transmitted diseases and directs the Medicine & Society program and the minor in public health. The new minor in public health, focusing on health-related issues at the population and community level, was a great success in its first year, with more than 50 students enrolled. Medicine & Society, now beginning its eighth year, enrolls 20 students annually who follow a four-year course of training that emphasizes the social and cultural aspects of health issues and provides training beyond the premedical curriculum. As one example, Dan Feng and Sophie Li, two Medicine & Society students, designed and conducted a survey of smokers in the Chinese community in St. Louis for their internship on smoking cessation. Many of our faculty and alumni are involved in community outreach. From helping develop education policy and funding schools to building hospitals, our faculty lend their expertise to help solve medical and social problems in the communities where they conduct research. Our alumni also serve their communities. We congratulate Linda Nichols, PhD 1982, co-recipient of the Rosalynn Carter Leadership in Caregiving Award, for her work with veterans. We continue our departmental emphasis on teaching, and we are very proud of our students. Our undergraduate program included almost 350 majors in the 2008–09 academic year; our graduate student community numbers about 70. These students are engaged in research in the world beyond campus, and their work represents some of the diversity of anthropological inquiry. Current graduate student Blaine Maley, a former sculptor, uses his knowledge of the human skeletal form as a basis for his work on evolutionary relationships among early human populations. We have included information about the 2009 senior honors projects, as well as other triumphs of our undergraduate and graduate students. We are also gratified by the hard work and dedication of our staff, the unsung heroes who keep our department running. The duties of the office staff are increasing at an extraordinary rate. This year the staff has been augmented by the temporary help of two alumni: Cat Adams, PhD 2009, and Lauren Hosek, AB 2009. Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to celebrate the addition of Samuel E.I. Dunn, son of staff member Kirsten Jacobsen, AB 1998, and her husband Rick Dunn, to the extended departmental family. Space prohibits naming all the new babies added to our extended family over the last year, but suffice it to say that we are at the forefront of a new demographic boom. Enjoy the newsletter and please keep in touch. You can reach us by e-mailing Kathleen Cook or by using the link, Submit a Class Note. I hope you will let us know where you are and what you are doing, including any personal news you would like to share with your fellow alumni. Best wishes in 2009–10.
Yours sincerely, |
Hello from the Department of Anthropology at Washington University. We are very gratified by the strong response we have had from our alumni. This newsletter includes the largest