Biological ANthropology Developing Investigators Troop

Field station research opportunities in New York State

2012-02-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

Undergraduate Research Internship, Research Grants, and Senior Research Fellowship at the Huyck Preserve, NY

The Huyck Preserve and Biological Research Station—a 2,000 acre preserve and 75 year-old field station located 30 miles southwest of Albany, NY—is now accepting applications for its Odum Internship for Undergraduates, Huyck Research Grants, and Senior Research Fellowship for summer 2012. Information about each of these opportunities can be found below or by visiting the Preserve's website at: http://www.huyckpreserve.org

Odum Internship (Applications due Friday, March 9th)

8-week, from June 4 to July 28, internship for rising junior and senior undergraduates. This is an unpaid internship, though housing is provided and some opportunities for paid work prior to or following the internship are available. For more information on the internship and for how to apply, please visit: http://huyckpreserve.org/research/odum_intern.htm

Huyck Grants (Applications due Friday, March 9th)

The grants (up to $3,500) are intended to support research conducted at the field station by graduate students, postdocs, professors, and independent researchers. Some preference is given to proposals that included multi-week stays at the station. For details and information on how to apply for a Huyck Grant, please visit: http://huyckpreserve.org/research/huyck_grants.htm

Senior Research Fellowship (Applications are due Friday, March 2nd)

The Fellowship is for approximately 50 days, with a concentration in early June to early August. The selected candidate will conduct on-site independent research, mentor undergraduate interns, and lead the annual Science Symposium in late July. There is a $10,000 stipend along with waived housing and station fees. For more information on the Fellowship and how to apply, please visit: http://huyckpreserve.org/research/srf.htm

New World Primate Caregiver/Office Assistant at Pacific Primate Sanctuary, Maui, Hawaii

2012-02-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

Position Available (on-going) for New World Primate Caregiver/Office Assistant at Pacific Primate Sanctuary, Maui, Hawaii

This is truly a Sanctuary, a beautiful place for someone with a background and interest in animal husbandry, welfare and conservation, exotic veterinary medicine, biology, and related fields, who is a mature team player with respect for others. We need a good, clear communicator (written and spoken English), and coordinator with a minimal personal agenda, who seeks mutual growth for all and is able to make a long term commitment to the primates and the staff. A one year commitment is requested.

The position requires a self-starter and hard worker, someone who is humble, compassionate, self-reliant, organized, professional, computer literate (Mac), open to learning, capable of problem solving and completing a task. We need someone who can function independently as well as in a group. Our Resident Intern would need to be physically fit, with no communicable diseases or criminal record, who has a driver's license and would enjoy a rural lifestyle with simple amenities. Citizens of foreign countries would need to secure their own visas and permits independently.

Responsibilities of an animal caregiver involve: providing daily care, enrichment, and nurturing to 70+/- monkeys, administering medications, preparing food, cleaning enclosures, and maintaining the Sanctuary facility. Office assistance would include: administering the volunteer program (scheduling, processing of applications, advertising), data entry (Mac- Filemaker Pro, Excel, Word), correspondence, record-keeping, fund-raising-grant writing and public relations. After the training period, managerial duties would be added and more technical training may be available. This is more than a full-time position and includes on-call duties.

Pacific Primate Sanctuary is a nonprofit organization (501(C)(3). Our staff is made up of 5 volunteer caregivers and a support system of veterinary and other professionals. Since the well-being of the monkeys is our primary focus, they are not on exhibit, the facility is not open to the public and they are not subjected to any medical research.

As a result, our organization is not eligible for funding from any governmental agencies nor do we receive funds from admission, as would a public zoo. Therefore, we must rely solely upon donations from compassionate individuals and organizations. Our operating budget is extremely small. Financial independence for personal expenses is required (estimated to be $25-$30 a week). If you are considering the possibility of seeking grant support on your own, supplementary funds for needs other than housing could be built into your budget.

We provide a fully furnished and equipped 24-foot Yurt or a 16-foot Yurt (traditional round structures designed specifically for tropical living) and utilities. An organic garden and fruit orchard exist on-site. The Yurt is adjacent to the Sanctuary on a large piece of rainforest property with its own bathroom facilities. You would be trained by experienced members of our staff in all aspects of New World primate care (Callithrix, Cebus, and Ateles) and may eventually become a head animal caregiver.

Please begin making application for the position by submitting the following: your Letter of Intent in making application, your Resume/CV, and three Letters of Reference (from instructors, employers etc.). We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Me Ke Aloha No Na Holoholona,
With Love For The Animals,

Lucy L. Wormser
Founder and President

Pacific Primate Sanctuary, Inc.
500 A Haloa Road
Haiku, Maui, Hawaii 96708

Sanctuary Phone & Fax: 808. 572.8089

E-Mail pps@aloha.net
Internet: http://www.pacificprimate.org/
Blog: http://pacificprimate.blogspot.com/
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/PacificPrimateSanctuary

Funding for pilot translational research using nonhuman primate models

2012-02-02T14:33:00.000-08:00

The ITHS and the Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC) are pleased to sponsor an Ignition Award, focusing on the use of nonhuman primate models of human disease. The purpose of this Ignition Award is to explore innovative areas of nonhuman primate (NHP) research and generate preliminary data to serve as a basis for submission of new research grant applications (e.g. R01-type grant to NIH or other funding agency) and/or subsequent clinical studies.

The WaNPRC intends to award one or two separate awards of up to $75,000 for one year. These funds must be used for Primate Center costs only, including animal costs, per diem, and procedures. Costs of supplies and salaries must be administered by the Primate Center.

Application deadline is 2-17-2012. For more information, go to https://www.iths.org/funding/primate

Professor/Director, Mathers Museum of World Cultures, Indiana University

2012-01-30T19:48:00.000-08:00

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

Department: Mathers Museum / Glenn Black Laboratory

Position: Associate / Full Professor / Director

Description: Indiana University Bloomington seeks a director for the Mathers Museum of World Cultures/Glenn Black Laboratory of Archaeology, which were merged in the spring of 2011 and report to the university administration through the Vice Provost for Research. The Director will hold a half-time appointment in the Museum/Lab and a half-time appointment in an appropriate department within the College of Arts and Sciences, such as Anthropology or Folklore and Ethnomusicology. Qualified candidates should be prepared to present a vision of how they will develop, lead, and enhance the Museum/Lab, as well as how they will contribute to their home department. Applicants must possess qualifications suitable for a tenured faculty appointment (Associate or Full Professor) and should demonstrate experience in museum leadership, distinguished scholarship, and a commitment to teaching both disciplinary and museum-related courses.

The Museum’s ethnological collections are worldwide in scope and include both material culture objects and major photographic holdings. The Lab’s archaeological collections derive from the Great Lakes-Ohio Valley area, particularly the State of Indiana, and serve as the focus of the Lab’s research. The Museum/Lab is a vital component of the University’s research, teaching, and public missions; the Director is expected to participate fully in all of these activities through the Museum/Lab and his or her home department.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, complete curriculum vitae, and the names and contact information of six references. Nominations are welcome; please submit names by January 21, 2012. Materials should be sent to Professor Ruth M. Stone, Chair, Search and Screen Committee, Office of the Vice Provost for Research, Carmichael Center Suite 202, 530 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, Indiana 47408-4003. Alternatively, they may be sent electronically to David Taylor at dltaylor@indiana.edu. Applications received by January 31, 2012 will be assured of consideration. Indiana University is an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply. (Second listing.)

P.S. I got married at Mathers Museum!

Postdoc in Cardiovascular Science at Wake Forest

2012-01-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

The Section on Comparative Medicine of the Department of Pathology of Wake Forest School of Medicine and the Wake Forest Primate Center are pleased to announce a fellowship in Cardiovascular Science and Atherosclerosis. This fellowship will provide two years of support and represents a joint collaboration between Merck’s Cardiovascular-Atherosclerosis Program and the Comparative Reproduction and Behavior and Comparative Atherosclerosis Laboratories at the Wake Forest University Primate Center and Wake Forest School of Medicine.

Appropriate backgrounds may include for example, Anatomy, Anthropology, Nutrition, Zoology, Biology, or other relevant biomedical sciences. Skills in data management and analysis and manuscript preparation are essential. Experience with microscopic anatomy is desired but not necessary. The Fellow will be involved in the characterization of nonhuman primate models of atherosclerosis. Preparation for the research will involve participation in select graduate courses focusing on the pathobiology of atherosclerosis, along with mentoring in the quantification of pathobiological characteristics of atherosclerosis. There will be unlimited opportunity for publication of new information concerning the characterization of the nonhuman primate model and other aspects of using nonhuman primates to evaluate promising cardiovascular therapies. Opportunity exists for spending some time at the MERCK Research Laboratories and perhaps at other sites where NHP atherosclerosis research is ongoing.

Contact Dr. Tom Clarkson if you are interested in this position.

Medical Anthropologist needed Down Under

2012-01-24T09:28:00.000-08:00

The School of Archaeology and Anthropology in the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences is seeking a Lecturer or Senior Lecturer in Medical Anthropology. In this role you will be the course convenor for medical anthropology, supervise postgraduate research students, and translate your research interest into lively and engaging courses taught at the undergraduate level and above. If you have a PhD in medical anthropology or an allied field as well as a strong record of high quality teaching, securing external grant funding, and research and publications in the field, we welcome an application from you.

We are keen to get a wide field of applicants for this position. It is a re-advertisement as the initial ad drew too few applications.

The closing date is very soon: 31st January. Details including a contact person in the event of queries are in the ad.

Gathering ideas for AAPA primate interest group meeting

2012-01-19T14:03:00.000-08:00

Forwarding a message from Gary Aronsen:

Dear colleagues,

Welcome to 2012!

Please accept this invitation to the Primate Interest Group meeting, one of the many sections of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists’ Annual Meeting. We will be meeting 12 April (Friday) night @ 7pm in Alexander’s (23rd Floor) Room.

As in previous years, I solicit your suggestions for discussion topics. Previous years have provided debate on fieldwork ethics, species identification and conservation, and the primate job market. These discussions allow our most senior colleagues to interact with our newest grad/undergrad students, as well as collaboration opportunities for one and all. And, if you recall, we pass a bottle or two around. Given our continually growing membership, we may have to make it a three-bottle night!

I ask that you contact me directly (gary dot aronsen at yale dot edu) with any and all suggestions.

I thank you for your support of the PIG, and I’ll see you in one/several of Portland’s dive bars!

Gary

Assistant Professorship in Biology at University of Florida

2012-01-19T08:52:00.000-08:00

Animal Integrative Biology: Assistant Professor, tenure-track

The Department of Biology at the University of Florida is seeking applications for a tenure track faculty position beginning August 2012 at the Assistant Professor level whose work is at the interface of animal physiology and either behavior or development. We are seeking candidates who will develop an internationally recognized, externally funded research program that builds on the strengths and interconnects the department’s expertise in the fields of behavior, development, evolution, ecology, genetics, systematics, morphology and physiology.

The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the teaching of undergraduates in the areas of animal physiology and either animal behavior or developmental biology and to offer graduate seminars/courses in these or more specialized areas. A Ph.D. required.

The Department of Biology has a strongly collegial environment that fosters collaborative interdisciplinary research and teaching that emphasizes integration of the above research areas within the framework of evolutionary principles. It enjoys strong ties with the Florida Museum of Natural History, UF Genetics Institute, UF Emerging Pathogens Institute and multiple University centers in biomedical, veterinary, environmental and agricultural sciences. For more information on the department go to http://www.biology.ufl.edu./

Interested applicants must apply online at http://jobs.ufl.edu/ (requisition # 0810207). For full consideration, the application should include curriculum vitae, statements of research interests and teaching philosophy (of no more than 3 pages each), a maximum of three reprints in PDF format and names of three references. For more information, please go to website: http://www.biology.ufl.edu/jobs/aib.aspx. Review of applications will begin on January 31st 2012. Our department is committed to diversity as a component of excellence. Women, minorities and members of other underserved groups are encouraged to apply. The University of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Institution.

Primate Conservation Grants from ASP

2012-01-18T10:08:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

The online submission system for the 2012 ASP Conservation Grants is now open. The final deadline to submit applications is January 31, 2012. Please note that a letter of recommendation is required for non-member applicants and all student applicants. Instructions for submitting applications and letters of recommendation are outlined on the grant application form found on the ASP website.
Looking forward to another year of great conservation projects!

Erin Riley,
ASP Conservation Committee Chair

AAPA program now available!

2012-01-18T10:01:00.000-08:00

Well, folks, the time has come to start getting excited about the 2012 AAPA meeting in Portland. The final program has been released and it looks fantastic. There are 1022 presentations! Wow. We biological anthropologists apparently have a LOT to say.

Please note that there will be a BANDIT Happy Hour (three years in a row!) on Friday evening just before the interest group meetings. And like last year, AAPA is providing financial support to make the hour just a little happier for us all.

There are many exciting reasons to hold a meeting in Portland. This is only one.

Ethics workshop at AAPA 2012

2012-01-18T09:52:00.000-08:00

"The Ethics of Practice and Practice of Ethics: An Open Dialogue Among Bioanthropologists" is an open ethics forum scheduled for Thursday, April 12, 2012 at 6:00-8:00PM in Broadway I as part of the 81rst Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA) in Portland, Oregon. This session is being organized and facilitated by Graciela S. Cabana, Claudia Valeggia, Jennifer K. Wagner, and Alexandra Obregon.

Find out more at the session's blog and engage in discussion with the organizers!

Grad & Postdoc opportunities at Max Planck!

2011-12-05T09:53:00.001-08:00

Several funded opportunities for prospective PhD students and postdocs are available at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig.

PhD opportunity:
The Leipzig School of Human Origins, a joint Ph.D. program of the University of Leipzig and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology invites applications to its PhD program.
Deadline: January 31, 2012

The Research Group on Plant Foods and Hominin Dietary Ecology in the Department of Human Evolution is seeking one or more Ph.D. students to study plant microfossils and/or plant biomarkers as a record of plant foods in human prehistory. The project may involve developing novel methods for recovering evidence of plant food consumption, or collecting dental calculus and other samples for analysis of plant microremains. Other projects focusing on the role of plant foods throughout hominin evolution may also be considered.Postdoc opportunities at Max Planck:

Applicants should hold a Master's degree or equivalent in biology, anthropology, evolutionary ecology, or a related field. A good basic knowledge of the hominin fossil and archaeological record, and of common analytical methods, including statistics, is important. The fellowship is limited to 3 years. The student will receive a fellowship according to the funding guidelines of the Max Planck Society. The working environment of the institute is English-speaking. Accepted students will be a part of the International Max Planck Research School . Candidates should apply directly through the IMPRS website by 31 January 2011. For further information, contact Amanda Henry (amanda_henryeva.mpg.de).

I. Post-Doctoral Position in Biological Anthropology (deadline December 15, 2011)
The Research Group on "Plant Foods and Hominin Dietary Ecology" in the Department of Human Evolution of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig (Germany) invites applications for a post-doctoral researcher in biological anthropology. The research group is committed to exploring the relationships between the plant component of hominin diets and aspects of their biology, behavior, and evolution.
The position is a research-only post, with no teaching obligations. The initial contract, which is two years and may be extended, will begin March 2012 at the earliest. The project will provide substantial support in a highly stimulating environment. We offer a salary according to German public service regulations (TVöD-Bund). The successful candidate will work on aspects of plant foods in the dietary ecology of later hominins and modern humans, and will be expected to assist in current projects and to bring novel research foci to the group.

We are particularly interested in candidates with a strong background in one or more of the following: analysis of residues using mass spectrometry; human or primate dietary ecology; plant microfossil research; but will consider any suitably qualified candidate in a related field. The selected candidate must have a PhD and ideally will have post-doctoral experience with a strong track record of research.

Applications should be sent by email as a single PDF including: a cover letter, curriculum vitae, reprints of selected publications, short statement of research interests (2pg maximum), and the names of three referees, to Amanda Henry (amanda_henryeva.mpg.de). Reviews of applications will begin December 15, 2011 and will proceed until the position is filled.

II. Post-Doctoral Position in Zooarchaeology (deadline December 31, 2011)
The position is a research post with a specialization in zooarchaeology. In addition to zooarchaeological analysis of archaeological assemblages, we will consider favorably researchers developing novel or interesting methods addressing faunal topics including bone surface modification analysis, bone tool analysis, burned bone analysis, combined isotopic and faunal analysis, seasonality, migration, and taphonomic studies. Experimental programs are welcome, and the department is prepared to invest in equipment to support a research program. While the focus of the Department is on the archaeological record through to the expansion of modern humans, we will also consider favorably researchers specialized in Upper Paleolithic or LSA subsistence and prepared to start a program of comparison to earlier assemblages.

The selected candidate will have a Ph.D. and a significant track record of research. The initial length of the appointment is two years but the contract is extendable. For further information please contact Dr. Shannon McPherron (mcpherro@eva.mpg.de).

III. Post- Doctoral Position in Physical Anthropology (deadline December 31, 2011)
The position is a research post. We expect the successful candidate to work closely with Professor Jean-Jacques Hublin on the analysis of the Middle to Late Pleistocene cranio-dental fossil record. The selected candidate will have a Ph.D. and a significant track record of research.

The initial length of the appointment is two years but the contract is extendable. For further information please contact Professor Jean-Jacques Hublin (hublin@eva.mpg.de).

IV. Post-Doctoral Position in Paleontology (deadline February 28, 2012)
This position is a research post. We expect the successful candidate to conduct research on the Plio-Pleistocene African hominin fossil record. The selected candidate will have a Ph.D. and a significant track record of research. The initial length of the appointment is two years but the contract is extendable. For further information please contact Professor Jean-Jacques Hublin (hublin@eva.mpg.de).

Note: Please check here for specific application information as in some cases you will need to mail hard copies of materials.
ETA: Sorry for the wonky formatting. Cut and paste can be a cruel mistress.

Looking ahead to AAPA 2012

2011-12-02T12:12:00.001-08:00

Before you know it, AAPA 2012 will make landfall in Portland, Oregon (you will see this link from me again and again). Wanted to let you know about two exciting things we've got planned!

1) 3rd Annual BANDIT Happy Hour!
Holy yes, this is happening. And this year we've got a new time: Friday evening, 6-7pm, right before the interest group meetings. We hope this new time will encourage more BANDITs to attend and meet colleagues.

2) Anatomy Education & Career Workshop!
The American Association of Anatomists (the other AAA) has awarded me and my UIC colleague Alison Doubleday an Education Outreach Grant to organize a workshop at the AAPA meetings to open a discussion with graduate students about the advantages and caveats about pursuing graduate training, teaching experience, and faculty careers in the anatomical sciences. We have a wonderful panel of biological anthropologists who have pursued an anatomically-oriented path in their scholarship and teaching. We will also be awarding a student (undergraduate or graduate) presentation that exemplifies the marriage of anthropological and anatomical research approaches. More details will follow, but if you are or have a student planning to present anatomical research at the AAPA meeting, consider applying for this award!

The workshop is tentatively scheduled for Saturday afternoon, 2-3pm, immediately after the Career Development Workshop, and a few hours before the Student Awards Reception, where we hope to announce the winner of the anatomy prize. Please stick around for all of Saturday to attend these great student-centered events!

Neurobiology Assistant Professorship

2011-11-30T12:28:00.001-08:00

The University of Oklahoma seeks an outstanding researcher in neurobiology for appointment at the level of tenure-track Assistant Professor beginning in fall 2012. The successful candidate will join an interactive group of researchers with strengths in neurobiology and behavior. This individual will also play an integral role in an active interdepartmental Cellular & Behavioral Neurobiology Graduate Program. The successful applicant will have a Ph.D. degree and a demonstrated ability to conduct independent research as evidenced by publications. This individual will be expected to establish an externally funded research program, provide excellent training for graduate students and postdocs, and contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching in the department.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, complete curriculum vitae, research and teaching statements, and selected reprints/preprints as PDF files to Chair, Neurobiologist Search Committee, at zoology@ou.edu. Applicants should also arrange to have three signed letters of reference sent to zoology@ou.edu or Department of Zoology, 730 Van Vleet Oval, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA. Visit us at http://zoology.ou.edu/. Screening of candidates will begin 15 December 2011 and will continue until the position is filled.

The University of Oklahoma is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and encourages diversity in the workplace.

Perishing from Publishing? Let this guide help!

2011-11-30T11:15:00.001-08:00

We all know that publishing our best work is key to building a scholarly repuation and in turn, a compelling and successful tenure package. But as junior faculty/grad students/etc. it isn't always clear how to build a publishing strategy. Did you even know you needed a "strategy"? You do. Yikes, right?

Tom Boellstorff, current Editor-in-Chief of the American Anthropologist has recently published a really excellent essay on the subject of building your early career publishing strategy. He focuses on the choice of venue for your work and the peer-review process. His concept of the "Journal Triangle" is new to me but makes a lot of sense: publish in general journals (e.g. American Anthropologist, Current Anthropology), area journals (e.g. geographic area, species-centric journal such as Am J Primatology), and specialist journals (e.g. Placenta, Neuroscience, Bone Biology, etc.). Entirely without planning (alas, I did not have a strategy. Boellstorff, where were you??), I've done this and I'm pleased now to learn of the collateral benefits of doing so.

I have broken some rules here, mainly his edict to refrain from or strictly limit publishing in edited volumes as an untenured professor and I can attest to the wisdom of his advice. I have two chapters in print, one in press, and one in prep. I was blushingly gratified to have been invited to participate as a graduate student in one of the volumes and unwisely prepared some dissertation data for publication. The book took over 5 years to come out and I couldn't publish those data as a journal article. That was dumb. (Note: the book itself is awesome and I'm very proud of my chapter!) That's why I now advise untenured folks looking to build up their pub list to reserve their original data for publication in journals. You can then later refer to it in a chapter, or even reprint the article in its entirety in a book. But if it's in the book first, it's done for.

The second chapter already in print wasn't too big a deal as I was third author in terms of effort. Sometimes you'll be invited to participate as an author because the other authors are leaning heavily on your work to build a section. If you're invited to do this, make it clear to the other authors what your availability to participate really will be. Be very protective of your effort on these kinds of co-authored projects. It's easy to say Yes! and Sure! I'll throw together a table! and No problem! I'll be happy to track down permission to use that figure! but it can be a real pain in the neck to follow through. Be sure you can really do it so as to protect not only your time but your reputation as a responsible collaborator.

Another tip: Don't underestimate the time a book chapter will take to write, even one that's based on previous work. If you take even a modicum of pride in your work, it will take a lot longer than you expect and if the book is to be peer-reviewed, you might be surprised to find the review process even more exacting than that of a journal. And know going into it that the schedule will deviate from the best intentions. It just will. The slow turnaround is yet another excellent reason to publish your original data in a journal article.

Boellstorff's one easing of the no-edited-volume edict is being the editor yourself. Testify! I'm doing this now and I am lucky enough to have two smashing lady co-editors in Katie Hinde and Kate Clancy but it is a lot of work and has absorbed effort away from some other projects maybe I "should" be doing. That said, it's worth it because I deeply believe in the project, its potential impact on the field, and its timeliness (i.e. "This topic is so timely the book needs to happen NOW!"). AND I am concurrently working on journal articles and grant proposals. You can't just rest on the edited volume - whether it's just a chapter or the whole damn thing - for tenure (for most departments/schools that emphasize research over teaching, or articles over books. Your miles may vary so get smart about your local tenure culture.) So if you're going to do it, it needs to be for more than just vanity. You need to think about impact on the field, the timeliness of the topic, the quality of the contributors, and the potential pros/cons for your own scholarly reputation. Co-editing is a great idea IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT EDITORIAL TEAM.

Good luck to you all as you craft your strategy! Please share your tips and questions in the comment section.

Recording of Science in Anthropology discussion online NOW!

2011-11-22T10:42:00.001-08:00

Following up on my call to action, I'm very happy to report that we were able to secure permission from all AAA Science in Anthropology panel participants to record the session, and that we were able to plug directly into the sound system so the recording is very crisp and clean. I've been told that it will be added to the AAA webpage of the recorded sessions; however, that won't be ready until after the holidays. AAA is planning to feature it on their blog and website this week via the iTunes link once that is up so that it won't be delayed. Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen. Once the podcast is up, please listen, possibly as part of your seminars and lab or faculty meetings and comment on the BANDIT blog, the AAA blog, Facebook, and Twitter to keep the discussion going!

In the meantime, Michigan graduate student Caroline VanSickle wrote a great summary of the discussion as told by twitter.

ETA on November 27, 2011: The podcast has been posted on AAA's blog. Check it out and please share & discuss.

Science in Anthropology at AAA: an "open" discussion?

2011-11-09T14:52:00.000-08:00

The Society for Anthropological Sciences proposed a session to discuss Science in Anthropology in the wake of what became known as #aaafail: the omission of the word "science" from the Long Range Plan. There will be a roundtable of various folks, various perspectives, including members of the Executive Board. Awesome! Well, sort of. The session is scheduled for the morning of Thursday, November 17. Which happens to conflict with not one but two sessions of the Biological Anthropology Section, three sessions of the Archaeological Division, and one session of the Evolutionary Anthropology Society. These are some of the most affected and vocal stakeholders in the discussion, but those voices won't be able to participate in this discussion. Indeed, one of the speakers is Dr. Alice Dreger, who wrote what could be considered the opening salvo in the #aaafail reporting. It was entertaining and clever, and it was also one of the most polarizing perspectives. Importantly, Dr. Dreger isn't an anthropologist. She's a historian/philosopher of science. That's great and interesting and relevent to an extent, but why go outside the discipline to have a discussion about science IN anthropology? Where are the anthro bloggers who contributed so much passion to the issue? Well, I would be there but I'm presenting a paper in one of the BAS sessions so I'm out.

In the wake of all that's happened in the last year (#aaafail, Florida governor Rick Scott), and the EB's embracing of the Science discussion (President Dominguez is a discussant) it is disappointing that there was no outreach to all of the scientifically-rooted AAA sections to consider how this would affect opposing sessions. There is concern that the discussion will draw away the audience for the BAS sessions, which are already competing directly against each other.

To be clear, this is not an oversight by the Biological Anthropology Section. Since the session did not originate with BAS it had no jurisdiction over scheduling nor did it even know about the session until the schedule was made. I really do understand that scheduling a meeting of this scale is a gargantuan task and some double-bookings are unavoidable. We just need to get each other's back a little more. In recent weeks, the AAA has done an admirable job of claiming science and scientists as part of anthropology. I want us to grow that inclusivity! That's something I hope to explore at this meeting as a 2011 AAA Leadership Fellow. I'll be meeting with members of the EB to learn about AAA governance and I'll be asking questions about what we can do to navigate and ultimately break down these disciplinary partitions.

But I'm not just kvetching, as fun as that is. I want us all to be able to at least hear the discussion even if we can't be there. To that end, I requested that AAA record the discussion to produce as a podcast but there is no recording equipment available at that time. So, BANDITs, are you going to be in Montreal? Do you have some kind of recording device? Are you willing to attend and record the session and send the files to AAA so they can produce a podcast? Please let me know tout de suite, d'accord?

Order your 2012 ASP calendar now!

2011-10-31T13:33:00.000-07:00

ASP is pleased to announce that the 2012 Primate Portraits calendars are ready for sale for $15 each. All proceeds from the sale go to the ASP Legacy fund, which supports new initiatives of the society to strengthen primatology and the ASP.

Order online using our secure website or print off an order form and mail it in. If you use the order form, please email or fax it to our treasurer, Kim Phillips, whose contact info is on the form; or if you are paying by check, mail the form and check to her. Calendars will be shipped to you via the USPS.

The calendar has 13 beautiful photos of nonhuman primates (one per month, plus the cover), in 8.5 x 11 size, perfect for hanging on the wall. Eleven of the 13 photos were taken by members of ASP; the other two were donated by friends of ASP. You won’t find a more beautiful calendar with primates anywhere. Take a look at the proof copy at the link above. These make lovely gifts for those naturalists on your gift list. One should grace the office of every primatologist!

Order yours today!

Biological Anthropology sessions at AAA

2011-10-31T12:39:00.000-07:00

There are some wonderful biological & evolutionary anthropology sessions on the schedule of the upcoming AAA meetings. It's not too late to join us in Montreal!

Thursday, November 17, 2011:

· 08:00-09:45: ATTACHMENTS, ALLIANCES, AND REPUTATIONS: TRACING COOPERATION THROUGH TIME, SPACE, AND THE LIFESPAN. Organizers: Adam H Boyette (Washington State University, Vancouver) and Shane J Macfarlan (Oregon State University)

· 08:00-11:45: BODY PARTS AND PARTS OF BODIES: THE TRACES OF VIOLENCE IN CULTURES IN CONFLICT. Organizers: Ryan P Harrod (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and Debra L Martin (UNLV)

· 10:15-12:00: CALCULATING LEGACIES: INFORMED BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY IN THE 21ST CENTURY. Organizers: Robin G Nelson (University of California, Riverside)

· 10:15-12:00: SCIENCE IN ANTHROPOLOGY: AN OPEN DISCUSSION Organizer: Peter Peregrine (Lawrence University)

· 13:45-17:30: RE-ENVISIONING CULTURE: CHALLENGING LEGACIES AND SHIFTING TIDEMARKS IN THE STUDY OF HUMAN DIVERSITY. Organizers: Amber Wutich (Arizona State University) and Daniel Hruschka (Arizona State University)

Friday, November 18, 2011:

· 08:00-11:45: THE SCARS OF HUMAN EVOLUTION. Organizers: Karen Rosenberg (University of Delaware) and Rachel Caspari (Central Michigan University)
· 16:00-17:45: NEW DIRECTIONS IN BIOARCHAEOLOGY

· 18:15-19:30: BAS BUSINESS MEETING

· 19:30-21:30: BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY SECTION DISTINGUISHED LECTURE; RECEPTION FOLLOWS

Saturday, November 19, 2011:

· 08:00-11:45: TRANSFORMING BIOCULTURAL AND ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES IN ANTHROPOLOGY: THE LEGACIES OF R BROOKE THOMAS. Organizers: Thomas L Leatherman (University of Massachusetts) and Lisa B Markowitz (University of Louisville)

· 10:15-12:00: DOWN TO EARTH: EXHUMATIONS IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD: Organizers: Francisco Ferrandiz (SPANISH NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL) and Victoria D Sanford (Lehman College/CUNY)

· 16:00-17:45: NEW DIRECTIONS IN EVOLUTION, VARIATION AND GENETICS

· 16:00-17:45: TRACING CHILDHOOD: BIOARCHAEOLOGICALINVESTIGATIONS OF EARLY LIVES IN ANTIQUITY. Organizers: John J Crandall (University of Nevada, Las Vegas)

· 18:15-20:15: Section Summit on the Changing Job Market and Student Training: Linking Anthropology Departments and Practice. Organizers: Keri Vacanti Brondo, Wendy Bartlo, and Mary Odell Butler

Sunday, November 20, 2011:

· 08:00-11:45: TRACES OF VIOLENCE AND LEGACIES OF CONFLICT: COMBINING MATERIAL EVIDENCE AND NARRATIVE EXCHANGE FOR AN ANTHROPOLOGY OF VIOLENT ENCOUNTERS. Organizers: Rahul C Oka (University of Notre Dame) and Nerina Weiss (Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims).

AAA prizes for bioanthropology students!

2011-10-31T11:31:00.000-07:00

Are you (or do you have) an undergraduate or graduate student in biological anthropology who will be presenting at the AAA meeting in Montreal? You are eligible to compete for the Biological Anthro Section (BAS) Student Prize! Please submit the your name, paper title, and session title to Dr. Katherine MacKinnon by November 15 (note: you may nominate your students yourself).

Student participation in the AAA is so important to maintain and grow the presence (and influence!) of biological anthropologists within the larger discipline of anthropology, so please enter and be recognized for your outstanding work!

Primate Anatomy Research Technician Wanted!

2011-10-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

The Department of Anatomy at Midwestern University (Downers Grove Campus, 20 miles west of downtown Chicago) seeks a full-time technician to assist in state-of-the-art primate morphology research. This is a particularly good opportunity for recent bachelor's/master's graduate in biological anthropology, anatomy, or zoology who wishes to gain further experience and training before continuing his/her education. Contact Dr. Michelle Singleton or Dr. David Green for more information.

Study Hyena Behavior in Kenya!

2011-10-20T07:05:00.000-07:00

Dr. Kay Holekamp of Michigan State University announces a wonderful field school opportunity studying the behavior of Kenyan hyenas! Even for students with a primary interest in primates, hyenas are fascinating animals and the field school draws on similar behavioral observation techniques as does primate research. Dr. Holekamp is looking for undergraduates between their junior and senior year. Please print out the flyer and announce to your students! (Application info can be found on the flyer.)

There are 2 projects that will be available for participation during summer, 2012:

1. Spotted hyenas and ecosystem health. The spotted hyena is the most abundant and wide-ranging large carnivore in Africa. In addition to their plasticity in regard to habitat choice, hyenas are extremely adaptable carnivores that can survive by scavenging or hunting large and medium-sized herbivores. Where many other mammalian species occupying African ecosystems cannot readily adapt to changing environmental conditions, the spotted hyena is able to thrive. Using the spotted hyena as an indicator for changing African ecosystems, we may be able to predict changes and modify conservation practices before it is too late.
*** Work this summer will involve running transects to document space use patterns of sympatric mammal, monitoring of hyena space-use via radio telemetry, and daily monitoring of hyena behavior and demography.

2. Maternal strategies and offspring development. The spotted hyena displays a protracted period of development characterized by extensive maternal care and marked by distinct developmental milestones. This project explores first, how maternal behavior and physiology vary with social rank and degree of human disturbance and second, what the consequences of anthropogenic disturbance may be for the development of spotted hyena cubs. Previous research indicates that adult females in areas of high disturbance show higher stress levels and lower attendance at communal dens where cubs are reared.
*** Work this summer will include collection of focal and all-occurrence behavioral data, organization and analysis of demographic and hormonal data, and development of field experiments to measure temperament/personality.

Travel costs (airline tickets, room, board, Kenyan visa, etc.) will be covered by NSF funds, and students will also receive a stipend of $2500.

Postdoctoral Scholar at University of Georgia

2011-10-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

Applications are invited for a 1-year postdoctoral scholar position at the University of Georgia to undertake research at the intersections of Science, Technology and Society (STS), participatory community research and strategic communication. The work will be relevant to the NSF-funded Coweeta Long Term Ecological Research (CWT LTER) project. Renewal for a second year may be possible contingent on satisfactory performance. Coweeta LTER researchers have initiated the Coweeta Listening Project (CLP) to address the long-standing difficulties of ecological scientific knowledge production being carried out in undemocratic ways in the hopes of accelerating the evolution from Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) to Long-Term Socioecological Research (LTSER). In order to contribute to this project, candidates should be qualified to carry out research related to the public understanding of science and linkages between scientific expertise and public participation in scientific knowledge production.Candidates should be comfortable working within community-based participatory methodologies. Candidates should hold a Ph.D. in an appropriate field, including science and technology studies, geography, anthropology, sociology, political science, or other related fields.

Interested candidates should submit a curriculum vitae, a cover letter with a statement of research interests, a writing sample or representative publication, and three references electronically to Dr.Nik Heynen (cwtlistn@uga.edu), Director, Coweeta Listening Project (CLP), University of Georgia, Department of Geography, GG Building, 210 Field St., Room 204, Athens, GA 30602 by November 15th , 2011 or full consideration.

Anthropological Genomics Workshop

2011-10-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT: APPLICATION OF GENOMICS TO ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH

The Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas - January 9th - January 10th, 2012
(Registration Deadline- November 30th, 2011)

Organized in conjunction with the American Association of Anthropological Genetics (AAAG) Education Committee in collaboration with the Texas Biomedical Research Institute, 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. The workshop will be led by experts from across the field of human genomics, who will instruct and interact with participants in both semi-formal and casual settings. Specifically, the workshop will comprise (1) keynote lectures from leaders in anthropological genomics, (2) formal presentations describing general as well as anthropology-specific applications of genomic tools, (3) Q&A sessions that address the practical issues of genomic research, (4) informal chalk-talk sessions in which the participants can discuss their own projects, and (5) social events to foster contacts and future collaborations. The goal of this event is to provide anthropologists previously unfamiliar with the field of genomics sufficient knowledge to apply (and at a minimum to understand the application of) genomic tools to their future research.

Registration is open to all interested parties, though it will be limited to 40 participants. Registration fees are $200 for students and $500 for postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and other professionals. Fees will cover lunches, dinner, and a mixer. Fees do not include travel to and from San Antonio or accommodation, though reservation blocks will be held at local hotels. The deadline for registration is November 30th, 2011. To register please go to http://www.anthgen.org/AGAR_registration.html. A limited number of student awards are available to cover the registration fee.
For more information, please contact Omer Gokcumen (gokcumen@gmail.com) to subscribe to the workshop email list. Updated information on the program and speakers is posted at here.

Assistant Professorship at Northeastern Illinois University

2011-10-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

Northeastern Illinois University Department of Anthropology invites applications for a tenure track Assistant Professor in Biological Anthropology. We seek a biological anthropologist with expertise in any area of modern human biological variation or paleoanthropology, except bioarchaeology. The successful candidate will be expected to teach existing relevant biological anthropology courses as well as develop advanced courses in his or her area(s) of expertise. The individual will also participate in NEIU’s interdisciplinary programs as appropriate. We are especially interested in a colleague who will enthusiastically contribute to our active department and who has a demonstrated commitment to teaching excellence, providing fieldwork and collaborative research opportunities for students, and educating a diverse student body. An active research agenda is expected. Appointment, pending budgetary approval, is to begin August 2012. An earned doctorate at the time of appointment is required.

Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) is a comprehensive state university serving approximately 12,000 commuter students located on a 67-acre campus on the northwest side of Chicago. Along with quality academic programming consistent with the University’s mission of excellence and access, the University is known for global education opportunities for students and a strong track record in external grant funding. Northeastern is nationally recognized as having the most ethnically diverse student body in the Midwest. NEIU is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer and we value diversity and encourage applications from women and underrepresented minority group members.

Electronic applications are preferred. Please send application materials listed below to Lesa Davis, Ph.D., lcdavis@neiu.edu (Search Committee Chair, Department of Anthropology, Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 N. St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625-4699): letter of application, curriculum vitae with email address and names of three references, statement of teaching philosophy and research plan, sample syllabi you have developed, and samples of publications or other examples of scholarly writing. Application materials received by November 1, 2011 will receive fullest consideration. Review of applications will continue until position is filled.

Dr. Claudia Valeggia receives prestigious PECASE award!

2011-10-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to biological anthropologist Dr. Claudia Valeggia, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, who was just honored with a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. You can read about Dr. Valeggia's work as a PhD student at UC Davis here.

The award is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers. Awardees are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education or community outreach. Dr. Valeggia will receive her award from President Obama on October 14.

This is an enormous honor for Dr. Valeggia, but I also see it as hugely encouraging to our discipline as a whole. Especially in the wake of John Hawk's "call to arms" for anthropologists to work toward a more significant and visible impact in the scholarly and public spheres, Dr. Valeggia's success on the national stage indicates how vital anthropology is and how successfully it can compete and cooporate in the marketplace of ideas. Dr. Valeggia is not the first biological anthropologist to be granted this prestigious award; in 2002, Dr. Thom McDade of Northwestern University was a PECASE recipient as well. (Note: this is not intended to be an exhaustive list. Contact me if you can add some names.)

As anthropologists, we have a track record of producing and being recognized for paradigm-shifting work. It's easy to lose track of that in the quagmire of a bleak job market and internal debates about identity and future, but let's remember - and remind our students! - of the important and unique role our discipline should play in discussions of "our origins, history, and diversity" (Yes, John Hawks, I hear you!).

Assistant Professorship in Primate Ecology, Northern Illinois U

2011-10-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

Northern Illinois University Department of Anthropology anticipates hiring a tenure-track Assistant Professor with expertise in primate ecology starting August, 2012. Candidates in all areas of primate ecology are encouraged to apply. However, special consideration will be given to those candidates whose active research can be applied to primate conservation. Candidates will have the opportunity to work with the Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability and Energy and Environmental Studies program and the Center for NGO Leadership and Development Program. The candidate is expected to be engaged in active field work, to maintain a strong externally funded research program, and to supervise undergraduate and graduate student research in the field. The successful candidate will be responsible for supervising graduate students, and teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses including introductory courses in physical anthropology and primatology, as well as upper level courses in their area of expertise. Teaching responsibilities normally include four courses per academic year. The Anthropology Department is a four field department, with an MA graduate degree program. The successful candidate must complete the requirements for a PhD in physical anthropology by August, 2012. Candidates should submit a letter describing their scholarship, record of external funding, plans for future research, and teaching qualifications and interests, plus a full vita and the names and addresses of three references to: Dr. Kendall Thu, Department of Anthropology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 60178; Phone: 815-753-0246. Initial review will begin December 1, 2011 and will continue until the position is filled. Pre-employment criminal background investigation required. NIU is an AA/AEEO institution.

Open House for prospective grad students at Purdue University

2011-09-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

Considering a PhD in anthropology? If you're in the Midwest consider swinging by Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana to attend the Purdue Anthropology Graduate Program Open House on November 11, 2011. Purdue is the home of some really great primatology research by Melissa Remis and her students, including Brandi Wren who as a graduate student started a fantastic primatological field school in South Africa.

Job updates

2011-09-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

If you are actively on the market or just indulging in some good old-fashioned voyeurism, be sure to keep tabs on the Physical Anthropology Job Wiki. There are 25 jobs posted that are still in play. I don't think it's an exhaustive list, so I encourage BANDITs to provide updates.

Collaborative Research Travel Grants

2011-09-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

The Burroughs Wellcome Trust announces its Collaborative Research Travel Grants, awards up to $15,000 in support for researchers to travel either domestically or internationally to a laboratory to acquire a new research technique, to facilitate a collaboration, or to attend a laboratory/lecture course (but not a conference). Applicants must hold a Ph.D. or be currently studying in a Ph.D. program. Deadline: Dec. 1, 2011, 4pm EST, electronic applications only

Mammals Suck, literally...

2011-09-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

Kudos to Dr. Katie Hinde (Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard) for her wonderful new blog, Mammals Suck...Milk!. Katie says: "My goal for this blog is to showcase new research in milk science (so please send me announcements of your papers when they are published), synthesize emerging results into short science pieces, and to announce symposia and conferences of interest to folks studying mother's milk (or father's milk in the case of dyak fruit bats)."

I'm so excited to see many of us building these virtual research communities. Anthropologists are drawn to connections and boundary-crossing by nature, and blogs like BANDIT, Context and Variation, Neuroanthropology, and now Mammals Suck...Milk! are wonderful vehicles for that interdisciplinary endeavor.

DANTA Winter Field Course

2011-09-12T12:21:00.001-07:00

Kim Dingess, Director of DANTA, the Association for Conservation of the Tropics, announces the Winter 2011-2012 field courses. Much of DANTA's advertising is word of mouth so please circulate this announcement:

Danta: Association for Conservation of the Tropics is pleased to announce its winter 2011-2012 field course in tropical biology. Our courses are intended for undergraduates or early graduate level students who have a keen interest in tropical biology and conservation, but have little or no experience of working in a tropical environment. Participants may enroll on either a credit or non-credit basis.

Courses will be held in Costa Rica’s spectacular Osa Peninsula. As one of the largest tracts of rain forest north of the Amazon, this area is renowned for high animal and plant diversity. It is one of only a few places in Costa Rica that has jaguar, puma, sea turtles and four species of monkey (mantled howler monkey, black-handed spider monkey, white-faced capuchin and squirrel monkey). It is also home to nearly 4,000 plant species, including trees more than 200 feet tall. All students participating in our programs will have opportunity to be involved in applied conservation (i.e., sea turtle monitoring and reforestation) and community service.

Winter Session 2011-2012

Primate Behavior and Conservation (December 28 – January 15, 2012). Instructors: Kimberly Dingess, Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington; Marni LaFleur, Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder and Dr. Klaus Zuberbühler, Department of Psychology, University of St. Andrews, Scotland.

For more information, please visit our website at www.DANTA.info or email conservation@danta.info.

Hope to see you in Costa Rica!

Primatology meeting in Peru

2011-09-12T11:44:00.001-07:00

Dr. Francine Dolins announces an important primatology conference to be held in Peru, October 17-22, 2011.

Tenure Track position in Evol/Ecol Genomics at The Ohio State University

2011-09-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

Assistant Professor of Evolutionary or Ecological Genomics
The Ohio State University

The Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology (EEOB) invites applications for a TENURE-TRACK POSITION at the Assistant Professor Rank in Evolutionary or Ecological Genomics. We seek outstanding individuals who address fundamental questions in evolution and/or ecology either through the generation of large-scale sequence or gene expression data or by using either computational/statistical approaches for the analysis of genomic data. Researchers studying non-model systems are strongly encouraged to apply. This position builds on our established strengths in population genetics, systematics, and model-based studies of evolution, and will expand the scale and scope of research on evolutionary processes in EEOB. The successful applicant will have a Ph.D., preferably with postdoctoral experience, and will be expected to develop a strong, externally funded research program, train graduate students, and contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching. Find additional information about OSU at www.osu.edu or about EEOB at eeob.osu.edu. For questions about the position, contact Dr. Lisle Gibbs (gibbs.128@osu.edu, (614) 688-3861), Chair of the search committee. The position will begin 1 October 2012.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, current CV, and statements of research and teaching interests, preferably as a single pdf file, and have three letters of reference sent to Ms. Corey Ross at ross.629@osu.edu. Review of applications will begin on 12 October 2011 and continue until a suitable candidate is identified. Women, minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. EEO/AA employer.

Make your MPIG travel plans!

2011-09-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

The 8th annual Midwest Primate Interest Group meeting is around the corner and it's time to make your travel arrangements. Here's a message from MPIG president Dr. Katie MacKinnon:

We have received an impressive group of abstracts for this year's MPIG meeting! The finalized schedule will be up soon--stay tuned.

In the meantime, this is just a gentle reminder to make your hotel reservations and book your flights if you haven't yet done so. We encourage those of you traveling from the same university/geographical areas to coordinate on flights and carpools if possible. While we are finalizing the scientific schedule for poster and papers, I refer you to this general timeline when making your travel arrangements.

Marilyn Norconk has posted a very helpful list of information on the MPIG website, so I direct you there again for hotel/travel info (note airport suggestions and driving directions, etc.). Please note that the hotel reservation deadlines for the special group rates are fast approaching!

Also: if you wish to be picked up at the airport, please email her at mnorconk@kent.edu...she will arrange for meeting volunteers to help pick up groups of people at certain times, based on arrivals.

Many thanks again for your interest and participation -- we are looking forward to another great MPIG meeting!

Cheers,
Katie

Hey, jobs!

2011-09-02T05:57:00.000-07:00

The 2011-2012 Bioanthropology job market is shaping up to be pretty decent. There are many places to look for jobs and you *should* look in multiple places because not all jobs are cross-listed. Here are my recommendations:

The Anthropology job wiki. A perennial favorite of the BANDIT blog, not only does the wiki provide a handy digest of the current market, but you can find out from other users about information requests, interview invitations, job offers and rejections. It can be a little painful to follow the wiki because of that, but considering the frustrating silence so common to so many search committees, it can be a relief.

The job postings page on the AAPA website. This is pretty good and often includes postdoc opportunities.

For the biological anthropologist with training and teaching experience in anatomy, the classifiedsat the American Association of Anatomists might point you to an interesting opportunity.

The career center on the American Anthropological Association website lists several bioanthropology jobs.

Through the University of Wisconsin, you can access Primate Jobs to look for, you know, primate jobs.

If you're willing to do a little more digging (tip: if you want a job you should be willing to do a little more digging!) search anthropology, biology, and psychology postings at the Chronicle of Higher Education.

I'll also continue to post individual job listings that BANDIT readers forward to me. Good luck to all searchers!

On the joys of primate fieldwork, or "There's flies in my eyes": Marni LaFleur

2011-09-02T05:18:00.000-07:00

In the next installment of Dispatches from the Field, graduate student Marni LaFleur humorously recounts a series of misadventures during her dissertation fieldwork in Madagascar:

I am a 33 year old graduate student in anthropology at the University of Colorado Boulder and last year, I lived in Madagascar in order to study ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) for my dissertation. I worked in a very remote area and spent nearly 10 months living in a tent. During this time, and like many who do field work, I went without luxuries such as running water, a bathroom, electricity (other than a small generator), the internet, or medical care, not to mention my husband or the people I love at home. It can be tough, but that is life in the field.

Now, I've worked in Madagascar before and have experience in all sorts of forest types and other countries. So, I figured I knew what I was in for. WRONG. None of my experiences or elaborate plans prepared me for the challenges that ensued. Some were to be expected (heat, bugs, etc.), albeit terribly difficult to tolerate. While other challenges were more of a surprise (illnesses, cyclones, using cold French fries to pay off drunken AK-47 yielding crooked cops, etc.), that you just have to chalk up as part of the joys of doing field work in an un-developed nation. The following are some of highlights of my field work highlights:

• The heat. Day time high of 55°C and an overnight low of 32°C is miserable. Especially for months on end. There is no way to acclimate. It is horrible.

• The tormenting flies. They simply torment you. Endlessly. And they are everywhere and so gross. For goodness sake, they literally barf on you and then lick up their own barf. On you, and on your food, and dishes, and eyeballs, and all forms of feces. And they have the audacity to continually land on the same spot, like the tip of your freaking nose, and will happily fly up your nose and down your throat. For months. Sick.

• The incessant mosquitoes. I don't think I can even accurately describe the mosquito horrors. Let me just say that in addition to 3 layers of head to toe clothing (including two pairs of socks on my hands), I tried to set up a mosquito net in the forest, and it didn't help. Better yet, picture what SWARMS of mosquitoes do when you drop your drawers. Countless swollen burning potentially Elephantitis infected mosquito bites on your private parts, repeatedly, is about as bad as it gets. Trust me.

• Everything I own falling apart. In August I left my husband behind and my heart crumbled. In September my hiking boots died (which is a big freaking deal). In October my radio receiver for tracking animals died. In November my tent and water filter died. In December my body kicked the proverbial bucket, as did my duct tape. Seriously. I didn't know duct tape could die. In January my second radio receiver arrived, and promptly died. In February my generator died. In March, I was given a human raised pet lemur, who escaped from my tent and I am sure died (this is a long sad story from which I am still heartbroken). In April, I dropped my Ipod in a bucket of dirty laundry water and it died, which is admittedly less traumatic, but nearly unbearable by this point.

• Illness and mystery parasites. In December I had Dengue fever, which in hindsight, nearly killed me. After that, I had one malady after another. A calcium deficiency serious enough to threaten heart and other muscle functions, followed by a magnesium deficiency, followed by Mononucleosis, followed by an immune reaction which was at least consistent with malaria. Not cool, my friends, not cool.

• The car ride from hell. After the calcium, but before the magnesium deficiency, a routine by-monthly food supply trip that normally took 10 hours, turned into a 5 day epic journey. Probably the one and only time I will sleep inside a car (with 4 others) which is A) short a functional transmission, B) cozily parked in the middle of a lake, and C) surrounded by the deafening calls of wildly mating frogs. I did more than my share of wading in stagnant wriggly tadpole water over that 5-day period and yes, I had open wounds on my feet. As one does.

• Cyclone Bingzia. The 2011 "cyclone season" opened with Cyclone Bingzia and was responsible for the car ride from hell. It was much more destructive on the eastern coast of Madagascar (I was on the west) but did manage to make rivers out of "roads" and bring a 2ft deep flash flood through camp, which of course included my tent home.

• Attempted assassination on the president and a sequential 4 day internet black out. To be honest, this happened when I was out in the forest, and I actually had no idea, but it sounds pretty dramatic. The government has been unstable and under dictator rule since 2009 when a popular 30 year-old former DJ decided to stage a coup and then ousted the actual elected president. The former DJ has been in power ever since, and remains so, without end in sight.

That, I believe, nicely sums the unpleasantries of my dissertation field work. I must, however, admit to already planning my imminent return to Madagascar. Why? I love the animals. And I'm banking that an equally horrible field experience would never happen to the same person twice. Right?

Tenure-track Psychology Position at University of Delaware

2011-09-02T05:04:00.000-07:00

The UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY invites applications for tenure-track Assistant Professor positions to begin September 1, 2012. Under some circumstances, candidates at the Associate Professor level might be considered. We are particularly interested in candidates who can bridge departmental areas and extend existing research strengths within the department. One priority area is Cognitive Neuroscience, broadly defined. We welcome applicants working in any area of cognition.

A second targeted area is Neuroendocrinology / Psychoneuroimmunology. We prefer a colleague studying endocrine or immune physiology in relation to animal models of stress, sex differences, psychopathology, developmental disorders, psychosomatic disease, neurogenetics, social processes and health, or aging; applicants using other approaches to study these issues may also be considered. These positions, which could be based in any of the department's areas (Behavioral Neuroscience, Clinical, Cognitive, Social), are part of a new departmental hiring initiative that reflects the arrival of a new department chair, an emphasis on a neuroscience perspective, and cross-disciplinary interaction. The initiative will bring additional faculty to our department, located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

For more information about the department, see http://www.psych.udel.edu. Applicants should go to http://www.udel.edu/udjobs/ to submit a cover letter stating research and teaching interests, along with a current vita. In addition, 3-5 reprints (all in pdf format) and three letters of reference should be sent to searches@psych.udel.edu.

Applicants for these positions should have a Ph.D. or expect to complete their degree requirements prior to appointment. Inquiries should be addressed to the search committee chairs, Dr. James E. Hoffman (hoffman@psych.udel.edu; 302-831-2453) for Cognitive Neuroscience, or Dr. Anna Klintsova (klintsova@psych.udel.edu; 302-831-0452) for Neuroendocrinology/Psychoneuroimmunology. Review of applications will begin on October 1, 2011, although applications received after that date may be considered.

James E. Hoffman
Department of Psychology
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716
Phone:302-831-2453
Fax: 302-831-3645
Web: http://hoffman.psych.udel.edu/

Tenure-track Assistant Professor in Behavioural Neuroscience

2011-08-30T14:51:00.000-07:00

Tenure-track Assistant Professor in Behavioural Neuroscience

The Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Behavioural Neuroscience, which will begin 1 July 2012. Candidates must have a PhD before commencing the position.

We are seeking an individual who can add to the departmental strength in animal-based behavioural neuroscience. Particular areas of interest include: epigenetics, behavioural genetics, developmental psychobiology, addiction, interactions between the immune system and behaviour, and learning. Note that primate facilities are not available. We are seeking an individual who has a strong commitment to teaching and a strong research record appropriate to a research-oriented doctoral program. The successful candidate will be expected to maintain a program of effective teaching, departmental service, graduate and undergraduate research supervision, and scholarly research that leads to publication.

The starting salary for the position will be commensurate with experience. This position is subject to final budgetary approval. The University of British Columbia hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority. UBC is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from visible minority group members, women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

Applicants for the position should upload a single PDF file (containing a cover letter, CV, research statement, teaching statement, evidence of teaching effectiveness, and 3 publications) to https://websec1.psych.ubc.ca/internal/faculty/jobappl and complete the brief form found on that webpage. Next, applicants should arrange to have at least 3 confidential letters of recommendation submitted online (details provided at the above webpage).

The closing date for applications is: 31 October 2011.

Confronting professional and cultural ethics: Gwen Robbins Schug

2011-08-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

BANDIT is very pleased to host Dr. Gwen Robbins Schug as a guest blogger. In her compelling and beautifully written post, Gwen recounts a difficult ethical dilemma involving both scientific and cultural standards that stemmed from recent fieldwork in India.

(Re-)Wrapping a Sacred Bundle
Gwen Robbins Schug

"Anthropological researchers bear responsibility for the integrity and reputation of their discipline, of scholarship, and of science. Thus, anthropological researchers are subject to the general moral rules of scientific and scholarly conduct: they should not deceive or knowingly misrepresent (i.e., fabricate evidence, falsify, plagiarize), or attempt to prevent reporting of misconduct, or obstruct the scientific/scholarly research of others." AAPA Code of Ethics

"Ethics in Anthropology is like race in America: dialogue takes place during times of crisis." Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban (2003:pg. 1).

As an archaeologist, it is my belief that knowledge about the past is essential to our present understanding and should inform our future actions. Recently, I was involved in a situation where a colleague violated scientific ethics, plagiarized a paper, and attempted to obstruct future scholarly research. The situation soon became a public spectacle. I was challenged to devise a response that satisfied all of my various commitments to being a professional scientist, anthropologist, colleague and mentor. The liminal space I occupy as a biological anthropologist, with the ethical responsibilities of a scientist and the philosophical sensibilities of an anthropologist, led to an outcome that can only be called "the best of a bad situation". For this reason, I share my experience.

The Unravelling
Recently, I received a research fellowship and I took a sabbatical. I left my job, as an assistant professor at a small comprehensive University in the U.S. and I traveled to India, where I was to do research on two very important skeletal collections for 6 months. I had received permission to study paleopathology and trauma in this skeletal collection from the Government of India, Anthropological Survey of India, and the senior physical anthropologist in charge of the collection (Dr. Y). After about 10 days of waiting and meeting with the Head of Office at AnSI and Dr. Y, I began my work. A former student had traveled to India to work with me and was also granted permission by the head of office and the senior anthropologist to work on the skeletal material.

We examined a small collection first and then we turned our attention to the skeletal material from a very important archaeological site, a collection that has never been scientifically studied. The day we began work on that collection, Dr. Y was not in the office but he had left instructions for us to begin with the glass case in his office. This case was full of skulls from archaeological sites around India. They were all facing to the left because the case was not quite wide enough to accommodate them. There were only a couple from the site we were working on so we pulled those out and took them to the lab.

When we sat down to work, it was immediately apparent that one of the skulls was a specimen with a suspected trepanation, which had been a subject of speculation in the literature for decades. There was a depression fracture on the right side of the skull. Just below that, there was a small hole with a raised margin that suggested it could be a trepanation. This skull had been described a few times in 20th century writings about evidence for trepanation in prehistoric India, including a mention in a paper written about trepanation at a different site published by Dr. Y 10 years earlier. However, the skull had not been examined and the trepanation had not been confirmed. When Dr. Y returned to the office later that week, my student and I immediately informed him that we had found the specimen and we requested a CT scan (because the specimen is covered with a lot of preservative and confirmation required more work. He immediately exclaimed that our entire trip to India had just been validated by this discovery because he had been "looking" for the skull for many years and was happy we would finally be able to report on this evidence.

This trepaned skull turned out to be only the first in a long series of important results, which will lead to several publications and may very well revise our current ideas about life in the Indus Civilization. To me, the evidence for trepanation was interesting but primarily my interest was in the larger social issues of interpersonal violence, medical intervention, and hierarchy in the Indus Civilization. In fact, this evidence in combination with evidence for interpersonal violence in several skeletons that we examined early on led me to submit an abstract on that topic for an invited session at AAA later the same year.

After six months of working in India, seeing Dr. Y regularly when we were both in the labs and offices at AnSI, two things happened that challenged the relatively easy working relationship I thought I had developed there. The institution has generally remained aloof to foreign scholarship and I was proud of the apparent ease with which I had gotten access to their collections for the second time in my career.... until one afternoon when Dr. Y came into the lab where I was working. He started up a conversation about the results of my study and he asked me if I had seen a trepanation in another skeletal series I had studied in the repository. Knowing of his longstanding interest in trepanation, I shared with him that although it had been previously reported that there was a trepanation in a child's skull from Kalibangan, I had already confirmed that the skull was damaged postmortem and no such evidence existed.

During the course of this conversation, I asked Dr. Y if he wanted to write a paper reporting the confirmation of the case of trepanation I had discovered. When my field work began, we had discussed authorship and agreed that I would be first author on any and all publications resulting from my research and he would also be listed as an author. That day, I suggested that he could write a case study on the trepanation because I knew of his long-standing interest in the topic. We had not discussed it previously because we had both been traveling a lot and had usually not been present in the lab at the same time, except for a brief period early in my project.

Dr Y seemed very pleased that he would be able to report this case study and he mentioned that he had already started putting something together on the topic. Although I saw this comment as a potential red flag because we had not discussed it previously, I did not ask him for clarification and I dismissed the brief uneasy feeling and went on with my work. In fact I finished my work that very day, packed up all of my equipment and research supplies that afternoon, and headed home to write my final report and prepare to return home to the US.

That night, Mr. X, a reporter from a major newspaper wrote to ask a few routine questions for a story he was writing about trepanation in prehistoric India. I was not certain how he knew about the finding so I immediately wrote to Dr. Y. I told him that although we had discussed a potential paper that he would write on the trepanation, and although we discussed making him first author on that potential publication, I preferred to keep research results from the media until after a peer reviewed publication appeared.

I then wrote to the journalist and told him that I am the PI on a research project to study trauma and pathology in this skeletal collection housed at AnSI. I told him that I had not written a paper on the evidence for trepanation and was interested to know how he had learned of this aspect of my research. I also told Mr. X that I was not interested in commenting on his story and did not wish to be included in his article as the story was communicated without my knowledge or permission.

These two events marked the beginning of an unravelling, a spiralling chain of events which revealed scientific misconduct, a serious breach of scientific ethics by Dr. Y and a lack of diligence on the part of editors at a leading scientific journal in India. It is a long story and I will spare the reader most of the detail. Basically, the reporter informed me at that point that he was quite confused by my email. A manuscript was already published online in the current issue of a respected scientific journal. I was listed as second author on the paper and he was simply writing to me to get a comment about our conclusions. He noted that he found it odd that my affiliation was not listed on the paper. He had already spoken with Dr. Y (who was first author) and he never mentioned that I was the PI on the project. He had simply stated that I assisted with the analysis. At the end of this earthshaking email, he said simply that he would like to write an article on the serious breach of scientific ethics that had obviously occured in this case.

What followed was a series of phone calls and emails between myself, Dr. Y and Mr. X. All of this resulted in an article being published in the newspaper that accused Dr. Y of a serious breach of scientific ethics. Once the article came out, I contacted the director of Anthropological Survey of India and the journal editor. According to the AAPA code of ethics, I had a responsibility to inform the editor that a contribution in his journal was plagiarized and had been published without knowledge of one of the authors. As anyone can imagine, this was a delicate situation.

Culture Conflict- science and anthropology
I had been included as a second author on a paper that was submitted for publication, peer reviewed, and published without my knowledge. The contents of the paper were plagiarized from my research. It was unavoidable that an article was published in the newspaper because the reporter was the one who informed me of my own publication (which obviously made him suspicious that a bigger story existed). And I was under ethical obligation as a scientist to inform the journal editor (Dr. Z) and the director of AnSI of what had happened, uncomfortable as that was. So, I carefully wrote the necessary letters and then waited to see what the response would be (keeping in mind my position as a foreign scholar, and a young female one at that).

Shortly after the newspaper article came out, basically everyone I knew in India called me. All of my friends and colleagues expressed support for me. They gave me advice on whom to speak with, how to handle myself, and when to sit quietly and wait for a response. Many of my American colleagues also called me to express support as well. One thing that all of these calls had in common was an almost immediate outpouring of similar stories, in India and in the United States. Most of these stories were from young, female scholars. Most of them were not cathartic moments.

The director of AnSI wrote to Dr. Y and demanded an explanation. In an email he wrote to me that Dr. Y's conduct was unethical and unacademic. Dr. Y's formal letter of response was inadequate and contained obvious fabrications. For example, Dr. Y claimed that he did not show me the paper before its publication because it was submitted from the field. On the published version of the paper, there was a date of submission that did not corroborate this story. As emails and phone calls flew back and forth and all over India (all the way up to the Ministry of Culture), the scientific ethical issues were clear. AnSI handled the entire issue with respect for scientific enquiry, investigating the matter and disciplining the scientist involved.

Dr. Z, the journal editor, had a different response. In scientific publishing, a charge of plagiarism is enough to retract a paper. Dr. Z did not wish to retract the paper, even though I initially requested him to do so. Although he had been given evidence to demonstrate that clearly Dr. Y had committed an ethical violation by publishing without my knowledge and although there was evidence for the plagiarism, Dr. Z wanted to publish an erratum and correct the authorship and affiliation details while leaving the paper intact. Now it was my turn to wrestle with the ethical issues, not the ethics of being a scientist but the ethics of being an anthropologist.

The "appropriate" response to a breach of ethics of this magnitude is clear. Within the scientific community in the United States, ethical violations are ideally handled immediately and thoroughly because every aspect of the scientific process is based on trust. Science is not the "Truth" but it is a set of claims about the world and the scientific literature is a permanent historical record of experiments, observations, and interpretations. As a society, we rely heavily on this record and most scientists and concerned people would agree that integrity is crucial to the process of science.

For this reason, there are reasonably clear ethical standards of practice in the United States. Not everyone lives up to those standards all of the time and thus our professional associations and institutions have written policies for dealing with misconduct. Gray areas can emerge about details of particular cases but ultimately errors in authorship should result in an erratum, plagiarism should result in retraction.

But what about anthropological ethics?
The editor of the journal expressed a preference for leaving the paper in the journal. I tossed and turned, night after night about the anthropological ethical issues of imposing my own standards for ethical conduct on someone from a different culture. Although there are guidelines for how to proceed when scientific misconduct is clear, there are no clear rules for knowing how to proceed when it becomes apparent that scientists from two different cultures have conflicting goals, interests, norms, and standards of scientific practice.

Dr. Z had a solution, his way of solving the problem fit within his own tradition and he did not wish to retract the paper. In a sense, I had simultaneously respected and violated a trust by calling attention to the situation. I felt scientific ethics demanded that much from me. As a consquence, Dr. Y had threatened at one point to restrict access for foreign scholars again and the situation obviously had the potential to negatively impact future anthropological and scientific research. Dr. Z clearly expressed his solution and although it was not what I wanted, I eventually decided that I had to respect his authority as journal editor and his reading of the correct response to an ethical dilemma. Basically, anthropological ethics suggested it was wrong to enforce my own view of ethical practice in scientific journal publishing over views expressed by a highly qualified scientific journal editor. In the end, I consented to the erratum and the paper was left in the journal.

Wrapping up
I would sum up the dilemma by evoking the interdisciplinarity of biological anthropology, which does not always easily straddle science and anthropology. As a PI, I am responsible for ensuring that the research is conducted ethically and this includes an ethical dissemination of the results. I found Dr. Y's article to be unprofessional and misleading in its claims to have 'discovered' the 'first evidence' of 'brain surgery' in India. More importantly, if I am aware of unethical conduct, I have a responsibility as a scientist to report that to the authorities in place. I have a responsiblity for the factual content of publications on which my name appears and I have a responsiblity to tell the truth when a concern is brought to my attention. When scientific literature is published, it is important for practical reasons that all authors have an opportunity to write, review, edit and respond to reviewer comments. If I said nothing about my name being placed on a paper without my knowledge or consent, I am tacitly condoning an unethical practice.

However, I also have a responsibility as an anthropologist to respect the solutions of people in the communities where I engage in research. I must carefully consider the social and political implications of my research and my behavior. I have a responsibility to be reflexive about my actions and to do no harm, including to future colleagues. I have a responsibility to "preserve opportunities for future fieldworkers to follow [me] to the field" (AAPA code of ethics). I have a responsibility to behave as a guest and to respect the views and opinions of my hosts, their concept of ethical behavior, and the consequences for violating those norms.

I think that the AAPA guidelines summed well the position of the biological anthropologist in a case like this one: "Active contribution and leadership in seeking to shape public or private sector actions and policies may be as ethically justifiable as inaction, detachment, or noncooperation, depending on circumstances" (pg. 2). In this case, I chose to do both. I was not silent about the ethical violations but I did not demand a particular resolution either. I tried to satisfy ethical obligations as a scientist while respectfully negotiating my position as an anthropologist. By speaking up, I took a stand that is impossible for many junior scientists (particularly women) who are vulnerable to abuses of power like plagiarism, discrimination, and sexual harassment. Through the anthropological perspective, I found a path that honored those vested with authority over scientific enquiry and publishing in India. I don't know if scientists and anthropologists would agree with the way that I handled the situation. I do know that I now sleep very well at night.

Share your field experiences with BANDIT!

2011-08-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

You are invited to share your field experiences with the BANDIT community via a guest post on the blog. Not only do I want to hear about your research specifically, but I am especially interested in hearing about the process of doing field research, because the obstacles and successes may be broadly relevant to colleagues doing very different kinds of work. I envision posts regarding the following three themes, although this is by no means an exhaustive list: 1) preparing for the research - IRB, IACUC, permits, establishing your itinerary with colleagues and subjects before you get there, etc.; 2) preparing for the trip itself - what to bring, shopping, travel issues, etc.; 3) doing the fieldwork - interpersonal/cultural issues, illness in the field, encountering scientific or procedural problems and devising solutions in the field. Let me know if you're interested. I'd like these dispatches to be separate blog posts rather than filler in the comments section so that they can really stand out. You can email me your idea for a dispatch at ruther4d at uic dot edu.

Project manager position at Anthrotech

2011-08-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

Anthrotech seeks Physical Anthropologist/Project Manager to start immediately. Anthrotech is an expanding company in Yellow Springs, Ohio specializing in applied anthropometry – the study of human body measurements as applied to problems of design and accommodation. Our roots go back to the 1950’s and we have evolved into the nation’s leader in anthropometric data collection, analysis and application.

We are currently seeking a motivated and enthusiastic physical anthropologist to join our growing family. This individual will apply his/her advanced knowledge of human biology, primarily involving such background as anatomy, biomechanics, anthropometry and statistics, to anthropometric survey management and client interface. Additional hands-on training will be given in landmarking, measuring, and data collection techniques. This highly visible position will be responsible for ensuring timely progress and reporting of an extensive anthropometric survey conducted at military bases throughout the United States. The ideal candidate will possess excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to successfully drive the remainder of the project to its completion, approximately 15 more months. This is a great opportunity to showcase your ability to balance scientific rigor, company culture and client confidence.

At Anthrotech our commitment to success provides challenges and opportunities for all of our employees. The manager of the survey must have the flexibility to travel routinely to various military installations to observe the data collection team and coordinate with the on-site team leader, as well as to interact regularly with our military client. The candidate should ideally possess graduate level training in a discipline such as anthropology, anatomy, biomechanics, kinesiology, and/or biostatistics. Previous experience with 3-D visualization software (e.g., Rhinoceros) and a Masters or Ph.D. in Anthropology or a related field is highly desirable.

If you are an ambitious and energetic individual who wants to make a difference in a growing organization, please apply by submitting a cover letter which also states when you would be available for hire, your resume, your college and graduate school transcript(s), and your salary requirements to Anthrotech, 503 Xenia Avenue, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387 or email all the above materials to resumes@anthrotech.net. Proof of U.S. citizenship will be required.

American Association of Anatomists Early Career Awards

2011-08-11T10:23:00.000-07:00

I recently renewed my membership in the American Association of Anatomists in preparation for an upcoming anatomy education workshop at AAPA and have found a nice little enclave of biological anthropologists there. Perusing the AAA website I found a number of great awards and grants for scholars and educators at many stages of their careers. Here are a few that stand out for early stage people, including postdocs:

Postdoctoral Fellowship

R.R. Bensley Award in Cell Biology
This award, first given in 1979, recognizes a cell biologist who has made a distinguished contribution to the advancement of anatomy through discovery, ingenuity, and publications in the field of cell biology. The successful candidate will be an independent cell biologist whose publications have had substantial impact on his/her field.

C.J. Herrick Award in Neuroanatomy
Established in 1962, this award recognizes investigators who have made important contributions to the field of comparative neuroanatomy and have demonstrated remarkable promise of future accomplishments. The area of comparative neuroanatomy is defined broadly; previous awardees are outstanding scientists who have made contributions to areas of neuroscience, including neurochemistry, development, neurocytology, neuroendocrinology, neurophysiology, and molecular neurobiology.

H.W. Mossman Award in Developmental Biology
This award was established in 2001 to recognize investigators in the early stages of their careers who have made important contributions to the field of developmental biology, as broadly defined, and have demonstrated remarkable promise of future accomplishments.

AAA Morphological Sciences Award
This award was established in 2008 to recognize investigators in the early stages of their careers who have made important contributions to biomedical science through research in the morphological sciences, as broadly defined, and have demonstrated remarkable promise of future accomplishments.

AAA 2011 program available

2011-08-09T14:02:00.000-07:00

The program for the upcoming American Anthropological Association conference in Montreal is now available. In the coming months I will put together a list of talks and events relevant to biological anthropologists. You may also be able to find information at the Biological Anthropology Section site.

I am super excited about this meeting and I look forward to seeing many of you there!

Gwen Robbins Schug - awesome scholar, awesome book

2011-08-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

As has been hinted previously on the BANDIT blog, Dr. Gwen Robbins Schug's new book has just been released! It is entitled, "Bioarchaeology and Climate Change: a view from South Asian prehistory". A short synopsis of the book is available on her website.

The book is published by University Press of Florida as part of Clark Larsen's book series "Bioarchaeological Interpretations of the Human Past: Local, Regional, and Global Perspectives". It will also be available through Oxford University Press Online later this year. If one's academic institution subscribes, OUPO carries fully searchable academic books, which can be downloaded by chapter or in their entirety without cost to the patron.

Congratulations to Gwen on the publication of her book!

MPIG 2011 abstract deadline August 15

2011-07-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

Remember how geeked out I was about MPIG 2010 in Chicago? Well, we're gearing up for a wonderful MPIG 2011 hosted by Kent State University. Abstract deadline is August 15. Can't wait for MPIG, Buckeye Style!

In the meantime, relive the magic of MPIG 2010!

Anatomy Education workshop at AAPA 2012?

2011-07-09T06:49:00.000-07:00

AAPA folks (undergrad, grad, postdoc, professor, researcher) with an interest or training or teaching career in anatomical sciences: let me know if you're interested in participating in a workshop at AAPA 2012.

AAPA 2012 symposia deadline is July 15!

2011-07-09T06:38:00.000-07:00

If you're thinking of putting together a symposium for the upcoming AAPA meeting, you still have time; the deadline is July 15. You need an abstract for the symposium topic, a participant list, and tentative titles but your participants don't need to come up with an abstract unless your symposium is selected. Keep in mind that AAPA limits first-authored presentations to ONE per person. Check the link above for more information about the meeting and submission instructions. Good luck!

Tenure Track Biocultural Position at Santa Clara University

2011-07-05T05:57:00.001-07:00

Forwarded from Dr. Michelle Bezanson:

Department of Anthropology
Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University, Department of Anthropology, invites applications for a Biological Anthropologist specializing in biocultural anthropology, to be appointed at the assistant professor level (tenure-track) beginning in September 2012. The successful applicant will teach Introduction to Biological Anthropology (lecture and lab), and additional courses dealing with topics related to nutrition, health and sexuality. An ability to teach courses, including method and theory, supporting the major and Core curriculum is a plus. As this position will be closely integrated with the SCU Public Health program, an applicant with training and/or experience in public health is preferred. The successful candidate will have a Ph.D. in Anthropology at time of appointment. Santa Clara is a Jesuit, Catholic, value-oriented university located in the heart of Silicon Valley. Quality scholarship and undergraduate teaching is essential, and involvement with student research is highly valued.

Please submit the following: a cover letter that includes statements of teaching philosophy, research agenda, academic experience and interest in culturally diverse groups; a curriculum vitae, including relevant teaching experience; teaching evaluations; sample publications; and names and addresses of three referees. Send documents to: Lisa Kealhofer, Chair, Department of Anthropology, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053-0310. E-mail: lkealhofer@scu.edu.

Information on our programs is available at: http://www.scu.edu/cas/anthropology/ and http://www.scu.edu/cas/phs/. We will be available to discuss the position at the AAA meetings in Montreal. Application deadline is October 31, 2011. Santa Clara University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, committed to excellence through diversity, and, in this spirit, particularly welcomes applications from women, persons of color, and members of historically underrepresented groups. The University will provide reasonable accommodations to all qualified individuals with a disability.

Natalia Reagan's Boobs on the Today Show!

2011-07-01T14:47:00.000-07:00

Natalia Reagan, recent MA graduate, will be on the Today Show July 6th to talk about her boobs. Congratulations Natalia! I'll definitely be tuning in. Speaking of, remember the game Tune in Tokyo? I hope Natalia gets to play with Matt Lauer.

ETA: Natalia will be rescheduled due to the Casey Anthony Trial. For reals. Stay tuned!!!

Yay me! 2011 AAA Leadership Fellow

2011-06-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

I am very pleased to announce to the BANDIT readership that I have been selected as one of two Leadership Fellows by the American Anthropological Association for 2011. Professor Heide Castañeda of University of South Florida is the other Fellow. Dr. Castañeda and I will be matched with more established anthropologists who are involved in AAA governance; we will learn what goes into planning and executing the annual meeting and how the association works behind the scenes. It's a fantastic opportunity and I am very grateful to the AAA officers for selecting me. I also have the BANDIT community to thank because I think our dialogue here on the blog and especially the passionate conversation here and elsewhere online regarding the AAA Long Range Plan and attendant philosophical debates played an important role in my being selected. Thank you, and I will share as much of my fellowship experience with you as I can. See you in Montreal!

AAA Leadership Mentoring Award Program

The American Anthropological Association is pleased to announce the annual AAA Leadership Mentoring Award Program. The purpose of this mentorship/award program is to provide a unique opportunity for anthropologists early in their careers to learn about AAA and leadership opportunities and to encourage future leadership in the association. Anthropologists three to five years beyond completion of their terminal graduate degree are encouraged to apply. Each year a group of three to five awardees (mentees) will be paired with a mentor chosen from among AAA leadership. Mentors will be available to mentees throughout the year to answer questions related to AAA. Mentees will shadow mentors at the AAA Annual Meeting where there will also be a lunch scheduled for all mentors and mentees to share their experiences in the program.

Dr. Robin Nelson elected to AAA Biological Anthropology Section

2011-06-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to colleague and friend Dr. Robin Nelson of the University of California Riverside for her recent election to the Executive Committee of the Biological Anthropology Section of the American Anthropological Association. Dr. Nelson will be filling the Member-at-Large position which is particularly involved in student awards and outreach. I can't imagine a better ambassador of biological anthropology scholarship to our newest members. The BAS will certainly benefit from Robin's energy!

Postdoctoral opportunities at the University of Pennsylvania

2011-06-20T08:03:00.001-07:00

Announcing Postdoctoral Fellowships for Academic Diversity at the University of Pennsylvania:

1) Dr. Eduardo Fernandez-Duque (eduardof@sas.upenn.edu) is looking for postdoctoral fellows interested in joining the Owl Monkey Project, a multidisciplinary research program with an emphasis on understanding the evolution of monogamy and alloparental care. Over the years we have examined those central research questions with a multitude of approaches and data on genetics, endocrinology, demography, behavior, chronobiology and energetics taking advantage of a long-term study of wild owl monkeys in the Argentinean Chaco.
We are now looking for fellows who may be interested in developing a proposal for new lines of research or expanding existing ones that could be submitted for the Postdoctoral Fellowships for Academic Diversity recently announced by the University of Pennsylvania (see information below). The submission of the proposal needs to be done directly and independently by the applicant, but anyone interested in developing a proposal that would further develop our project can contact Dr. Eduardo Fernandez-Duque (eduardof@sas.upenn.edu) for further information

2) We are looking for postdoctoral fellows interested in a collaborative research project that combines anthropology, cellular/molecular biology, and circadian/sleep medicine to study a wide range of sleep-wakefulness phenotypes. This research will leverage cellular and animal models. Our long-term goal is to explore the architecture and genetics of diurnal and nocturnal sleep. We will use a primate model with unusual patterns of activity: the owl monkey (genus Aotus). Although diurnality is a signature feature among most primates, different species of the genus Aotus show full nocturnality or a mixture of diurnality and nocturnality (like humans). The project will initially take advantage of a long-term study of wild owl monkeys in the Argentinean Chaco, as well as captive populations in the US. During the first phase of the project, the applicant will have access to infrastructure and logistic support for field work in Argentina through Fernandez-Duque’s research and for cellular and molecular studies through Hogenesch’s lab. The applicant will also have access to resources and opportunities offered by the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology . Subsequently the research team will seek additional extramural funding.

Postdoctoral Fellowships for Academic Diversity at the University of Pennsylvania
Application deadline: August 1, 2011
http://www.upenn.edu/research/research_site/postdoc_diversity.html

Program Description:
The University of Pennsylvania (PENN) is dedicated to worldwide academic excellence and is enriched by individuals, who, through their different races and ethnicities, nationalities, gender identities, abilities, economic status, and sexual orientation, contribute to an intellectually challenging and inclusive educational setting. The Academic Diversity Fellowship Program seeks to attract promising scholars and educators from different backgrounds, races, ethnic groups, and other diverse groups whose life experience, research experience and employment background will contribute significantly to our academic excellence.

Eligibility:
The fellowships are available for postdoctoral training in all areas of study at the University and seek to attract graduate students from PENN and other institutions who have completed, or will complete their requirements for Ph.D. by their start date. In addition postdoctoral scholars from other institutions who have completed their dissertation within the last three years are eligible. Persons with professional degrees (such as M.D., D.M.D., V.M.D., J.D.) who are within a year of completing their post-degree professional training from Penn and other institutions will also be considered. Postoctoral research fellows who are already at Penn are not eligible. Candidates must be US citizens or permanent residents. Postdocs, residents and fellows who currently have a position at Penn are ineligible for this program.

Awards:
The three year fellowships will begin as early as January 2, 2012.

Stipends and Allowances:
Fellows receive a stipend of $43,000 in year 1 with $2,000 increments in years 2 and 3, as well as annual allowances for travel ($2,000) and research ($5,000), and one-time relocation expenses of $5,000. The University also provides a medical, vision, dental and life insurance benefits package. Successful candidates will receive highly mentored scholarly and research training as well as courses and workshops to enhance their research success skills and prepare them for a faculty position in a major university.

Selection Process:
A committee appointed by the Senior Vice Provost for Research will review and select the candidates for the Postdoctoral Fellowships for Academic Diversity.

Application Procedure:
Required application materials include:
(1) A completed fellowship application form,
(2) A curriculum vitae including current and pending publications
(3) A personal statement, no longer than three pages, which addresses the following:
• reviews your previous research accomplishments
• outlines your future research goals and proposed research
• describes your commitment to pursuing an academic career
• includes academic, employment or other life experiences that would bring new perspectives to the University community and your chosen field
4) Three letters of reference from people acquainted with the applicant’s work. One reference letter should be from the applicant's thesis advisor or faculty mentor. Reference letters must be submitted electronically on letterhead stationary. Email subject line should be applicant's name followed by the words reference letter, e.g. Jane Smith_ Reference letter.

All materials must be submitted electronically by August 1, 2011.
Incomplete submissions will not be reviewed.
If you have any questions please contact Josie Rook, Executive Director, Office of the Vice Provost for Research at pdfellow@exchange.upenn.edu

Dr. Mike Jarcho, professionally awesome.

2011-06-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

Dr. Mike Jarcho recently graduated from the Psychology Department of the University of California, Davis (filing in July). His advisors were Dr. Karen Bales and Dr. Sally Mendoza, and the title of one his dissertation publications is SOCIAL CONDITION AND EXPERIENCE PREDICT ADRENOCORTICAL ACTIVITY IN A MONOGAMOUS NON-HUMAN PRIMATE. His next step is a postdoc at UCLA working with Drs. Steve Cole and Naomi Eisenberger at the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology.

Mike and I worked together in 2005 at the Southwest National Research Center in San Antonio and bonded over marmosets and the NBA finals (Go Spurs Go!). He's an excellent scholar and a fine, fine dancer. Come to ASP 2012 in Austin to find out for yourself. Congratulations, Dr. Jarcho!

Andrea Holmes - awesome person - just finished her MA!

2011-06-20T07:33:00.001-07:00

Andrea Holmes just completed the masters program in anthropology at Northern Illinois University.

In her words:
"My thesis is entitled "Prey Item Handling by Captive Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)" and my advisor was Dr. Leila Porter. I'm currently preparing a manuscript of my study for publication--the specific journal has yet to be decided. In the fall, I'll be attending Purdue University and working with Dr. Melissa Remis on regurgitation/reingestion in captive gorillas."

Congratulations Andrea on successfully completing your masters degree and pursuing your doctorate in biological anthropology. Best of luck on your journey!

Shiny and new Dr. Laurie Kauffman is awesome!

2011-06-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

It is a great pleasure to announce that Laurie Kauffman has successfully defended her dissertation and now joins the ranks of new biological anthropology PhDs. A student of Sue Boinski at the University of Floriday, the title of Dr. Kauffman's dissertation is "Primate response to tourist presence at Raleighvallen, Central Suriname Nature Reserve"

In her own words:
"I presented portions of my dissertation research at AAA in New Orleans, and at AAPA in Minneapolis. In August I'll be starting a tenure-track job as Assistant Professor of Biology at Oklahoma City University. I am looking forward to working on research projects with undergraduates at OCU, likely in Costa Rica and also in local zoos. I'll also be teaching Human Anatomy and Physiology, Zoology, and Primate Behavior. And I am looking forward to the Oklahoma State Fair and its many fried food on a stick offerings!"

New PhD Elizabeth Rowe is awesome!

2011-06-10T15:35:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Dr. Elizabeth Rowe, a newly minted PhD in anthropology from Temple University. Her dissertation advisor is Dr. Christie Rockwell.

In Elizabeth's own words:
"My thesis title was "The impact of variation in the progesterone receptor gene, life history and lifestyle on endometrial function and the menstrual cycle". I'm putting together a talk on it for the upcoming AAPA (or HBA) meetings in 2012, so look for my abstract! I just accepted a non-tenure track position teaching biology at Georgia Southern University."

Her work sounds fantastic - I am truly looking forward to seeing her presentation at the meetings. Also happy to hear about employment! Hurray!

Natalia Reagan, recent grad, is awesome!

2011-06-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to recent MA grad Natalia Reagan. She graduated with honors from California State University Northridge with an MA in anthropology.

In Natalia's words:
"My focus was primate conservation and I conducted a survey of the Azuero spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi azuerensis), a critically endangered subspecies endemic to the Azuero peninsula in Panama. The survey was part of my thesis field work (my advisor was Dr. Christina Campbell). The title of my thesis is "The Effects of Forest Fragmentation on the Distribution of the Azuero Spider Monkey". This July I am returning to Panama to conduct some follow-up data collection and to work with the local population to curb deforestation in the region. I will present the findings of my survey at the ASP meeting this September (Dr. Christina Campbell and Mr. Daniel Essiambre are co-authors).

Concurrently, I have been writing and shooting various television shows that focus on the similarities between humans and nonhuman primates using comedy to both educate and entertain audiences (Here's a link to one of the videos). The goal is to reach a wide demographic and encourage primate conservation while perhaps inspiring future primatologists and anthropologists to keep pursing their academic dream. Here's my personal website: www.nataliareagan.com and email: natalia13reagan@gmail.com

Congratulations to Natalia on her achievements and her commitment to education, conservation, and the importance of a sense of humor!

New grads on BANDIT?

2011-06-02T19:01:00.001-07:00

During this celebratory graduation season, I want to highlight recent bioanthropology MA or PhD grads or recently defended ABDs. Send your info or that of someone you know who should get a BANDIT shout-out to ruther4d@uic.edu and I will compose a personalized post! Tell me your name, university, degree, thesis title, any links to pubs or websites, and future plans: teaching/research gig, postdoc, field work, what-have-you...you guys are special!

American Anthropologist: 2010 in Review (aka Libby Cowgill is awesome!)

2011-05-31T13:24:00.000-07:00

American Anthropologist produces an annual Year in Review issue, with essays contributed by representatives of multiple subdisciplines. The 2010 review of biological anthropology was written by Libby Cowgill of the University of Missouri, and she has put forth a stellar contribution:

One Year in Biological Anthropology: Species, Integration, and Boundaries in 2010
ABSTRACT The year 2010 in biological anthropology has been marked by continuing questions regarding temporal and geographical species boundaries and by queries into what it means to be human. The lines of evidence we use to reconstruct our biosocial past often exist in a state of dynamic tension; however, opportunities for integration do occur, and these collaborative endeavors were notable in 2010. Here I focus on boundaries and integration in four separate areas. First, I discuss recent genetic advances in our understanding of human evolution. Second, I review a virtual issue of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology that emphasized bioarchaeology in Asia. Third, I highlight several articles in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that focus on speciation, human genetics, and the evolution of unique human characteristics. Last, I address the recent controversy over the language used in the American Anthropological Association's Long-Range Plan.

It is wonderful to see our discipline so ably represented by a rising scholar in the field. Speaking from experience, these AA reviews are a challenge to compose and Dr. Cowgill has done an outstanding job. Libby, you are truly awesome!

I hope the BANDIT community will check out the other annual reviews:
Archaeology, Elizabeth Arkush
Explaining the Past in 2010

Linguistic Anthropology, Leila Monaghan
The Expanding Boundaries of Linguistic Anthropology: 2010 in Perspective

Practicing Anthropology, Paul R. Mullins
Practicing Anthropology and the Politics of Engagement: 2010 Year in Review

Sociocultural Anthropology, Jennifer A Hamilton and Aimee J. Placas
Anthropology Becoming … ? The 2010 Sociocultural Anthropology Year in Review

Breast-feeding disparities sharp in Chicago-area hospitals

2011-05-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

Breast-feeding disparities sharp in Chicago-area hospitals

Report: Breastfeeding in Illinois hinges partly on race, income

2011-05-05T14:53:00.000-07:00

Part of an excellent series of reports on breastfeeding disparities in Chicago!

Report: Breastfeeding in Illinois hinges partly on race, income

Almost half of African-American mothers in Illinois never breastfeed their newborns, according to a report by state and university researchers and a nonprofit group called HealthConnect One.

Among new black mothers in 2008, about 45 percent did not start breastfeeding their infants, according to the report, “Illinois Breastfeeding Blueprint: A Plan for Change.” That figure compares to 21 percent for whites, 14 percent for Latinas and three percent for Asian-Americans.

The report also shows income disparities. The rate of low-income white mothers in the state who never started breastfeeding babies born in 2008 was 36 percent.

“Hospitals should be doing more to encourage breastfeeding,” said University of Illinois at Chicago epidemiologist Deborah Rosenberg, who analyzed data for the report.

Employment Roundtable at AAPA 2011

2011-05-05T11:55:00.000-07:00

BIG MAJOR HUGE props to my friend Teague O'Mara who attended the Primate Interest Group meeting at AAPA and graciously wrote this guest post. The PIG meeting focused on how best to prepare for and stand out in the current job market, a topic near and dear to the BANDIT blog. Thanks Teague!!

***************************************************************

Employment Roundtable -- The 2011 Primate Interest Group discussion

The job market is tough, and with the still-soft economy and cuts across the US to academic departments, finding a job is on the mind of more and more of us. Hence the topic for this year's Primate Behavior Interest Group's discussion. This was also the topic of a lunchtime discussion at the 2010 ASP meeting, organized by Katie Hinde (link to her summaries are below).

There was a great panel organized by AAPA-PIG jefe Gary Aronsen as well as some key discussion from the room that represented a cross section of tenured faculty (old and new) from both research universities and teaching-oriented colleges, post-docs, the freeway flier teaching adjunct, administrators, and zoo professionals. Paul Garber, Agustin Fuentes, Erin Vogel, Jason Kamilar, Gary Aronsen, Laurie Kauffman, and Jessica Westin were the panel with some great additional discussion from Suzette Tardiff, Russ Tuttle, Karen Strier, Christina Campbell and Tara Harris.

Academic, tenure-track position:
The main point from the panel really was about persistence and tenacity. For those of us interested in academic careers the point was made that the position of a tenured faculty member is the most sought-after, wonderful, and honored position you can have. The consensus is that it's pretty great and at least according to the panel, worth the wait. But it often takes a long time to get a job, and being persistent can really pay off. There were a couple of suggestions to help tailor your application to the university to which you're applying as well as how to work the on-campus interview.

Two of the biggest points about academic job search were:

Curriculum Vitae -- Line item everything and avoid narration. Be concise and ruthlessly edit for extraneous information, typos and anything that distracts from your application. This is super important and many people fail to proof their CVs adequately or keep them from wandering. This can open or close the door to the first cut.

Letters
Your letters of recommendation need to be great. Not good, but great. Choose your writers appropriately and give them all of the information that they will need to create the best letter possible for you. This means a current copy of your CV, the job announcement and description, and as much of your application (research, teaching statements, etc) as you have prepared. You also need to leave your letter writers plenty of time to do this. Giving some direction to your writers can help too. Is there something great that you have done that you don't feel comfortable putting in your application directly? Your letter writers can address this and help create a more rounded image of what you are like as a scholar and colleague.

Customize, customize, customize. Really focus your application for how you fit into the department and the university. If you are lucky enough to land an interview, be prepared to ask each faculty member at least one question about their research. They essentially are looking for a new member that could be there for the rest of their academic careers, so they want someone who both fits and will make it through the tenure process. It does them little good to find someone who either won't make tenure or will leave immediately since they will have to run another search.

Post-doctoral research work:
The current and former post-docs on the panel really made it clear that most of these jobs aren't advertised -- you have to find them, making those networking skills you perfect at conferences even more important. Don't be shy. Get to know the other researcher in your area of interest.

For all of these positions
One of the things that I was most impressed with and hadn't really considered was the response to an audience question. Is it better to take a poorly paid teaching position in a city where your partner/family doesn't live, or take another, slightly better paying but decidely non-academic job near your partner as to have an income and a family all in one place at the same time while you search for your job?

The answer. Teach. Do something. There should be zero gaps in your CV. Minimally, wherever you are you should seek out an affiliation with a university or zoo or research institute to maintain consistency in the academic career. Affiliations cost departments nothing, and continuing to have an academic address is a big plus when sending out applications. Try to have it all and keep an active affiliation while working on that job that pays the bills until you land the position you want.

Other options:
Other options to teaching careers were also brought up. Administration within a laboratory or research setting allows you to continue to collaborate on research, innovate new ideas, and contribute to a research program. While that research program may not always be your own, it does allow you to stay active in research and hopefully continue to do what you enjoy. Zoos are another great option, and the skill set that primatologists develop typically contributes well to zoo research and outreach. You may not end up working with primates, but the skills that primatologists transfer well to positions in zoos and other captive environments.

This brings up another point about the skills that primatologists have and don't have. Often we work internationally and have extensive skills in inter-cultural relations, languages, and navigating the intricacies of foreign research. Not to say that other disciplines don't often bring these skills together -- they do. These are great skills that can be translated into field schools and international exposure for both undergraduate and graduate students. Highlighting experiences and transdisciplinary collaborations are always a plus.

We were also reminded to consider the biomedical implications for the types of research that we do. While it may not be the primary focus, questions can be framed that can directly impact human health. These research questions often come with more generous funding options as well as potential post-doc and faculty collaborations with biomedically-focused labs. Recently the NIH put out new calls for programs that primatology and anthropologically focused research fits nicely into. It's always worth considering. Some BANDIT Tips on NIH proposals and recent calls are found Here, Here, and Here. Deadlines may have passed or changed, but it's worth a look through the NIH programs to see if your research fits.

A final note. If you are a primatologist or primate behavior/biology/conservation oriented person and at the AAPA annual meeting then please come to the Primate Interest Group discussions. It's a great place to meet everyone and keeps getting bigger each year.

Here are some useful BANDIT links on the job search that include some gems from the Chronicle for Higher Education:

How to Get An Academic Job: Tips from Katie Hinde and the 2010 ASP workshop

Vintage AAPA Job advice

Keeping Track of the Job Search

The Elevator Talk

Expectations, Meet Reality

Got a Job Interview? Don't Screw It Up!

The Teaching Philosophy

Tailoring To A Small College

Waiting Is The Hardest Part

The Pot of Gold

And Rejection:
The Thin Envelope

You've been rejected: What Now?

Other useful links:
Physical Anthropology Job Wiki

Biology Job Wiki

Job Postings on the AAPA website

Get Anthropology Jobs (@GetAnthropoJobs) on Twitter

The Chicago Guide to Landing a Job in Academic Biology

AAPA Student Prize Winners!

2011-05-04T07:07:00.001-07:00

The winners of the AAPA 2011 Student Prizes have been announced. Congratulations to the many talented biological anthropology graduate students who impressed the judges with their excellent writing and presentations! The future of the discipline is in good hands.

Juan Comas prize: Richard Bender, University of Colorado, Boulder. Stable isotopes (13C and 15N) track socioeconomic differences among urban Colombian women.

Earnest Albert Hooton prize: Vanessa Hale, Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine. Evaluation of methods for preserving fecal microbial DNA from the spider monkey.

Mildred Trotter prize: Amber Heard-Booth, University of Texas at Austin. Eye size and locomotion: A test of Leuckart's Law in mammals.

Ales Hrdlicka Prize: Cara Ocobock, Washington University in St. Louis. Daily energy expenditure in highly active humans in a natural temperate environment.

Sherwood Washburn Prize: M. Teague O'Mara, Arizona State University School of Human Evolution & Social Change. The ontogeny of feeding ecology in ring-tailed lemurs.

Pollitzer Prizes. These are awards of $500 in honor of Dr. William S. Pollitzer. They are designed to help students defray the costs of attending the AAPA meetings.

Essay topic:
In the age of personalized genomics, genetic ancestry testing, and medical genetic testing, do disciplines such as osteology, paleontology, primatology, human adaptation, etc., have relevance anymore for understanding modern human evolution and biology?

Pollitzer Prize Winners:

Andrea Baden

Claire Barrett

Michael Berthaume

Nicole Burt

John Crandall

Ileana Diaz

Heather Garvin

Jan F. Gogarten

Lesley Gregoricka

Nanda Grow

Lauren Halenar

Nicholas Holowka

Zachariah R. Hubbell

Gail Hughes-Morey

Heather Jarrell

Sam Kemmis

Alexandra Klales

Alicia Krzton

Sarah Lacy

Denise K. Liberton

Sara Kane Lynch

Charla Marshall

Jaime Mata-Miguez

Monica McDonald

Stephanie Meredith

Emily Middleton

Thierra K. Nalley

Emma Nelson

Teague O’Mara

Daniel Parker

Chris Percival

Laurie Reitsema

Joshua Robinson

Elizabeth Rowing

Aaron Sams

John M. Starbuck

Robert Stark

Natalie Uhl

Vivek Vasi Venkataraman

Fernando Villanea

Darice Westphal

Victoria Wobber

Cornell postdoc in Maternal and Child Nutrition

2011-04-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

The Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University seeks to fill an NIH-funded Postdoctoral Fellowship in Maternal and Child Nutrition. The successful applicant will have a PhD, MD or equivalent degree and a record of accomplishment in a related science (nutritional, biological, chemical or social), public health, epidemiology or medicine, and will be committed to a career of research in Maternal and Child Nutrition.

BANDIT on hiatus

2011-04-04T05:57:00.000-07:00

To all my readers,

I am so grateful for your steady support of the BANDIT blog and its mission over the last year. I am going to take a little break from blogging for the next few weeks due to the birth of my daughter Adelaide on March 31st. I hope you all enjoy the upcoming AAPA meeting. Please don't forget to attend the BANDIT Early Career Happy Hour on Saturday, April 16th. I'll be there in spirit, and will lift a glass in the direction of Minneapolis!

All the best to all of you,
Julienne

Student prizes for genetics presentations at AAPA

2011-03-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

The president of the American Association of Anthropological Genetics, Dr. Lorena Havill, announces the 2011 Outstanding Student Presentation Awards for best presentation on genetics research:

APPLICATION IS EASY!!! DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, April 8, 2011.

Each award involves a $200 cash prize and a one year subscription to the journal, Human Biology. Students can apply directly OR be nominated by a AAAG member.
To apply for the award, please e-mail me at LHAVILL@sfbrgenetics.org with:
a) your name
b) your institutional affiliation
c) the title of the student's presentation
d) the abstract
e) the day, time, and meeting (HBA or AAPA) of the presentation (either poster or podium)

To be eligible, the student*** must be the first author, and must deliver the presentation (poster or podium) at the HBA or AAPA meeting.

AAAG basic membership rates (payable at http://www.anthgen.org/aaag_membership.html:

Full member without journal subscription $20
Student member without journal subscription $10

*** Either the student OR the nominating AAAG member must be a member in good standing (dues paid) by the April 8 submission deadline in order to be considered for the awards.***

Opportunity for future PhD student

2011-03-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

This fantastic opportunity just in from Pablo Nepomnaschy. I'm thinking maybe I need to get another PhD....

We are seeking to recruit a graduate student interested in pursuing a PhD on the early development of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (“stress”) axis.

Project description: The stress axis plays a critical role in determining an individual’s ability to cope with challenges throughout the lifetime. However, the extent to which stress axis function is ‘calibrated’ by prenatal stress at different gestational stages is unclear. This project involves the use of a unique longitudinal data set to explore the impact of stress experienced during the first six weeks of gestation on post-natal stress response in later life.

Qualifications: We are seeking an individual with:

• Excellent academic record
• Background in evolutionary biology, physiology, genetics and/or epigenetics
• An evident commitment and passion for science

Start : ideally, September 2011

We offer: annual stipend, research funds, training at the interface of evolutionary biology with physiology, development, genetics and epigenetics, innovative intellectual environment

Institution and location: Human Evolutionary Studies Program, Faculty of Health Sciences and Dept. of Biology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.

PIs: Dr. Pablo A. Nepomnaschy and Dr. Bernard Crespi

Required materials: Please send a letter of intent and a CV to Dr. Katrina Salvante at kgsalvan@sfu.ca

Genetic Past and Genomic Future: lecture series at UNCG

2011-03-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Dr. Carlina DeLaCova of the University of North Carolina Greensboro for letting me know about the exciting 2010-2011 Harriet Elliott Lecture Series taking place this week at UNCG. John Hawks will be delivering the keynote address.

Dear Colleagues and Community,

As hosts of the 2010-2011 Harriet Elliott Lecture Series, the Department of Anthropology at UNCG is pleased to announce the upcoming keynote address and panel discussion on the theme, “Our Genetic Past and Genomic Future: Connecting the Science of Human Origins to Contemporary Life.” This year’s events will be held on Wednesday, March 23, 2011.

In preparation for the event, we would like to invite you to visit the event’s blog: http://harrietelliottuncg.wordpress.com/. The blog will provide an opportunity to engage with the events’ themes, generate questions to be posed to our panelists and keynote speaker, and archive interesting news pieces related to the theme.

Please find below our participant’s bios and a summary of the day’s events. For more information, visit: http://www.uncg.edu/aas/lectureseries/

Panel Discussion (3-5 pm in the EUC Auditorium)
The panel will focus on the intersection between the scientific study of human origins, evolution, and variability and its everyday applications--that is, how it affects people’s lives in terms of biomedical practice, conceptions of difference and risk, and social identity. Moderated by Dr. Cheryl Logan (UNCG History and Psychology), the panel will bring together three distinguished scholars:

Lee Baker (Duke University) - Dean of Academic Affairs, Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, and Professor of Cultural Anthropology and African and African American Studies. Dr. Baker is the author of From Savage to Negro: Anthropology and the Construction of Race, 1896-1954 (University of California Press, 1998), Anthropology and the Racial Politics of Culture (Duke University Press, 2010), and editor of Life In America: Identity and Everyday Experience (Blackwell Publishing, 2003).

Alondra Nelson (Columbia University) - Associate Professor of Sociology. Dr. Nelson holds an appointment at Columbia’s Institute for Research on Women and Gender and is the author of Body and Soul: The Black Panther Party's Politics of Health and Race (University of Minnesota Press, 2011) and co-editor of Genetics and the Unsettled Past: The Collision of Race, DNA and History (Rutgers University Press, 2011).

Fatimah Jackson (UNC Chapel Hill) Professor of Biological Anthropology and Director of the Institute of African-American Research. Dr. Jackson’s research has focused human metabolic and genomic effects of exposure to plant allelochemicals, genomic models of biological diversity in contemporary and historic African peoples, and bioanthropological perspectives on human disease (especially infectious diseases). In 2000, she cofounded the first human DNA bank on the African continent.

Harriet Elliott Keynote Address (7-9 pm in the Meade Auditorium, 101 Sullivan)
“Neandertime: Deciphering the Secrets of Ancient Genomes”
Following the panel discussion, the invited talk will address current debates within the field of anthropology around the topic of human genetic evolution.

John Hawks (University of Wisconsin Madison) - Associate Professor of Anthropology. He is well known within the field of biological anthropology for his public engagement with current topics of research, including his own blog (http://johnhawks.net/weblog).

Please note that in between the panel discussion and featured talk there will be a reception held from 5-6:30 pm in the Kirkland Room of the EUC.

For a map of UNCG’s campus, which includes the parking garages for both events, please see: http://www.uncg.edu/online_map/.

We look forward to the exciting debates this year’s lecture series will foster and hope that you will join us in the on-going discussions. Finally, we are attaching a PDF of the poster announcing the events.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Carlina de la Cova

Assistant Professor
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Anthropology Department

Postdoc in anthro/demography/evo biology

2011-03-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

Just got word about a great postdoc opportunity at Durham University (UK):

This position will form the first part of a team working on 'Family matters: Intergenerational influences on fertility', an interdisciplinary research project funded by a European Research Council Starting Grant to Dr Rebecca Sear, combining evolutionary biology, anthropology and demography.

The appointment will begin this project by using existing large-scale demographic surveys to investigate the impact of kin on fertility outcomes in the developing world. The object of this post is to undertake statistical analysis of these large-scale datasets to determine correlations between kin availability and fertility outcomes at the individual level; and at the population level to determine whether kin influence varies systematically between populations according to factors such as economic development, marriage and residence patterns, and levels of mortality or fertility. The post holder will work closely with two additional team members who will be appointed over the year subsequent to this appointment.

The post would suit candidates interested in interdisciplinary work, who are trained in evolutionary biology, evolutionary anthropology, or in a quantitative social science.

AAA Ethics Task Force Blog

2011-03-22T06:47:00.000-07:00

The AAA has been working hard over the last several years to update its ethics position. In an exciting move toward transparency, the AAA membership is being asked to give feedback on the process thus far. I am passing along a message from Katie MacKinnon:

The AAA’s Task Force for Comprehensive Ethics Review is in the process of reviewing and revising our code of ethics, and we are soliciting the help of the members in this process.

Thus far, five principles have been posted to the Ethics Task Force blog.

I would like to ask that you please circulate this info with your blog readership (and/or other anthropology colleagues who might be interested), and suggest that folks send any comments/thoughts back to the task force, preferably as entries on the blog. We would like a wide readership to generate a useful discussion on these topics, and we will re-send the entire list when all principles have been posted.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Best,

Katie MacKinnon
Member, Task Force for Comprehensive Ethics Review

Posted principles (from the blog):
•Informed consent is a dynamic, continuous and reflective process
•Balance the responsibility to disseminate with its potential consequence
•Be open and honest regarding your work. Make your results accessible
•Balance competing ethical obligations due collaborators and affected parties
•Do no harm

Northwestern Summer Biomarker Institute

2011-03-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

New to biomarker research? Need a refresher? Northwestern University offers an accessible three day workshop on incorporating biomarker research into survey research. This is largely introductory with an emphasis on biocultural applications to human survey and population studies, so those researchers with little to no experience in biomarkers or lab science more generally will benefit the most.

C2S Summer Biomarker Institute
June 6-8, 2011

Application Deadline: April 1, 2011

Cells to Society (C2S): The Center on Social Disparities and Health invites applications for the 6th annual three-day summer institute on the Evanston campus of Northwestern University, June 6-8, 2011.

About the Institute

Interest in incorporating biomarkers into survey research is currently high, but disciplinary training is such that few investigators possess the necessary dual expertise in the social and biomedical sciences.

The institute is designed to provide a hands-on introduction to state-of-the-art methods for integrating biomarkers into population-based, social science research, covering technical as well as conceptual issues associated with biological measurement in naturalistic settings.

Thomas McDade (Anthropology), Emma Adam (Human Development and Social Policy), and Christopher Kuzawa (Anthropology) direct the workshop. Presentations by additional researchers with extensive biomarker experience will also be featured.

By the end of the institute, participants should have the tools necessary to make informed decisions about the appropriateness of specific biomarkers for their research agenda, to communicate effectively with potential collaborators about biomarker issues, and to engage in innovative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries.

Course Content

The institute will walk participants through the entire process of data acquisition, from the collection of samples to the generation of results in the lab.

Material will be covered in seminar and laboratory settings through a combination of presentations, discussion, and hands-on exercises.

Specific topics will include:
Biology/environment interplay: Theoretical perspectives
Rationale for biomarkers
Procedures for sample collection, transport, and storage
Options for the analysis of saliva and capillary whole blood
Laboratory analysis of biological samples
Anthropometry
Analytic models for incorporating biomarkers
Current applications
IRB and ethical considerations
Strategies for effective collaboration
Applying

Participation is limited, with preference given to individuals who have received their PhD or MD since 2006. Participants from groups historically underrepresented in population health research are especially encouraged to apply.

Following confirmation of participation, a $400 registration fee will be required by June 1. It will cover all materials, coffee breaks, and lunches during the institute, plus one group dinner. Participants are responsible for covering their travel and lodging expenses.

Applications to the institute should be submitted electronically. To apply, send the following:
1) Curriculum vitae (including contact information)
2) A brief statement (two pages or less) discussing your research interests and how participation in the summer biomarker institute will advance those interests.

E-mail all materials as attachments to:
Patricia Lasley, Administrator: p-lasley@northwestern.edu

Application deadline: April 1, 2011. All applicants will be notified by April 15.

Questions?

Visit our website for more information at http://www.northwestern.edu/ipr/c2s/ or e-mail us at c2s@northwestern.edu

Fieldwork opportunity!

2011-03-14T11:31:00.001-07:00

Dr. Martin Kowalewski is advertising for a motivated and qualified field assistant to work in Argentina on the following project: "Reproductive strategies in female black and gold howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) in northeastern Argentina"

This is an exciting and generous opportunity. Not only will travel, food, and accommodations be covered, but the field assistant will also "have the opportunity of conducting an undergraduate or master thesis associated with the project if they fit our research centre´s expectations."

2nd Annual BANDIT Happy Hour!

2011-03-11T08:53:00.001-08:00

You are invited to attend the 2nd Annual BANDIT Happy Hour! Organized by yours truly and Dr. Robin Nelson, the Happy Hour will be on Saturday at 5pm in the Rochester Room. There will be a cash bar set up in the room to add some extra happiness, and the event will segue into the Student Prize Reception in the same room at 6pm. Earlier in the day be sure to attend the Career Development Committee's lunchtime workshop on grantwriting (noon-2pm, Director's Row 2). Learn from such heavy hitters as Leslie Aiello of Wenner-Gren and Kaye Reed of NSF.

BANDIT sessions at AAPA 2011

2011-03-11T07:44:00.000-08:00

Presumably, you will be spending some time checking out the program at AAPA/HBA/Paleoanth/Paleopath/etc. (Maybe not, I don't know your life.) I encourage the BANDITs to let me know about your sessions, especially if it's a session you organized or were invited to participate in. Let's support each other! I will continue to update and repost this list as I hear from more of you! (Note: I go on maternity leave soon so get in touch ASAP if you want me to highlight your session on the blog!)

TUESDAY, April 12 (Paleanthropology Society)
Lewton KL. Iliac and ischiopubic modularity: implications for the evolution of the hominin pelvis. (poster)

THURSDAY, April 14
Human Biology Association
Reproductive Functioning and Trade-offs, podium session, Marquette V/VI
LT GETTLER, SS AGUSTIN, TW MCDADE, CW KUZAWA.
10:15 Longitudinal changes in testosterone among men transitioning to fatherhood in the Philippines. (podium)
ZM THAYER, CW KUZAWA.
10:30 Diurnal cortisol profiles in pregnancy: Does the pattern of cortisol secretion vary across populations or by birth weight? (podium)

Session and location unknown (does anyone have access to the HBA program? I can't find it online)
PE MELTON
1:45 Genome wide association and pathway analysis of segment-specific carotid intima-media thickness phenotypes: The San Antonio Family Heart Study

AAPA
Advances in Chemical Bioarchaeology. Session 16, Poster symposium with roundtable discussion, poster viewing 1-5 pm, Duluth Room. Co-organized by Kara Hoover and Carrin Halffman; Stan Ambrose, discussant. The roundtable is tentatively slated for Thursday from 3:30-4:30. There will be a flyer with the details at registration and a poster outside the room with details as well.

FRIDAY, April 15
Eating for Two: Maternal Ecology and Nutrition in Human and Non-Human Primates
Invited podium symposium, 2-5:45, Marquette V/VI. Co-organized by Julienne Rutherford and Kathryn Clancy.
Discussants: Pablo Nepomnaschy and Leslie Aiello (This is a BANDIT heavy symposium - check the program for specific talks and times)

SATURDAY, April 16
American Association of Anthropological Genetics:
Ethical Currents in Anthropological Genetics
Podium symposium, 8-noon, Salon C

Ears, Eyes, and Noses: Revisiting the Evolution and Ecology of the Primate Special Senses
Invited poster symposium, 8am-12pm, Duluth Room.
Danielle Whittaker. Chemical communication without a vomeronasal organ: parallel evolution in primates and birds? (poster)

Primate Diet, Health, Ecology and Conservation
Poster session, 10-3pm, Salon D. Recent PhD Laurie Kauffman is on two posters: poster 109: Creating sustainable primate-based based tourism: a view from the Central Suriname Nature Reserve and poster 118: Tourism in Suriname: do monkeys view tourists as predators or conspecifics? (co-authored with Jessica Westin)

Muddles in the Middle: Current Perspectives on Middle Pleistocene Human Evolution
Podium symposium, 1-5 pm, Salon A. Co-organized by Steve Wang and Sarah Freidline

Things to check out in Minneapolis

2011-03-11T07:06:00.001-08:00

Well, the time is drawing near for AAPA 2011: Minneapolis! For those who have never been, Minneapolis is a very cool city. I personally recommend the following:

112 Eatery: the menu speaks for itself. The food is wonderful and the atmosphere is wood-paneled clubbiness to a T.

Hell's Kitchen: The Goth decor is forced and over-the-top, like a bad New Orleans transplant (which really makes no sense in Minneapolis), but the breakfast is to die for. Lots of local and organic fare, including some crazy good Ojibway rice porridge. Get a toast basket so you can try the homemade peanut butter. Trust me, it is delicious!

Walker Art Center: This is a truly impressive modern art museum, with a lovely sculpture garden nearby. I was really taken by surprise when I visited the Walker Art Center - the collections and curation are excellent.

Hotel Minneapolis: Swanky boutique hotel. While this place may be out of the price range for an overnight stay, the recent mod remodel of a swanky Deco building is worth a visit, and the bar is fantastic (the food - meh). Especially impressive is the all-marble elevator lobby.

The Westin Minneapolis: Another architectural gem, the Westin is situated in the masterfully remodeled historic Farmers and Mechanics Bank, built in 1941 and a shining example of WPA craftsmanship. The facade with its Deco stone carvings and the lobby - which still looks like a bank - are phenomenal.

Enjoy!

One-year position at Northeastern Illinois University

2011-03-11T06:58:00.000-08:00

One Year BioAnthropology Teaching Position, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago.

The Northeastern Illinois University Department of Anthropology seeks a Biological Anthropologist for a one-year full time (7 courses) teaching position to begin August 2011. We are interested in highly qualified and enthusiastic candidates with expertise in human biological variation or paleoanthropology. ABD or Ph.D. in anthropology is required; teaching experience preferred. This is an excellent opportunity to gain additional classroom and course development experience in a collegial environment with a motivated, highly diverse and historically underrepresented student population.

The successful candidate will teach 2-3 sections of our introductory biological anthropology course each semester and our ANTH 356 Human Variation course in fall. Several course options exist for spring, including Human Growth and Development or Paleoanthropology. We will also consider proposals for new courses (except in primatology or osteology) in the candidate’s area of expertise.

Northeastern Illinois University is a comprehensive state university of nearly 12,000 commuter students located on a 67-acre campus in a residential area on the northwest side of Chicago. In addition to quality academic programming consistent with the University’s mission of excellence and access, the University is known for global education opportunities for students. NEIU is nationally recognized as having the most ethnically diverse student body in the Midwest, and is a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution. The 3-field Department of Anthropology is among the most active on campus and has an extensive contemporary and fossil cast and bone collection. Class sizes are limited to 20-40 students. Our website is: http://www.neiu.edu/~anthro/. We hope to be granted a tenure-line replacement position in the same area and begin a search in fall. NEIU is an EO/AA employer and welcomes applications from women, minorities, persons with disabilities, as well as other qualified applicants.

Please include the following in your application:
1) letter of interest describing relevant experience;
2) current vita including contact information for 3 references;
3) syllabi developed by the candidate if available;
4) past teaching evaluations, if available.

Application materials should be emailed to: lcdavis@neiu.edu or sent to: Lesa C. Davis, Associate Professor and Coordinator, Department of Anthropology, Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 N. St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625-4699.

Deadline: 4 April 2011.

Summer primate field course in Ometepe, Nicaragua

2011-03-11T06:43:00.000-08:00

Wonderful field course offered by the Maderas Rainforest Conservancy at Ometepe, Nicaragua:

Primate Behavior & Ecology with Dr. Katherine C. MacKinnon:
This field course is designed to give students an in-depth learning experience about primate behavior and ecology in a natural tropical setting. You will learn data collection techniques and socio-ecological theory, and will design and conduct your own independent research project. The course is equivalent to an upper-level university class in primatology, but with a greater emphasis on research design, field techniques, and data collection. There will be classroom lectures, presentations based on readings and projects, informal discussions out in the field, a series of group exercises in the forest, and an individual research project based on methodology and theory learned during the group projects, various readings and classroom lectures. Expect to be intellectually and physically challenged, but above all to have fun and an amazing summer in the rain forest!

Personal plug: I took this course as a graduate student and then came back years later as a TA. It is a wonderful site. Gorgeous setting, and unparalleled visual access to the howler monkeys. You or your students will enjoy this experience at this established and well-respected field site. Also, interested in being a TA or prof? Let the good people at MRC know!

ASP 2011 abstract deadline March 12!

2011-03-11T06:38:00.000-08:00

Don't forget: the deadline for abstracts for the upcoming American Society of Primatologists meeting in Austin, TX is this Saturday, March 12.

"Animal Families" at the Art Institute of Chicago

2011-03-05T08:50:00.000-08:00

Perusing the upcoming events and lectures at the Art Institute of Chicago, I came across "Animal Families":
The bonds between families in the animal kingdom are no always so different from our own. Elders often guide the younger generations, protecting, nurturing, and teaching them along the way. Come along as we search the collection for familial ties among our fellow creatures, and discover how these critters have inspired artists throughout history and from around the globe.

Talk is on April 19, 12-12:30

Promoting diversity in the sciences workforce

2011-03-04T05:40:00.000-08:00

Limited competition - check with your institution.

Department of Health and Human Services - NIMHD Science Education Initiative (R25)RFA-MD-11-004 - This program supports educational, mentoring, and/or career development programs for individuals from underrepresented or health disparity populations to facilitate the development of a nationwide cohort of scientists and a multi-disciplinary national pool of health disparities investigators with necessary skills to conduct health disparities research in a diverse range of settings. It also supports public education and outreach on health-related research projects to a variety of audiences are appropriate science education activities.

Sabbatical replacement sought at Oberlin College

2011-03-04T05:26:00.000-08:00

The Anthropology Department at Oberlin College is seeking candidates to fill a temporary (one year) position next year as a sabbatical replacement. The position could be filled by either an archaeologist or a biological anthropologist who can teach courses of interest to undergraduate archaeology students.

Forensics adjunct needed in NW Indiana

2011-03-03T15:14:00.000-08:00

The anthropology department at Indiana University Northwest (i.e. Gary) is looking for an adjunct to teach a couple of forensics courses. If qualified and interested, contact Bob Mucci (rmucci@iun.edu), Master of Liberal Studies Program Associate Professor and Coordinator of Anthropology.

University of Arizona Anthropology Residential Scholar

2011-03-02T15:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Stacey Tecot for forwarding this great opportunity to the BANDIT blog. What a wonderful setting for working on a series of papers or a book!

University of Arizona
School of Anthropology Residential Scholar
AY 2011-12

The School of Anthropology is pleased to accept applications for our Residential Scholar Program for AY 2011-12. The scholar is housed in a National Register-eligible adobe home, adjacent to the University Indian Ruin (UIR), which is a Classic period Hohokam archaeological site, dating to A.D. 1100-1400. The archaeological site includes a platform mound and adobe compounds—one of the last platform mound communities still extant in the Tucson Basin. Located on 13 acres of Sonoran desert in central Tucson, 10 miles from campus, the complex is owned and maintained by the University of Arizona.

Site History:
In 1930, Mrs. Dorothy Knipe donated the initial six acres of the property to the University of Arizona. Charged with protecting the village’s scientific value, archaeological work on the site began that year under the direction of Byron Cummings, founder of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Arizona (then the Department of Archaeology). While the Department provided protection for resources on the property, it developed a field research station where it conducted archaeological analysis. With assistance from the Tucson Chamber of Commerce, within a few years another seven acres were added to the property.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began construction on the compound in 1933 and in 1936 it completed a complex consisting of a caretaker’s house, laboratory, and a garage—the latter was converted to a guesthouse. In 1940, The National Park Service excavated the site, which resulted in Julian Hayden’s 1957 publication on the site. Emil Haury also excavated at the site, with students coming daily to work in the field and lab.

One stipulation of the gift is that the site be used to serve the University’s educational goals. Currently, in the spring, two days a week, our archaeological field school conducts excavations at the site and uses a laboratory building on the grounds. To better protect the site and to serve these goals, 2009 to 2010, at a cost of a half million dollars, The School completed renovation of the 20th-century residence, laboratory, and guesthouse.

The Residential Scholar Program:
For AY 2011-12, the School of Anthropology invites scholars from all anthropological subdisciplines to apply to the Residential Scholar Program which offers the scholar residence in the School’s beautifully restored adobe home, consisting of a living room (with a working corner fireplace) kitchen, bedroom, bath and an enclosed porch that is ideal for a home office. The scholar will also have use of broadband Internet throughout the complex and, except long distance calls, the Program will pay utilities. The resident may have use of the facility for the summer. During residency, the scholar will be expected to contribute to the teaching mission in the School of Anthropology through a lecture, workshop, or other form of scholarly interaction.

How to Apply:
Applications for the AY 2011-12 Residential Scholar should be submitted no later than March 31st, 2011. Proposed residency may be for a single semester or the full year. An application should include a CV and a letter of interest that explains the contribution the applicant will make to the School’s scholarly community. Submit applications to the School of Anthropology, Residential Scholar Program, Emil W. Haury Building, PO Box 210030, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0030, or email to Anthro@Arizona.edu.

Congratulations, SMA winners!

2011-03-02T10:48:00.000-08:00

The Society for Medical Anthropology recently announced its list of winners for 2010. Thank you to the great blog Somatosphere for alerting me to these announcements! A description of the awards can be found here. Special shoutout to biological anthropologist Lance Gravlee for being awarded the 2010 Rudolf Virchow Prize for "How Race Become Biology", published in AJPA.

New features at American Journal of Physical Anthropology

2011-03-02T10:42:00.001-08:00

Wiley-Blackwell announces two cool new features at AJPA. Now you can track the most accessed articles of 2010, as well as the articles most cited in 2010 (not necessarily papers written in 2010).

Photos from MPIG 2010!!

2011-03-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

I am thrilled to announce that photos of the awesomeness that was MPIG 2010 have been posted at www.mpig.org (look to the left and click on MPIG Photos). Huge thanks to Katie MacKinnon of Saint Louis University and Matthew Wyczalkowski of Washington University for documenting the meeting in such style.

While at the MPIG website, search around to learn more about the organization - its officers, history, and the upcoming meeting at Kent State University, October 14-15, 2011!

Primate field school in South Africa

2011-03-01T06:54:00.000-08:00

From Brandi Wren (Purdue University) and Shawn Hurst (Indiana University):

Primates of South Africa Field School

Want to spend the month of June studying baboons, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, bushbabies, and other wildlife in South Africa, plus get Indiana/IUPUI/Ball State/Purdue University credit? Then join the Primates of South Africa Field School!

Watch the video:
http://gallery.me.com/wrenbrandi#100310
• Learn about South African wildlife, vegetation, and ecology
• Learn how to identify animal tracks and signs
• Open to students from all universities (note from JNR: although you may not get academic credit. Check with course directors to confirm.)
• All students pay in-state tuition
• Financial aid may apply

For more information, contact shhurst@indiana.edu

ASP 2011 updates

2011-02-25T09:45:00.000-08:00

The Scientific Program Committee would like to remind you that the deadline for abstract submission for the 34th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists is fast approaching. Final submissions must be submitted at www.asp.org by March 12, 2011. We are very excited about this year’s meeting, as it promises to be of the highest scientific quality. The meeting will feature contributed paper and poster presentations as well as symposia that address wide-spread interests in primatology. We are pleased to announce our featured speakers including:

Keynote Speaker
Dr. Richard Wrangham
Department of Human Evolutionary Biology
Harvard University

2010 Distinguished Primatologist
Dr. Karen B Strier
Department of Anthropology
University of Wisconsin, Madison

Past President’s Address
Dr. Suzette D. Tardif
University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio

Interdisciplinary Symposium:
“Reproductive Function & Dysfunction in Nonhuman Primates”
Featured Speaker
Dr. Judy Cameron
University of Pittsburgh

This year’s meeting will be held at the Hilton Austin located in downtown Austin, Texas from September 16-19, 2011. The Hilton Austin is one block from Austin's famous Sixth Street nightlife and walking distance to entertainment, shopping and dining in the Warehouse Entertainment and 2nd Street Districts. It is within strolling distance of the famous Congress Ave. Bridge; at dusk you can witness 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats emerge from under the bridge and fill the evening sky. Additional area highlights include the Capitol Building, the Bob Bullock Texas Historical Museum (JNR: I've been there and it is really a great museum!) and the LBJ Presidential Library.

The Hilton Austin is offering special rates to participants in the meeting that apply for three days before and after the scheduled dates of September 16-19, 2011. Rooms with single or double beds are available for $139/night with a $20 charge for each additional person plus taxes. We encourage meeting attendees to stay at the conference hotel to ensure that ASP benefits maximally from the services provided. Please make your hotel reservations soon. All conference sessions and social events will be held at the Hilton Austin.

We look forward to receiving your abstract submissions and hope to see everyone in Austin this September.

Sincerely,
Sue Howell and Brian Kelly
Co-Chairs, Scientific Program Committee

Katie Hinde and Lauren Milligan are awesome!

2011-02-24T15:22:00.000-08:00

Hurry for Dr. Katie Hinde (University of California Davis) and Dr. Lauren Milligan (University of California Berkeley! Their new article in Evolutionary Anthropology, titled "Primate milk: Proximate mechanisms and ultimate perspectives" is a brilliant review of lactation and milk synthesis in the primates, setting a new bar for evolutionarily driven milk research and exploration of the role of early life nutritional environments in the evolution of life histories. Elegant!

Abstract:
To understand the evolutionary forces that have shaped primate lactation strategies, it is important to understand the proximate mechanisms of milk synthesis and their ecological and phylogenetic contexts. The lactation strategy of a species has four interrelated dimensions: the frequency and duration of nursing bouts, the period of lactation until weaning, the number and sex ratio of infants that a mother rears simultaneously, and the composition and yield of the milk that mothers synthesize. Milk synthesis, arguably the most physiologically costly component of rearing infants, remains the least studied. Energy transfer becomes energetically less efficient, transitioning from placental support to milk synthesis1, 2 just as the energy requirements for infant growth, development, and behavioral activity substantially increase. Here we review primate lactation biology and milk synthesis, integrating studies from anthropology, biology, nutrition, animal science, immunology, and biochemistry, to identify the derived and ancestral features of primate milks and enhance our understanding of primate life history.

Anthropology without doctorates

2011-02-22T06:50:00.000-08:00

I missed this when it came out (thanks to @AnthroDoula on Twitter for pointing out the InsideHigherEd report): the AAA recently released a study of the career paths of 833 Masters graduates in Anthropology. Among the many interesting findings:
"Among MAs working in non-academic jobs, nearly 30% have jobs that require education and training in anthropology (e.g., cultural resources specialist, ethnographer)."

"Among workplace preparation skills, over three-fourths of respondents ranked technical writing for proposals and grants as the most important skill for MA curricula, followed by project design, development and management."

"Overall, Masters graduates expressed high satisfaction with the quality, depth, breadth and relevance of their education and skill sets. Only 9% were somewhat or very dissatisfied."

From the Inside Higher Ed piece:
"People really felt that their degree was pretty central to their career," said (Shirley)Fiske (one of three co-authors). She added that respondents seemed to identify more strongly with being an anthropologist the further away they were from receiving their degree. It was, she said, evidence of the discipline's particular training and molding. "Anthropology, even more than some of social sciences, creates a distinctive worldview," she said.

It's wonderful the AAA is engaged in this kind of research. It's interesting that so many folks with terminal masters view themselves as anthropologists. Wouldn't it be fascinating for a similar study to find out how many anthropologists view themselves as scientists? Surveys of the membership, while tedious, could provide a more solid foundation for crafting long range plan and mission statements in the future.

Supporting future faculty - Mizzou postdoctoral program

2011-02-22T06:23:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago I wrote about the disparity between graduate trainees' job expectations and the realities of a shrinking academic job market. Drawing from a Chronicle of Higher Ed essay , I made some suggestions that could help reconcile that gap. The University of Missouri has recently launched a postdoctoral program that I think provides a useful template for the student-->professional transition. The university is funding postdoctoral positions for five of its own recent PhDs to develop courses in five areas identified by the Mizzou Advantage as core strengths of the university:
•Food for the Future
•Media of the Future
•One Health, One Medicine: The Convergence of Human and Animal Health
•Sustainable Energy
•Understanding and Managing Disruptive and Transformational Technologies
•Educational Programs

The university benefits from having non-faculty in teaching positions, but the postdocs also benefit from participating directly in innovative course development (not just teaching established courses) at a higher wage and greater stability than would be likely as an adjunct. The hope is that opportunities like this might help get grad students to finish their degrees rather than languish in the hopes the job market will improve. Obviously, 5 postdoc slots are inadequate to the size of that task, but if the program is a success (i.e. the chancellor keeps funding it and the postdocs themselves are able to land decent jobs afterwards) then maybe postdoctoral career support will catch on.

Updating the Search Committee

2011-02-16T05:30:00.000-08:00

For those of you on the market, you may wonder when you should email the search committee to tell them about some new accomplishment. What counts? The Chronicle of Higher Ed has a good rundown of the items that warrant an email. Don't waste their time, but don't be afraid to share updates that have a reasonable chance of boosting your profile and landing you an interview. And just because they are already at the interview stage and haven't contacted you doesn't mean it's too late; interviews bomb, job offers are declined, chosen candidates don't "fit" when they come to campus. If you have done something that could bump you up the list of alternates, let them know!

MPIG 2011

2011-02-15T15:39:00.000-08:00

A quick announcement to the BANDITs to let you know that MPIG 2011 is scheduled for October 14-15 at Kent State University. Details are forthcoming, but keep checking here, www.mpig.org, and #MPIG2011 on Twitter for updates...

Celebrate Darwin with free access to Wiley evolution journals!

2011-02-15T06:14:00.000-08:00

Received this email from Wiley-Blackwell this morning:

Free trial for 2011

We are giving away free access to a selection of the best evolutionary biology journals for 30 days.

Journals featured in this extensive trial include Journal of Evolutionary Biology, Evolution, Evolutionary Applications, Functional Ecology, Molecular Ecology, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, Journal of Zoology and more… Set up your trial following these three easy steps:

1. Visit www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/myprofile/trials and login or register a new account*

2. Enter the trial code: yodb2011

3. You now have 60 days access to all the journal titles listed here!

Central States Anthropological Society 2011 meeting

2011-02-07T13:16:00.000-08:00

The Central States Anthropological Society is a section of the American Anthropological Society and holds annual meetings in the broadly defined Midwest. This year's meeting will be hosted by the University of Iowa, April 7-9, 2011.

This is a relatively small-scale, student-friendly conference with very reasonable registration rates (e.g. $70 for AAA members, $90 for non-members). This year's Distinguished Lecture will be given by Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh which will undoubtedly be highly interesting and entertaining.

Browsing through the CSAS preliminary program, I was particularly struck by the session The Cat's Out of the Bag, and Clawing: Forum on Recognizing Science in Anthropology , scheduled for Friday. I'm really delighted to see this issue being interrogated in a conference forum and expect to see more of this at AAA 2011 in Montreal. There will also be a Professional Development Panel on the job application process which should be required attendance for all graduate students.

Review of the Smallest Anthropoids

2011-02-07T11:29:00.001-08:00

Nice review in the AJPA of the Smallest Anthropoids: the marmoset-callimico radiation, edited by Susan Ford, Lesa Davis, and Leila Porter. This is a roundabout plug for the book, in which I have a chapter. And I am excited to learn you can get the book in Kindle format!

From the review by Jonathan Perry:
"When I took primatology, callitrichids were (more or less) divided into two groups: marmosets and tamarins. This is no longer the case. As detailed in The Smallest Anthropoids, it is clear that the last two decades have seen a surge in research on callitrichids, especially marmosets. The genus Callithrix has been split into two: Callithrix for the Atlantic Coastal Forest species and Mico for the Amazonian basin species. A new species, Callibella humilis, the dwarf marmoset, was discovered in 1998. Moreover, several new species of Mico have been described. This edited volume provides the current state of knowledge for marmosets and their closest relatives, but we still lack adequate adaptive explanations for many important facets of marmoset biology, from reproductive behavior to morphological variation."

Ben Auerbach and Adam Sylvester are awesome!

2011-02-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

Dr. Ben Auerbach and Dr. Adam Sylvester have a new paper in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology: "Allometry and Apparent Paradoxes in Human Limb Proportions: Implications for Scaling Factors", pdf here.

"It has been consistently demonstrated that human proximal limb elements exhibit negative allometry, while distal elements scale with positive allometry. Such scaling implies that longer limbs will have higher intralimb indices, a phenomenon not borne out by empirical analyses. This, therefore, creates a paradox within the limb allometry literature. This study shows that these apparently conflicting results are the product of two separate phenomena. First, the use of the geometric mean of limb elements produces allometry coefficients that are not independent, and that when using ordinary least squares regression must yield an average slope of one. This phenomenon argues against using the geometric mean as a size variable when examining limb allometry. While the employment of relevant dimensions independent of those under analysis to calculate the geometric mean—as suggested by Coleman (Am J Phys Anthropol 135 (2008) 404–415)—may be a partial method for resolving the problem, an empirically determined, independent and biologically relevant size variable is advocated. If stature is used instead of the geometric mean as an independent size variable, all major limb elements scale with positive allometry. Second, while limb allometry coefficients do indicate differential allometry in limb elements, and thus should lead to some intralimb index allometry, this pattern appears to be attenuated by other sources of limb element length variation."

Indiana University Psych Dept. Hiring Visiting Assistant Professors

2011-02-07T09:44:00.001-08:00

Indiana University-Bloomington: The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences is seeking applications for up to three visiting assistant professors to teach undergraduate courses. The ideal candidates will be experienced instructors at the college level with an interest in adding value to the undergraduate program. We have particular needs in instructors who can teach introductory neuroscience, social psychology, and cognitive psychology, as well as introductory psychology. These will be 1 year appointments potentially renewable for a second year. The teaching load is 2 courses per semester. Applicants should have an advanced degree, a PhD in Psychology (or related field) is preferred, and documented teaching experience. To apply, send a letter of application that includes a statement of teaching philosophy and experience, evidence of teaching effectiveness, a curriculum vita, and have three letters of recommendation forwarded to:
Dr. Linda B. Smith, Chair
ATTN: Instructor Search
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
1101 E. 10th Street
Bloomington, IN 47405-7007.

Materials may also be emailed to pcrouch@indiana.edu with “Instructor Search” in the subject line. Applications received by March 15, 2011 will receive full consideration, and those received after May 1 will be considered until suitable candidates are found. Indiana University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Information about the department and the university is available at http://www.psych.indiana.edu
Possible salary up to $42,000.

Am J Primatol Special Issue: Human-NH Primate Bonds in Primatological Research

2011-02-07T09:35:00.000-08:00

Great special section in the current issue of the American Journal of Primatology: The Effects of Bonds Between Human and Non-human Primates on Primatological Research and Practice. Includes such intriguings commentaries as "Primatology between feelings and science: a personal experience perspective" by Augusto Vitale, "Being human and doing primatology: national, socioeconomic, and ethnic influences on primatological practice" by Agustin Fuentes, and "Caring for nonhuman primates in biomedical research facilities: scientific, moral and emotional considerations" by Kristine Coleman, and many more.