News and Events - Anthropology

Commencement Profile: Jessica J. Stabell

norrisma1 — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:02:26 +0000

Published Date:

May 13, 2013

Jessica Stabell has earned a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology with minors in forensic anthropology and indigenous studies, attaining a 3.98 GPA.

Stabell will receive the President’s Medal for Outstanding Undergraduate Student and deliver the student address during the 2:00 p.m. baccalaureate ceremony at Buffalo State’s 141st Commencement, Saturday, May 18, in the Sports Arena. She will also deliver the student address at the 10:00 a.m. baccalaureate ceremony.

In the classroom, Stabell answers questions concisely and correctly and performs lab assignments meticulously. She is a focused researcher, able to organize and complete challenging projects in a timely manner. She undertakes fieldwork with the same diligence and high quality that she demonstrates in lecture-based and seminar courses.

Her abilities led to a teaching assistant position with Julie Wieczkowski in fall 2012 and guest presenter appearances in Stephen Vermette’s Applied Climatology course. She is a member of the Buffalo State Anthropology Society and the American Association of Physical Anthropologists and is a certified notetaker for the Disability Services Office.

Stabell earned an Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship in 2012 to study the effects of temperature on decomposition in Western New York using the method of accumulated degree-days and will present her findings at the 2013 Student Research and Creativity Celebration and the 2013 meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. Earlier in her college career, she was selected as a team member for a community partnership between the Buffalo State Anthropology Department and the McClurg Museum, home of the Chautauqua County Historical Society. On that team, she cataloged and analyzed artifacts from the Orry B. Heath Collection and presented her research at the 2010 Student Research and Creativity Celebration. She also served as a member of the archaeology field school crew at the Martin II site, a multicomponent excavation site in Beaver Island State Park on Grand Island, in summer 2010.

Away from campus, she has volunteered her time with the Genesee County Democratic Committee and the Darien Art Show committee for Darien Community Day.

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May 14, 2013

An Evening with Bill Cleary

norrisma1 — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:41:54 +0000

Author:

Brian Kantz

Published Date:

February 25, 2013

Updated Date:

March 7, 2013

Teacher-turned-Silicon Valley marketing guru Bill Cleary, '69, '73, returns to SUNY Buffalo State on Tuesday, March 5, at 7:00 p.m. to present “How Apple and Steve Jobs Changed Marketing,” an insider's view of the world’s most innovative company.

Watch video of Cleary's March 5 presentation:

The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will take place in the Burchfield Penney Art Center Auditorium. A question-and-answer period will follow the talk.

As consumer marketing manager at Apple Computer in the 1980s, Cleary helped launch the company’s groundbreaking Apple //e and //c products. The Buffalo State alumnus then cofounded CKS Group, one of the Silicon Valley’s most technologically savvy advertising agencies. CKS was instrumental in launching several major web brands including Amazon.com, Ebay, and Yahoo, and provided early web communications strategies for Apple Computer, Disney, General Motors, United Airlines, and Mitsubishi, among others.

Today, Cleary is the owner of Cleary & Partners, a California-based strategic marketing, branding, and technology services firm.

Cleary’s presentation will offer an insider’s view of the last 30-plus years of Apple’s exciting and innovative marketing programs and how Steve Jobs personally transformed computers, smartphones, retail, and the motion picture and music industries.

After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in secondary education (with a concentration in cultural anthropology) from Buffalo State, Cleary taught American history, anthropology, and African American studies at Lake Shore High School in Angola, New York, from 1972 to 1978. In 1977, he completed a Fulbright-Hays scholar program at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt.

In 1978, Cleary shifted his career focus to business and he moved to New York City to work as an advertising firm copywriter. He contributed to the marketing of popular brands such as Pepsi, Pizza Hut, and Welch Foods before being recruited to join the fledgling Apple Computer in Cupertino, California, in 1981.

“The basis of this talk is a presentation that I’ve given before at Harvard and Santa Clara University, but I’ve customized it for my alma mater,” said Cleary. “I’ll talk about how my Buffalo State coursework helped me get the job at Apple, what it was like to work with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, what made Apple great, and what challenges the company faced. And I’m hoping students come ready with questions.”

This Year of the City presentation is sponsored by Buffalo State’s Institutional Advancement Office, Small Business Development Center, Business Department Marketing Club, and Anthropology, Business, and Communication departments.

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February 26, 2013

The Cemetery Project at Forest Lawn

norrisma1 — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 15:53:44 +0000

Author:

Mary A. Durlak

Published Date:

November 1, 2012

All people, including the deceased, must be respected. That's something stressed by all the faculty members in the Anthropology Department, according to senior Brandi Simmang.

Simmang is taking part in the Cemetery Project, a research project assigned by Julie Wieczkowski (pictured), assistant professor of anthropology, to students enrolled in the capstone course Seminar in Physical Anthropology. Wieczkowski explained that physical anthropology is a field within anthropology that looks at the biological aspects of human beings, including lifespans and mortality rates.

The purpose of the research is to test several hypotheses about lifespan by collecting data from gravestones at Forest Lawn Cemetery and analyzing it. Students are researching four different groups of people interred at Forest Lawn: people who died between 1918 and 1920; nuns who were born between 1880 and 1889; females, not nuns, who were born between 1880 and 1889; and survivors of spouses who died between 1850 and 1899.

"I want students to learn the process of doing research," said Wieczkowski. "This project emphasizes critical thinking and gives students experience in testing a hypothesis using data and observation."

Simmang is collecting data about females born between 1880 and 1889 who did not enter the convent. That data will be compared to data collected about the Sisters of St. Joseph interred at Forest Lawn to test a hypothesis first asserted by The Nun Study, a longitudinal study focusing on women who are members of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. The Nun Study has found that nuns live longer than secular females; students in Wieczkowski’s class will test that hypothesis.

Other research has argued that the influenza epidemic of 1918 took the lives of not just the elderly and the young, but also healthy, middle-aged people. By examining the lifespans of those who died between 1918 and 1920, the years when the epidemic claimed its victims, students will test that hypothesis.

Other studies have suggested a "widowhood" effect. This hypothesis holds that a person who survives the death of his or her spouse is likely to have a shorter lifespan than a person whose spouse does not die.

After the students collect the data, Wieczkowski will work with them to analyze it. "As in any scientific paper," she said, "students will explain their hypothesis, methods, and results, and discuss the study and its findings in their papers."

"It's really interesting," said Simmang. "Even though the people we’re studying are dead, they are still people. When I read a gravestone, I think, 'This could be a friend’s great-grandmother.'" Conducting research in Forest Lawn has made Simmang, a Pennsylvania native who now lives in Darien Center, feel more connected to Buffalo "because of the history we’re learning from these people."

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In the News: Kimberly Hart Curates Istanbul Exhibition, What Josephine Saw

norrisma1 — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 18:52:51 +0000

Author:

Mary A. Durlak

Published Date:

August 30, 2012

Kimberly Hart, assistant professor of anthropology, is curator of an exhibition featuring work by photographer Josephine Powell, according to a story in the New York Times. The exhibition, What Josephine Saw, features work by Powell, who documented nomadic life in Turkey in the 1970s and 1980s. Hart wrote the accompanying catalog which was published by Koç University Press.

Hart, a social-cultural anthropologist, has recently completed a manuscript for Stanford University press based on her other research, which focuses on rural Sunni Islamic practice. Hart was a member at the Institute for Advanced Study, one of the world’s leading centers for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry, in its 2010–2011 School of Social Science.

Hart’s own hope for the exhibit, she told the Times, was "that young people shopping and having fun in Istanbul would go into an exhibit like this, that is free and open to everyone, and become interested in the people they see in the photos." Hart added that her main aim is to "present the more or less forgotten rural Anatolia to young people who may become curious about travel and adventure in their own country, and present these people who rarely are represented."

The exhibition is at the Gallery in the Research for Anatolian Civilizations, Beyolğu, Istanbul, until October 21.

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August 31, 2012

Students Examine Historical Cemetery

norrisma1 — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 17:42:04 +0000

Author:

Mark Norris

Published Date:

June 21, 2012

Forget lazing on the beach, several Buffalo State students began the summer by pondering a more unusual outdoor location—an abandoned graveyard.

While the site seems more like the setting of a mystery novel than a class assignment, a cemetery is the perfect place for anthropology students to conduct research.

Nine students, two teaching assistants, and two faculty members from the Buffalo State Archaeological Field school helped to excavate the grounds and locate unmarked graves at two long-abandoned sites: the Jefferson Street Cemetery in Ellicottville and the Niagara County Almshouse cemetery in Lockport.

Using ground penetrating radar, the same technology employed for construction projects, the students searched for underground disturbances indicating possible grave sites.

“What we’re looking for in the data is something which looks different from what’s around it–or a disturbance where a grave would be located," Kevin Williams, assistant professor of earth sciences and science education, told the Salamanca Press. "It’s the same idea of when trained technicians read sonograms.”

One of the challenges of the assignment is not knowing the exact measurements of the burial grounds. At the Ellicottville cemetery, several open areas are believed to contain unmarked graves. The original records indicating who was buried in these spaces are long lost.

“There are at least a dozen unmarked graves here,” Lisa Marie Anselmi, chair and associate professor of anthropology told the Villager.

Once the graves have been mapped at the Ellicottville site, a single marker will be erected to commemorate all those buried on the grounds. At the Lockport cemetery, the students' research will assist with efforts to clean and restore this historical site.

The Archaeological Field School will take part in a Public Archaeology Open House on Wednesday, June 27, and Thursday, June 28, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Beaver Island State Park. Anselmi and the field school participants will be on hand to guide visitors around the current excavations and to answer questions relating to the history of native occupations on Grand Island and basic archaeological techniques.

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June 26, 2012

See, Hear, Read, and Watch the Works of John Harris

norrisma1 — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:17:11 +0000

Published Date:

April 5, 2012

For some, choosing which interests to pursue can be a difficult decision. For John Harris, a senior anthropology and jewelry major, the solution is simple: pursue them all.

On Thursday, April 5, at 6:00 p.m. in the Dr. Margaret Eschner Bacon Student Gallery, Harris will host a reception for his multi-faceted senior seminar event, Casting Culture. Part art exhibition, part book release, and part performance, Casting Culture showcases the wide range of Harris’s skills and interests.

In the gallery from April 2 to April 6, Harris has more than 20 functional pieces of metal artwork that he’s created over the past four years. Also on display is his newly published book, The True Survivors, a fictional ethnography, which his artwork is based on.

At 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on April 5, performances directed by Harris will take place in the Upton Quad. The performances will be based on life, death, and rebirth, the recurring themes in his book.

“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking of ways to make my show the best it can be,” Harris said. “I want to set the bar for future student exhibitions in this gallery, and I want to graduate knowing I left my mark at Buffalo State.”

His time spent thinking has certainly paid off. Everything in Harris’s show has been meticulously considered and executed. The pedestals for his art were designed and built to resemble archeologists’ sifters. His performances will take place on a stage that is strategically positioned to be viewable from the gallery. Harris has also installed speakers so that the audience can hear the performances in the gallery, as well.

“Everything for this event has been built from the ground up,” Harris said. In addition to creating the artwork, writing the book, and directing the performances, he also wrote and recorded the music for the performances, designed the costumes, and built the stage.

Casting Culture is a cohesive blend of Harris’s two fields of study: anthropology and metals. The show incorporates his talents as a jewelry designer, sculptor, director, author, anthropologist, costume designer, and musician. The only problem that remains is how to fit all of that onto a business card.

For more information about John Harris’s work, visit JPHii.com.

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January Orientation Welcomes New Students

norrisma1 — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:20:34 +0000

Published Date:

January 18, 2012

Your first days at Buffalo State student will be a flurry of activity. Meeting your adviser, confirming your class schedule, buying textbooks, and locating classrooms will be just a few of the things you do as a new student.

January Orientation, Thursday, January 19, welcomes more than 650 new undergraduate students—75 new first-year students and 580 transfer students—to campus. The Orientation Office, with the aid of 30 current undergraduate and five graduate students, helps new students cross items off their “to-do lists” and introduces them to some of the unique opportunities Buffalo State has to offer.

“January Orientation gives new students the information needed to be successful at Buffalo State,” said Robert Mead-Colegrove, director of orientation and new student programs. “Students attend presentations from various offices on campus, meet with an adviser, and attend a resource fair.”

Also on the agenda for January Orientation: Workshops, including “Reduce Stress and Manage Your Time,” and “Student Exchange and Study Abroad”; small group activities with student orientation leaders; and an introduction to Buffalo State technology (ANGEL, Banner, Degree Navigator, and Gmail). Students and their guests will also familiarize themselves with the Financial Aid and Registrar's offices, Weigel Health Center, E. H. Butler Library, the Bengal Card Office, and many other college departments.

New to this semester’s orientation is the option for students who registered early to upload their own photos for their student ID and bus pass, allowing them to avoid the lines to have their picture taken.

“My ultimate goal is that students feel that Buffalo State was the right choice, and that they are ready for their first day of class,” Mead-Colegrove said. “In the past, many students and guests enjoyed the orientation and appreciated the small groups and time to talk to an adviser.”

January Orientation is mandatory for all new matriculated students. The event begins at 8:00 a.m. with a continental breakfast for participants in Rockwell Hall. An entire schedule of activities can be found on the Orientation Office’s website.

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Insertion Date for Daily Bulletin Feature:

January 19, 2012

Protecting the Past from Present-Day Looters

norrisma1 — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:18:15 +0000

Author:

Mary A. Durlak

Published Date:

November 29, 2011

Finders aren’t always keepers—especially when the finders are trespassers, and when what they find belongs to both the past and to posterity.

Lisa Marie Anselmi, associate professor and chair of anthropology, is an archaeologist. Her expertise includes Native American artifacts as well as the technological practices used by North America’s indigenous peoples to incorporate European-introduced metals into the Native American’s material culture after widespread contact with Europeans in the fifteenth century.

Both her specialties enabled Anselmi to help the Ontario Heritage Trust recover artifacts apparently looted from the Thomson-Walker site, where a Wendat village stood from about 1635 to 1649. This area near Midland, Ontario, was part of the traditional homeland of the Wendat, known as Wendake. The village, which was surrounded by a wooden palisade, contained several longhouses and midden areas.

Researchers learned that people using metal detectors located and removed some artifacts from the site, much of which is now protected as an Ontario Heritage Trust (OHT) property. “At a party,” said Anselmi, “someone was talking about the find, and this information was reported to the Ontario Heritage Trust.”

In Ontario, as well as throughout the United States, ownership and removal of such artifacts from public lands are regulated. The Ontario Provincial Police recovered a collection of more than 150 items, most of which were metallic. Anselmi’s role was to examine the metal (copper-based and ferrous) artifacts and to advise the OHT as to a possible site source. She found they were “similar to” items from the Thomson-Walker site. (As it turned out, a publication of the Huronia Chapter of the Ontario Archaeological Society reported that the suspects cooperated with the police and returned the items, so no charges were filed.)

Among the copper-based metal artifacts that Anselmi examined were a number of objects called Jesuit rings (pictured). Anselmi explained that the rings, which usually have a religious design, were once believed to be used solely by Jesuit priests as items to trade with or to give away as prizes to Christian converts or children. However, they were also found on the Belle, a shipwreck off the Texas coast that ended explorer La Salle’s last voyage. This voyage was known as a dedicated trading expedition without any associated religious mission.

“They found casks full of Jesuit rings on the wreck,” said Anselmi, “so now we wonder if the rings’ purpose wasn’t at least as much secular as it was religious.”

One of the rings Anselmi examined is of a type that has not been reported previously from the South Central Ontario region. “The motif on the plaque is perpendicular to the band, which is very unusual,” she said. The design of the band itself is also different. Such subtleties help archaeologists trace early trade routes and identify the traders, bringing a slow but steady stream of new information into our understanding of the past. Though the artifacts have been recovered, some of the most important information about them such as their archaeological context and association—where the items were found and what the items were found with, for example—is now lost forever.

Once information about the past is gone, there’s no going back to retrieve it. “Treasure hunters are still with us,” said Anselmi. “The good news is that we have some tools to make sure that our shared heritage is protected.”

Photo by Lisa Marie Anselmi, courtesy of the Ontario Heritage Trust, 2010.

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Insertion Date for Daily Bulletin Feature:

November 30, 2011

Scholarship Profile: Megan Barr

krolci07 — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 20:31:08 +0000

Author:

Mark Norris

Published Date:

July 27, 2011

Megan Barr, ’12, received the Engelbrecht Summer Fieldwork Scholarship for 2011, working with assistant professor of anthropology Susan Maguire at the Old Fort Niagara excavation from May through June.

A Buffalo native, Barr is majoring in anthropology with minors in forensic anthropology and museum studies. She said the chance to participate in the Archaeological Field School was an important part of her education at Buffalo State.

“It was a great experience,” Barr said. “I’d never done fieldwork before. I also got the chance to interact with the public, since part of your responsibility at the field school is to answer questions from people who are visiting the Old Fort Niagara site.”

Barr said her summer fieldwork experience will help her when applying for internships and will be an important addition to her résumé. After earning her bachelor of science degree next year, she plans to pursue graduate school and someday work at a museum.

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