A Story of Us

In this interview, Andrew sits down with Maddison Elliott, who is graduating with her MA this semester in anthropology. They discuss The book Buzz (https://nyupress.org/9781479827381/buzz/), Maddison's MA thesis on pollinator protection, hierarchies of insects, roundtable method of teaching introductory anthropology courses, and the Wicked Science program at Ohio State (https://u.osu.edu/wicked/)!

In this interview, Andrew Mitchel chats with PhD candidate Craig Shapiro to discuss the insights from the text Polynesia, 900-1600 Past Imperfect by Madi Williams (https://www.arc-humanities.org/9781641892148/polynesia-9001600/), the role and importance of epistemology and community archeology, Craig's ongoing fieldwork in Samoa, and conclude with considering the quandary of moving beyond the practice of artifact expatriation.

In this interview, Andrew Mitchel chats with PhD candidate Steven Rhue to discuss the effects of household water insecurity on child health and well-being, a recently systematic review article on the topic by Steven and colleagues (https://wires.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wat2.1666), Steven's fieldwork on the subject with children ages 5-10 in Belém, Brazil, and Steven's experience at UN 2023 Water Conference in March 2023 (more here: https://medicalhealthhumanities.com/2023/05/01/what-did-it-all-mean-the-united-nations-first-conference-on-water-in-over-50-years/). You can read more on the topic in Steven's piece Acknowledged but Unheard: The Absence of Children's Voices in Water Insecurity (https://medicalhealthhumanities.com/2021/03/26/acknowledged-but-unheard-the-absence-of-childrens-voices-in-water-insecurity/). The study, “The effects of household water insecurity on child health and well-being” was supported by the Household Water Insecurity Experiences Research Coordination Network (HWISE- RCN) funded by the National Science Foundation (grant BCS-1759972) Steven Rhue’s doctoral dissertation research is supported by the National Science Foundation (grant BCS-2215227) and The Ohio State University Office of International Affairs and its’ Global Gateways.

In this interview, Andrew Mitchel sits down with our lecturer specializing in primatology, Dr. Jeffrey Peterson. They discuss multispecies ethnography, the foundations of primatology, Dr. Peterson's dissertation on Social Traditions and Social Networks among Long-Tailed Macaques in Indonesia (https://curate.nd.edu/show/bv73bz63b34), robbing and bartering among these same long-tailed macaques (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-11776-7), and methods for getting students excited about anthropology.

In this interview, Andrew Mitchel sits down with our new forensic anthropologist Dr. Stephanie Cole. They discuss forensic anthropology's methods and implications, Dr. Cole's PhD research on subadult sex estimation (https://scholarworks.unr.edu/handle/11714/8364), the Morphological Pelvis and Skull Sex Estimation Database (https://www.morphopasse.com/program.html), the Ontogenetic Subadult Sex Estimation System (https://stephanie-j-cole.shinyapps.io/OnSEt-System/) and Ohio State's new B.S. in Forensic Anthropology (https://anthropology.osu.edu/major-forensic-anthropology-bs).

In this interview, Andrew Mitchel sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Holdsworth to discuss her work on the Mother-Infant Microbiomes, Behavior, and Ecology Study (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37556398/), the relationship between maternal stress and infant health caregiving behaviors and infant methylation (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ajhb.23876), her PhD research on role of social support on infant health(https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10995-018-02706-z), her future directions for research and teaching at Ohio State, and her upcoming work in press on the impact of cannabinoids on breast milk.

In this interview, Andrew Mitchel sits down with Dr. Anaís Roque to discuss community health, her research on resource insecurity, the case of Puerto Rico, the strengths of interdisciplinary research and the collaborative lab she is developing on campus. Anaís' publications can be found at https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5yt016MAAAAJ&hl=en, and students interested in the Community Health Lab can sign here at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyXwoxCXjnyZcR8Yz29o7vQS9y0swZbmQS_Ycp0Qz7j4ZvBA/viewform!

In this interview, Andrew Mitchel sits down with Dr. Scott McGraw to discuss primatology, how to teach about primates to undergraduate students, the role and importance of teeth in the study of primates, his role as chair of the Anthropology department and colobus monkey conservation. The referenced teeth article can be found at https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24592, and the red colobus action plan is at https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/49478.

In this interview, Andrew Mitchel sits down with Dr. Joy McCorriston to discuss archaeobotany, how to teach the Anthropocene to undergraduate students, the role and importance of collaborative research, a project connecting Ohio State to HBCUs and the origins of agriculture as a subject of study.

In the finale of our Engagement series, Shane interviews Dr. Erin Moore, the newest faculty member in the Ohio State University Anthropology Department. Dr. Moore speaks to us about her research with women and girls in Uganda and with multinational nongovernmental organizations. Shane and Dr. Moore discuss the concept of a "gender panic" and the importance of being transformed by research.

In the fifth episode of our Engagement series, Shane interviews Dr. Mandy Agnew, a biological anthropologist who directs the Skeletal Biology Research Laboratory at Ohio State. Dr. Agnew tells us about how her grandparents and mentors helped shape her journey to anthropology. She also discusses her ongoing research with industry partners and the importance of collaborating and communicating with stakeholders at all phases of the research process.

In episode 4 of our Engagement series, we interview Dr. Mark Anthony Arceño about his research on the taste, place, and identity of winegrowers from central Ohio and Alsace, eastern France. We discuss the role taste and place play in adaptation to climate, economic, and legislative change, as well as the importance of staying connected with local food producers. Following the theme of our Engagement series, Mark Anthony and Shane discuss research ethics and a vision for engaged anthropology

In this episode, Dr. Anna Willow, an environmental anthropologist, describes her work with indigenous activists across Canada. Dr. Willow's research focuses on industrial extraction, it's detrimental effects on people and landscapes, and the activists who are resisting these forces and trying to transform society.

In this episode, we interview PhD student Taylor Tomu who discusses her various research during her time at OSU. Taylor answers questions such as, "What does the experiences of Black women in the medical system tell us about how that system operates?" and considers how the medical system operates as a social system with a culture. Her current research focuses on the Black women at the front lines of COVID who are helping people navigate and continue to navigate their health, particularly in areas of pre-existing disparities and outcomes. Finally, Taylor talks with us about her recent co-authorship of a book titled, "The Unwelcome Stranger"--a children's book that helps parents talk about the COVID-19 pandemic with their families.

A new season is coming! In this episode, we introduce the new Voice of the Podcast, Shane Scaggs, and the theme of this season--engagement.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Filiberto Penados, the academic director of CELA-Belize. After describing the reality and struggle of indigenous peoples in Belize (a small country in Central America) to affirm their rights to land and imagine and create a self-defined future, Dr. Penados describes how he has participated in this as an engaged scholar. He explains the ideas of "re-rooting and re-routing," centering around his basic question of "How do you educate in a post-colonial context? How do you engage in de-colonial education and development?" Listen to this episode to find out how Dr. Penados integrates Maya ways of knowing and being into learning, which is centered at a community level.

"Where are you from?" In this special bonus episode, students from the Columbus Metro Early College Middle School (6-8th grade) answer this question as a part of their January-term project. With the idea that "Where are you from" means so much more than what is your family background, students take the time to tell us about what shaped them as who they are today, including: stories of their parents' home countries; ancestral stories shared by family members; what it means to move; different food traditions within their families; and the influence of art, games and reading. We are excited to share their stories as a part of our podcast, and hope that you enjoy them too. An index of topics is listed below: SECTION 1: "Home" (4:33) Mariah (4:43): Family trips to Maryland Saleh and Omar (6:24): "The Horn of Africa," Somalian history and language Pradnya (12:00): "The World Inside Ohm", Hinduism and Yoga Marguerite (15:23): "Mobile Home" What it means to move Jillian (17:24): European Roots from Family tales Holden (19:15): "Zoomin' As A Human", Family traditions and cycling SECTION 2: "Food" (20:51) Paolo and Graham (20:57): "The Meals that Made Us", Food traditions from Germany and Poland (plus Pizza!) Austen (24:48): Snacking and friendship Oumar (26:16): Influence of Dad's African culture SECTION 3: "Hobbies" (29:42) Jacob (29:50): Dungeons and Dragons, and creativity Loic (32:31): "Comic Origin: Batman" The history of Batman Ali (33:45): Life lessons and impact of Anime Isra (37:47): Reading and Harry Potter Iza (40:04): Art and reading books Zaiden (42:59): Art and culture CONCLUSION (44:19)

How can you use anthropology without realizing it? In this episode, we talk with Donna Firm, an OSU alumna (class of '73), who took her anthropology degree and applied it to a lifetime with the Ohio State Department. Donna, who celebrated OSU's centennial, reflects on how anthropology has changed over the last fifty years, and tells us how she still keeps anthropology in her life today.

What can we learn from paleofeces (a.k.a. dried ancient feces)? In this episode, we talk with archaeologist and paleoethnobotanist Dr. Kris Gremillion, and discuss her research with Native American plant remains in the caves and rock shelters of eastern Kentucky. She covers topics including: understanding the origins and development of agricultural systems, the challenges of working with plant remains, and how understanding ancient plants could help fight food insecurity in the future.

Do you know the origins of the term "slash and burn agriculture"? In this episode we talk with Dr. Sean Downey, an ecological anthropologist who works in Belize. Dr. Downey describes the colonial view that led to the term "slash and burn" for the practice that many anthropologists and ecologists prefer to call, "Swidden" agriculture. Dr. Downey's research asks the questions, "how do community social norms lead to sustainable forest outcomes, even under the clearing regimes that they use to provide subsistence for their families?" Listen to this episode to find out more about how Dr. Downey conducts his research, and preliminary results!