Traveling from Emory to Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park for a special place-based and community-engaged learning experience, a first-time interdisciplinary cohort of thirty-five faculty and students from Dr. Debra Vidali’s Anthropology 190–Land, Life, and Place, Dr. Loren Michael Mortimer’s History 285–Introduction to Native American History, Heidi Aklaseaq Senungetuk’s Music 460RW–North American Indigenous Music and Modernity, and Emory’s Native American Student Association participated in a vibrant celebration of Southeastern Native American cultures and heritage. This marks the first time Emory University organized an official trip to the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park.
This celebration represents a collaboration with the Muscogee Nation and the Ocmulgee Mounds Association to enact Mvskoke sovereignty and educate visitors about the Indigenous presence on the land. Emory students experienced a diverse array of activities that showcased the rich heritage of the region’s Indigenous peoples. Traditional cultural crafts, captivating storytelling sessions, and educational programs provided students with meaningful connections to the living histories and thriving communities of diverse southeastern Native American people.
The Anthropology Department is pleased to announce our 2023 student award winners! For award descriptions and past winners, visit our Departmental Awards webpage. We are so proud of our many impressive students!
Marjorie Shostak Award for Excellence and Humanity in Ethnography:
Pamela Beniwal for her honors thesis “The Effect of Commercialization, Militarization, and Stigmatization of the Breast Cancer Awareness Movement on Breast Cancer Patients”, advised by Mel Konner.
Audrey Lu for her ANT 372W class project “The Lives of Charting: An Emergency Room Scribe’s Perspective (ANT 372W project)”, advised by Anna Grimshaw.
Alvaro Perez Daisson for his honors thesis “Race-related Health Disparities in Cuba in the Context of COVID-19”, advised by Mel Konner and Kristin Phillips.
Christopher Zeuthen for his honors thesis “Veteran Perspectives on Moral Injury”, advised by Mel Konner.
Photo from left to right: Professor Robert Paul, Christopher Zeuthen, Professor Melvin Konner, Audrey Lu, Alvaro Perez Daisson, and Pamela Beniwal.
Trevor E. Stokol Scholarship for Undergraduate Research:
1st Place: Eric Li
Maddie Hasson
Raya Islam (not pictured)
2023 Graduate Student Awards
The George Armelagos Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student: AJ Jones, Caroline Owens
Four extraordinary Emory College juniors — Jojo Liu, Yingrong “Momo” Chen, Maddie Hasson, and Tamecka Marcheau-Miller — have won the Goldwater Scholarship, the nation’s top scholarship for undergraduates studying math, natural sciences and engineering. This year’s winners, who have made major contributions in labs and authored or co-authored papers on their research, all plan to pursue doctoral degrees in their respective fields. They join 45 previous Emory recipients of the award, which was endowed by Congress in 1986 to honor the late Sen. Barry Goldwater.
Maddie Hasson is an Anthropology major and rising senior honors student who also won the Trevor E. Stokol scholarship for her undergraduate research.
Congratulations Maddie and to everyone on outstanding academic achievements!
Read the full article and winners’ biographies here!
One of our undergraduate students, Klamath Henry, has her work featured in the wing for Art of the Americas within the Carlos Museum. A touch screen there connects to 3 / S I S T E R S / R E S I L I E N C Y / P R O J E C T which was developed in Fall 2017 as part of an project for an independent research course taught by Dr. Debra Vidali. This project presents photography, poetry, and ethnographic documentation of Tuscarora Nation resiliency and relations to land.
Please take the time to visit this outstanding project and congratulations to Klamath Henry!
Looking for some summer reading? Check out Anthropos, an e-publication created by Emory Anthropology students, featuring writing by our own undergraduates! https://anthropospublication.com/
Hunter Akridge is one of 16 Beincke Scholars nationwide. He has received the Department of Anthropology’s Outstanding Junior Award and the Trevor E. Stokol Scholarship for undergraduate research. Find more details on his research in the Emory News article.
Photo left to right: Back row: Dr. Debra Vidali, Emily Edwards, Clio Hancock, Phoebe Einzig-Roth, Shreya Sharma. Front row: Vijwala Yakkanti, Rosseirys De La Rosa, Sabrina Jin, Priscilla Lin. Not pictured: Michele Chen, Thisara Gunawardana, Cora Hirst, Bushra Rahman.
The Anthropology department is proud to recognize our 2021-2022 honors graduates! In another year of uncertainty and challenging research conditions, we had a new record number of students completing honors projects. This year, twelve Anthropology students successfully defended honors theses, the culmination of a year (or more!) of independent research and writing. All projects were completed under the supervision of faculty advisors and committee members from within and outside of Anthropology, with support from faculty honors coordinator Dr. Debra Vidali. These students were honored at our Anthropology Honors and Awards Ceremony on April 25th. Two students graduated in December, and ten are scheduled to graduate with honors at the Emory University Commencement Ceremony on Monday, May 9th.
Please see below for a full list of thesis. You can read more about this year’s honors students and their projects on our website. Please join us in congratulating these students on their hard work and accomplishment!
Michele Chen: Acquisition of Reproductive Health Knowledge: How girls in Georgia learn about their reproductive bodies Advisor: John Lindo
Rosseirys De La Rosa: Understanding the Evolutionary History of Ancient Indigenous Individuals in Uruguay Advisor: John Lindo
Emily Edwards: People, plants, and prescriptions: Effects of herbal supplements on pharmaceutical drug metabolism Advisor: Cassandra Quave
Phoebe Einzig-Roth: Acute PTSD and Depression Symptoms in African American Women Newly Diagnosed With Breast Cancer Advisors: Jennifer Stevens, Mel Konner
Thisara Gunawardana: Analysis of the COVID-19 Response in Sri Lanka Advisor: Mel Konner
Clio Hancock: Close Quarters: An Investigation of Neighborhood Effects and SARS-CoV-2 in Chicago Advisor: Craig Hadley
Cora Hirst: Evidence of Selection on Circadian Regulation of the Immune System in Ancient Iberia Advisor: John Lindo
Sabrina Jin: New Perspectives on Race and Racism Among Brazilians of Asian Descent Advisors: Jessica Ham, Craig Hadley
Priscilla Lin: Realities of First-Generation, Low-Income Scholars at Predominantly White Institutions: The Emory Experience Advisor: Justin Hosbey
Bushra Rahman: Frustration responses of single mothers to prolonged infant crying Advisor: Jim Rilling
Shreya Sharma: A Political Economy Approach to Understanding Abortion in Nepal Advisor: Craig Hadley
Vijwala Yakkanti: Associations Between Emotion Regulation and Heart Rate Variability in Trauma-Exposed Black Women Advisor: Negar Fani, Mel Konner
The Anthropology Department is pleased to announce our 2022 student award winners! In addition to granting a record number of departmental awards, we were thrilled to be able to honor seven rising seniors with our first ever Trevor E. Stokol Scholarship, for research which they will be conducting during their senior year. Undergraduate awards were conferred at a ceremony on Monday, April 25. We are so proud of our many impressive students!
Marjorie Shostak Award for Excellence and Humanity in Ethnography:
Priscilla Lin for her honors thesis “Realities of First-Generation, Low-Income Scholars at Predominately White Institutions: The Emory Experience”, advised by Justin Hosbey.
Lauren Oates for her Capstone project “Places of Permanent Precarity: An Examination of Palimpsest Landscapes in Dekalb County’s Constitution Lakes Park”, advised by Kristin Phillips.
Trevor E. Stokol Scholarship for Undergraduate Research
Hunter Akridge
Pamela Beniwal
Sophia Bereaud
Nicole Felix-Tovar
Danielle Mangabat
Alvaro Perez Daisson
Christopher Zeuthen
Hunter Akridge, Pamela Beniwal, Sophia Bereaud, Nicole Felix-Tovar, Alvaro Perez Daisson, Christopher Zeuthen. Not pictured: Danielle Mangabat.
Happy #AnthroDay! The Anthropology Department and Emory Anthropology Student Society (EASS) celebrated by hosting an information table and button-making station, where students made their own anthropology-themed buttons. Students also had the opportunity to share some things they love about anthropology. Here are some of the responses:
the diverse subfields
it asks us to think about and account for human values!
So much! People, the brain, evolution, and more.
It’s my life!
Great classes
I love learning about other cultures and people around the world.
My class went to the Carlos Museum to see Marie Watts!
You can check out more about Anthropology Day at americananthro.org and by following #AnthroDay!
EMORY ANTHROPOLOGY 