spotlight
Geophysical survey work by the Vanderbilt Institute for Spatial Research (VISR) locates cemetery of enslaved people at The Hermitage
Dec. 20, 2024—In the summer of 2023, the Vanderbilt Institute for Spatial Research (VISR), directed by Professor and Chair of Anthropology Steve Wernke, was approached by the Andrew Jackson Foundation to help with determining the location of a cemetery for enslaved individuals on property of The Hermitage. VISR has since assisted with georeferencing of historical maps to...
Tiffiny Tung named senior fellow for Harvard’s Dumbarton Oaks Pre-Columbian Studies Program
Nov. 15, 2024—Tiffiny Tung, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Social and Natural Sciences, Professor of Anthropology and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, has been named a senior fellow in the Pre-Columbian Studies program at Harvard’s Dumbarton Oaks. The fellowship underscores Tung’s notable contributions to anthropology and Andean archaeology, recognizing her research as an anthropological bioarchaeologist who investigates...
Steve Wernke’s mapping project awarded NSF grant for the largest-ever archaeological survey
Sep. 20, 2024—Steve Wernke, Professor and Chair of Anthropology, has secured a $625K NSF grant with collaborators to map archaeological sites across the Andes Mountain Range and advance our understandings of Andean settlement systems and human-modified landscapes. Read more about it here.
Monica Keith’s work on health impacts of different childcare models published in Social Science & Medicine
Sep. 17, 2024—Monica Keith, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, co-authored a new publication in Social Science & Medicine exploring the health impacts of different childcare strategies among subsistence-based families in Bangladesh as working parents balance trade-offs between economic and childcare needs. Read more about it here.
Michelle Young: Modeling ethical practices in Peruvian archaeology
Sep. 7, 2024—Michelle Young, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, has directed the Cinnabar Roads Project since 2020 to explore ancient resource acquisition, trade routes, economic organization, and community identity in the Huancavelica region of Peru in partnership with local community members. Read the full story.
Tom Dillehay’s work in Chile and Peru recognized for major contributions to anthropological archaeology
Aug. 28, 2024—Read more about it here.
Alyssa Bolster BA’22 finds a passion for anthropology
Apr. 3, 2024—Alyssa Bolster BA’22 initally planned to go to law school, specializing in human rights law. However, she stumbled upon a love for anthropology after enrolling in a course on human osteology. Read more about Alyssa’s path to anthropology.
The big picture: Archaeology of the Andes revealed on a scale not previously seen
Apr. 3, 2024—Steven Wernke, associate professor and chair of anthropology, has developed GeoPACHA (Geospatial Platform for Andean Culture, History and Archaeology), a web application that allows researchers to map archaeological sites in the Andes at a greater scale than ever before. GeoPACHA has enabled new discoveries about past human occupation in the region. Read the full story.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awards $1M grant to Vanderbilt anthropologists studying cultural factors in health inequalities
Apr. 3, 2024—Edward “Ted” Fischer, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Anthropology, and T.S. Harvey, associate professor of medical and linguistic anthropology, have received a three-year, $1 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The award will fund their project, “Advancing a decolonizing agenda to address health inequities and help build global and local U.S. solutions.” Read the full story.