A Story of Us: Recent Episodes
Ohio State Anthropology graduate students
An original podcast brought to you by the graduate students of the Department of Anthropology at The Ohio State University. Join us once as we explore the human experience!
We are now a part of the Anthropology Public Outreach Program at The Ohio State University. Follow us @ohiostateAPOP
In this episode of A Story of Us, Nagarathna Balakrishna chats with renowned paleoartist John Gurche (https://gurche.com/) as he candidly reflects on his early journey into reconstructing our ancestors, shares how he blends science and art in his work, navigates the creative and ethical challenges of reconstruction, and offers thoughtful advice for aspiring students in the field.
In this episode, we sit down with Julia (frost6603@gmail.com), an undergraduate in the Anthropology Department at The Ohio State University, to talk all things archaeology, art, and ancient plants. From excavating in the Northern Chaco Outliers Project to working in an archaeobotany lab, Julia shares how her interdisciplinary lens—combining anthropology with art—shapes the way she studies the past. We chat about collaboration, creativity, and the questions that drive her research into ancient human-environment relationships.
For our first episode of the year, our new host, Nagarathna Balakrishna, sits down with fellow PhD candidate and former podcast host, Andrew Mitchell (mitchell.13@osu.edu), to discuss his dissertation fieldwork on Oaxacan culinary adaptations across Columbus, Los Angeles, and Oaxaca City.Join us as Andrew shares what drew him to cultural anthropology, insights from his research on culinary adaptations across the three sites, challenges of fieldwork, and his teaching activities. Plus, get a sneak peek into some of his fascinating findings— and keep an eye out for his public defense around April!
In this episode, Dr. Habiba Chirchir, a biological anthropologist, discusses her research on skeletal anatomy and behavior and its implications for understanding human evolution. She explores what it means for the human skeleton to be more ‘gracile,’ drawing comparisons between the domestication of domestic dogs and wolves, the challenges of interpreting skeletal changes, and the importance of collaboration and mentorship in her work.Dr. Chirchir is looking to grow her team! If you're interested in joining, reach out at chirchir.4@osu.edu or visit the Skeletal Anatomy Lab (https://habibachirchir.wixsite.com/scientist-site) to learn more.
This episode Andrew Mitchel sits down with Associate Clinical Professor Dr. Katie Zejdlik. They discuss the joys of reading fiction as a way to decompress, Dr. Zejdlik's work on mortuary contexts in Romania/Transylvania (https://www.archaeological.org/fieldwork/medieval-cemetery-funerary-excavation-living-and-dying-on-the-edge-of-europe-transylvania-romania/) and her approach to teaching archeology and forensics.
This episode Andrew Mitchel sits down with Ohio State PhD Candidate Ben Mertus. They discuss the article Beyond Wiindigo Infrastructure (https://grangehallpress.com/Enbridgeblog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Beyond_Wiindigo_Infrastructure.pdf); the concept of ecotourism in anthropology; Ben's fieldwork in Manawan, Quebec; the concept of resilience in his research; the hidden costs of fieldwork; and Ben's teaching.
This episode Andrew Mitchel sits down with Ohio State PhD Candidate Harold "Butch" Wright. They discuss readings on commensality (https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/commensality-from-everyday-food-to-feast-9780857857361/), social network analysis (https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Communities+and+Networks%3A+Using+Social+Network+Analysis+to+Rethink+Urban+and+Community+Studies-p-9780745654201), and food insecurity (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ajhb.23821). They then cover Butch's fieldwork in Parque das Tribos in Manaus, Brazil; discuss the pros and cons of applying standardized food insecurity measures to this community; and show how food is tied closely to be egocentric networks and urban indigenous identity in Brazil and beyond.
This episode Andrew Mitchel sits down with Ohio State PhD Candidate Madelyn (Madee) Green (green.1365@osu.edu). They discuss research on isolation in islands, Madee's fieldwork in Japan with prehistoric Jomon populations, the Sannai Maruyama site (https://jomon-japan.jp/en/learn/jomon-sites/sannai-maruyama), and her teaching strategies.
This episode Andrew Mitchel sits down with OSU Anthropology's newest hire in forensic anthropology, Dr. Nicholas Passalacqua. They discuss an article on the legal and social ramifications for wrongdoing (https://doi.org/10.2307/2564673), the definition of forensic anthropology, the process of completing a case analysis, a textbook project Dr. Passalacqua has worked on (https://titles.cognella.com/forensic-anthropology-9798823309363), and an ethics book Dr. Passalacqua is co-writing with OSU alumnae Marin Pilloud (https://shop.elsevier.com/books/ethics-and-professionalism-in-forensic-anthropology/passalacqua/978-0-12-812065-1).
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:/forms.gle/Do2eiJ2pQsZs9KK98!
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!
Do raccoons have a preference on what they scavenge? How does our environment and what we consume in our lifetime affect how we decompose? In this bonus episode, we talk with forensic anthropologist Dr. Dawnie Wolfe- Steadman, and hear about her research at the Forensic Anthropology Center at University of Tennessee, Knoxville (a.k.a The Body Farm) where she works with donated bodies to inform science and criminal justice. From this, we recognize Anthropology's multiple disciplines and raise the broader questions about the human body and culture.
Have you ever stuck your hand in cold water and watched it prune? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Bruce Floyd of the University of Auckland. After describing his circuitous path to anthropology, Dr. Floyd describes his research studying "cold induced vasodilation response (CIVD)" as a hypotheses for understanding the Peopling of the Pacific. How does this relate to prune-y hands? Listen to find out...
In this bonus episode, we interview Dr. Amara Solari of Penn State University and discovery the intersection between art and anthropology in the Pre-Colombian Yucatan. Dr. Solari discusses the transition of Mayan culture to Christianity, including the adoption and idolization of the Virgin Mary.
To read her book: https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-08332-8.html
How do islands preserve the past? How do humans transform their environments? In this episode, we talk with archaeologist Dr. Julie Field, and hear about her research in the Pacific Islands with population growth and the trajectory of environmental change. By speaking on diversity of biology, culture, and thought, we can study where we have been and answer the question of "where are we going?" (Bonus: Learn a new knock-knock joke!)
What can human waste tell you about culture? How do different cultures manage waste and compost? In this episode, we talk with cultural anthropologist Dr. Nick Kawa, and hear about his research in environmental anthropology around the world. Ps. did you know that you can paint with compost?
How does stress affect your health? And what, exactly, can affect your stress? In this episode, we talk with biological anthropologist Dr. Crews, and hear about his research in exploring allostatic load in populations across the world. Listen to find out how they are the same, and how they are different.
This episode kicks off a brand new series: Diversity! Host Emma Lagan and guest Dr. Mark Hubbe introduce the formatting of the new series(2019) and the podcast's newest collaborator, the Anthropology Public Outreach Program, or "APOP." Why is outreach important? Listen to find out more....
Biological anthropologist Dr. Sam Stout discusses his research in bone biology and how his work relates to the fields of bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology.
In this short episode, Emma and Alex discuss frailty, health, and death and how we can attempt to understand them.
What happens when someone dies? How do people mourn and how does it differ based on who the deceased was? This episode discusses mourning, burial practices, grave goods, and the importance of the identity of the dead.
This episode kicks off Series 3: DEATH! Emma Lagan and Alex Tuggle introduce the series theme, give an overview of how anthropologists are trained to deal with human remains respecfully, and describe the new podcast structure.
In February, Dr. Larissa Swedell came and gave a talk to the department entitled "Social Behavior and Sexual Conflict in Baboons." She took the time to chat with our podcast host about some of her research and what she does as a primatologist. Photo Credit: Larissa Swedell
Recorded February 2017. In this episode, Dr. Lucas Delezene talks about his work broadly and, specifically, about the teeth of a new hominin species: Homo naledi. At the time of recording, the age of the specimens was unknown. In May, it was announced that these hominin fossils date from 236 to 335 thousand years ago (Dirks et al., 2017 https://elifesciences.org/articles/24231)
Dr. Carolyn Dean, Professor of History of Art and Visual Culture at the University of California, Santa Cruz, gave the 14th Annual Paul and Erika Bourguignon Lecture in Art and Anthropology at Ohio State University on March 23, 2017.
Dr. Barbara Piperata and Dr. Lexine Trask discuss their field work with mothers from Latin America and the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area. This is a powerful episode about the decisions mothers face and how they manage.
For our final content episode of the Childhood series, we shift the focus to mothers. Who are they? What do they do? Why are they so important?
In this episode, two graduate students (Katy Marklein and Melissa Clark) discuss the various ways children can be identified in the archaeological record. Katy is interested in Classical and Roman East Mediterranean and Black Sea bioarchaeology while Melissa focuses on the effects of British colonization on pre-Famine Ireland and dental anthropology.
How children appear in the archaeological record is a fascinating topic! In this episode, our hosts describe some of the most common ways the presence of children can be detected.
Dr. Giuseppe Vercellotti and graduate student Jesse Goliath discuss some of the ways they study later childhood using skeletal materials. They discuss the Osteological Paradox, a hugely important topic in bioarchaeology. For more information about the Osteological Paradox, check out our Supplemental Materials and Transcripts page on our website!
Continuing our discussion of the biological aspects of childhood, this episode describes some of the processes that occur after weaning.
This is the first conversation episode of Series 2: Childhood! Dr. Guatelli-Steinberg and Genevieve Ritchie-Ewing discuss their work. Dr. Guatelli-Steinberg also describes her new book: What Teeth Reveal About Human Evolution.
Welcome back to A Story of Us! This is the first episode of Series 2: Childhood! We have a new host (1st year PhD student Emma Lagan) and a fantastic series ahead! This episode defines childhood and goes through some of the biological aspects of the early part of childhood.
Evolutionary morphologist Dr. Noreen von Cramon-Taubadel discusses how the shape of our skeleton can inform our understanding of migration and evolutionary history.
Cultural anthropologist and OSU faculty member Dr. Jeffrey Cohen discusses his research on migration in Oaxaca, Mexico, as well as some of his recent publications.
Evolutionary anthropologist Dr. Mark Hubbe and bioarchaeologist Selin Nugent discuss some of the benefits and difficulties of using skeletal evidence to reconstruct both long and short term human migrations.
This episode continues our discussion of archaeology and introduces the ways skeletal evidence can be used by anthropologists to understand migration in the past. This podcast was made in collaboration with the American Anthropological Association.
Ohio State University Department of Anthropology faculty member Dr. Robert Cook and graduate student Laura Crawford discuss two North American migrations, archaeology, and material culture. This podcast was made in collaboration with the American Anthropological Asssociation.
This episode introduces the field of archaeology and, specifically, discusses how material culture can help anthropologists understand migration in the past.
Faculty member Dr. Mark Moritz and graduate student Erin Kane discuss their work with pastoralist and primate groups.
This episode takes a step back from migration and focuses on normal and seasonal mobility through two case studies: one human and one non-human primate.
A conversation between two cultural anthropology graduate students in our department: Kelly Yotebieng and Natalia Zotova.
This is the first episode of our Migration series! We'll give you an overview of how different anthropologists study migration in the past and present. We'll also give you a preview of the rest of the series.
Welcome to A Story of Us Podcast! We'll begin our podcast series in August 2016, but here's a preview of what's to come. Please join us and subscribe to the feed!