Archaeology graduate student Eric Dyrdahl has been selected for an appointment as a Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC)-Smithsonian Institution Predoctoral Fellow. During his 9-month appointment, Eric will conduct research to meet the Smithsonian's Grand Challenge of Valuing World Cultures. He will work with Dr. Jeff Speakman at the Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute to improve our understanding of human social dynamics and interactions in Ecuadorian prehistory. To achieve this aim, they will use X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to determine the sources of obsidian artifacts from a variety of archaeological contexts in Ecuador. 

George Chaplin and Susan Rutherford Siegel are corresponding authors on a paper entitled, "Relationship of UV exposure to prevalence of multiple sclerosis in England", which appeared in the most recent issue of the journal Neurology.  The authors concluded that UVB exposure (as a surrogate for vitamin D production) and infectious mononucleosis (representing exposure to Epstein-Barr virus) together can explain a substantial proportion of the variance of MS.  The abstract can  be viewed at:    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21502600

Robert Martin, Field Museum of National History, will speak at this week's colloquium on Friday, April 22.  The title of his presentation is: "The Evolution of Human Mothering."

Colloquium will be held in room 202 Carpenter Building from 3:30-4:30 p.m.  All are welcome.  Please plan to attend.

Sascha Senck will present a colloquium on Wednesday, April 20 in room 202 Carpenter Building from 4:00 -5:30 p.m.  The title of his presentation is "Integration in the Hominoid Cranium: An Approach of Rigid Motions via Partial Least Squares." 

All are welcome!  Please plan to attend.

Anthropology student Julia Dahl (B.A, 2011) will serve as the Spring 2011 undergraduate student marshal. Julia was recently accepted into Penn State's dual graduate program in Psychology and Women's Studies!

Congratulations Julia!

Joan Richtsmeier has accepted an invitation to serve as a member of the Skeletal Biology Development and Disease Study Section, Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health for the term beginning July 1, 2011 and ending June 30, 2015.  Members are selected on the basis of their demonstrated competence and achievement in their scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of research accomplishments, publications in scientific journals, and other significant scientific activities, achievements and honors. 

David Puts, Lisa Welling, and Rob Burriss have their paper entitled "Men's masculinity and attractiveness predict their female partners' reported orgasm frequency and timing", co-authored with Khytam Dawood, accepted for publication in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.

Research associate Lisa Welling has a paper entitled "Mate retention behavior modulates men's preferences for self-resemblance in infant faces" published in the current issue of the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.  Rob Burriss and David Puts co-authored this paper with Lisa.

Graduate student Alex Hill submitted his first publication, a chapter entitled "Biological foundations of sexual orientation", which he co-authored with Khytam Dawood and David Puts, to be published in the Handbook of Psychology and Sexual Orientation by Oxford University Press.

Nina Jablonski will give the keynote address at the annual Student Scholar Day on 13 April 2011 at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, MI.  The title of her presentation is, "Why Skin Color Matters: A Look at the Evolution and Meaning of our Most Visible Trait"  http://www.gvsu.edu/ssd/module-event-view.htm?eventId=4271475B-D9E2-0FEC-FD41CD46C81D1653

Undergraduate student Sara Carlson was recently honored for her outstanding achievements and contributions to the local community at the Outstanding Adult Student Award ceremony.  The ceremony, held on March 24 in the Garden Room of the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, was sponsored by Student Affairs - Adult Learner Programs, and recognized adult student nominees who "overcome obstacles while furthering his or her education" and who "balance multiple roles, serve as a role model for other students and achieve academically."  Sara was joined at the ceremony and reception by her nominators, Dr. Erick Rochette and Dr. David Puts.

Alumnus Jason DeLeon's recent research on the ethnoarchaeology of illegal immigration into the United States along the Mexican border was featured in the January/February issue of Archaeology magazine.

http://www.archaeology.org/1101/features/border.html

Graduate student John Wheatley was just notified that he is the recipient of a 2011 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.  Congratulations John!

You can find additional information on the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program at: www.nsfgrfp.org

Stephen Matthews recently co-edited "Communities, Neighborhoods, and Health: Expanding the Boundaries of Place."

This book is part of the series Social Disparities in Health and Health Care, Vol. 1 and was edited by L.M. Burton, S.P. Kemp, M. Leung, S.A. Matthews, and D.T. Takeuchi.

See additional information at:

http://www.pop.psu.edu/news/2011/communities-neighborhoods-and-health

http://www.sociology.psu.edu/publications/FacultyBooks.shtml

Adjunct Research Associate Margaret Brown Vega will be this week's speaker for the Department of Anthropology's colloquium 

The title of her talk is "Awqa Pacha: The Origins of Fortification in Coastal Perú."  This week's colloquium will be held on Friday, April 8 at 3:30 p.m. in 202 Carpenter Building.

Please plan to attend.  Everyone is welcome!