Education

• 2002 Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of Chicago
• 1993 M.A. in Anthropology, University of Chicago
• 1990 B.A. with Honors in Anthropology, Hamline University, summa cum laude

Profile

My research interests include osteology, bioarchaeology, paleopathology, forensic anthropology and paleoanthropology. I’ve worked in the Upper Midwest of the U.S. with both Native and Euroamerican skeletal populations, as well as in Kenya, Poland, England and Denmark. I have a strong interest in issues affecting juveniles.

My dissertation focused on the functional morphology, phylogeny and paleoecology of Victoriapithecus, an early monkey from the Middle Miocene of Kenya, while my master’s thesis was concerned with the health and developmental status of juveniles in Early and Middle Woodland populations in Illinois. Some of my most current research is in the use of dental nonmetrics as it pertains to identity and migration, more specifically in the areas of Danish settlement of East Anglia and the Epiclassic of Mexico. I also consult with local law enforcement agencies and medical examiner’s offices on forensic cases.

Courses Taught at MNSU

• ANTH 101 - Introduction to Anthropology
• ANTH 120 - Forensic Science: An Anthropological Approach
• ANTH 220 - Human Origins
• ANTH 323 - Primate Behavior
• ANTH 4/520 - Human Osteology
• ANTH 4/521 - Health, Culture and Disease
• ANTH 4/522 - Forensic Anthropology
• ANTH 4/524 - Bioarchaeology
• ANTH 4/525 - Anthropology of Death
• ANTH 601 - Graduate Seminar in Anthropological Theory
• ANTH 602 - Graduate Seminar in Anthropological Methods
• ANTH 603 - Practicing Anthropology

Past Research

• Northfield Historical Society skeleton not that of Charlie Pitts
• Charlie Pitts’ whereabouts are still uncertain