School of Human Evolution and Social Change

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ONE HEALTH AUSTRALIA 2024 Study Abroad HIGHLIGHTS

ONE HEALTH recognizes that environmental health, animal health, and human health are all connected. The ONE HEALTH perspective has only recently begun to be integrated into US Medicine and Public Health, but the interconnectedness of the land and the living is found widely among many cultures since time immemorial.

Through lectures, activities, and experiences, we studied the social, cultural, and institutional dimensions of health and sustainability. Sustainability is difficult to attain because of competing social interests of stakeholders, dynamic ecosystems, incomplete knowledge, and interaction between phenomena on multiple scales across time & space.

Big thanks, among others, to:

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ASU School of Human Evolution and Social Change Discovering the global human experience.

Archaeologist Joel Palka talks about the importance of waterscapes in ancient Maya culture in his latest publication in the journal Ancient Mesoamerica.

“I have been researching the importance of fish farming and the use of water resources (think turtles, ducks, reeds, etc.) for human consumption in ancient Mexico and Central America, rather than just agriculture,” Palka said.

“Indigenous people have utilized a variety of plants and animals in their daily lives, and have not just focused on agriculture, which is more of a Western society perspective. Most archaeological research focuses on the rise and benefits of agriculture, and that’s unfortunate since many societies actually have focused on integrated food sources and grocery lists that also involved gathering, household gardening, hunting and fishing.”

Read more: https://bit.ly/3KGIG0c

📸 The split Mirador sustenance-water mountain of origin on an Aztán-like island (top center) with canals, fish reservoirs, vegetation and fields around lakes at Mensabak, Chiapas. Photo courtesy Joel Palka/Mensabak Archaeological Project

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Associate Professor Donna Nash joins the School of Human Evolution and Social Change.

Read more about Nash and her work above.
https://bit.ly/3OkXyCq

Associate Professor Joel Palka found a new amber source in Mexico this summer!

The new amber source was found near Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico. Palka said this site may have been used by the Maya to mine amber and trade it with other Maya and Aztec merchants at the time of the Spanish Conquest.

"Now I know why Indigenous people refer it to "water froth gem" or "water gem" since, in this case, it is found only near water and has to be stored in water so it doesn't dry out and shatter," said Palka. "Today Maya dig near water sources to mine the amber and sell it to jewelry makers (not scientists extracting dinosaur DNA!). Previously, people focused on one specific amber source in the Chiapas highlands, but my find shows that other sources exist, even in the lowlands!"

📸 Photos courtesy of Palka
Palka in the field in Mexico and Belén raw amber
Belén amber mine
Belén amber mine
Polished Belén amber
Belén amber in a bucket
(Photo courtesy from Wikipedia) A page from the Mexican Codex Mendoza, shows the Aztec symbol for water gem (blue water symbol flowing over a piece of rounded amber), or amber, taken from Chiapas as tribute to the Aztec emperors.
Read more about the Codex Mendoza: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Mendoza

Medical anthropologist Jonathan Maupin and students traveled to Guatemala for field school this summer!

Students participated in research projects with individual households and local schools that focused on community health issues, such as food insecurity, body image and reproductive health. They also visit different healthcare providers in urban and rural settings, including the government health system, non-governmental organizations and indigenous Maya healers.

Maupin is an associate professor at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change whose research interests are medical and cultural anthropology and Maya studies.

Learn more about this field school: https://shesc.asu.edu/student-life/study-abroad

Photos courtesy of Maupin

Kathryn Ranhorn, assistant professor at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, continues research in Tanzania and Kenya this summer.

"I kind of have a reputation in the field for doing things a little differently. I've never seen "Indiana Jones" and have no intention to. I conduct my work by prioritizing people over publications — that is, cultivating relationships with the people who live near the sites and whose lives can be most impacted by our research. This entails learning multiple languages and lots of meetings with people."

Read more here: https://bit.ly/3NVmeRT

1. Ranhorn works with team members from the Kondoa Deep History Partnership to excavate a site in Kondoa, Tanzania. Photo by Ranhorn
2. Members of the Kondoa Deep History Partnership pose for a group photo after a team celebration marking the end of a research season. Photo by Samantha Porter
3. View of the Maasai Steppe from Ranhorn's tent near Kisese II rockshelter in Kondoa, Tanzania. Photo by Ranhorn
4. Ilaria Patania (left), from Washington University in St. Louis, prepares samples for microscopic sediment analysis while Ranhorn studies an artifact that came from the test excavation unit. The narrow test excavation enables the team to sample a small area with minimal disturbance and plan future work accordingly. Photo by Samantha Porter
5. From left: Kondoa Deep History Partnership team members Asheri Mlimbila, Husna Mashaka and Sydney James excavate at the Kisese II rockshelter in Kondoa, Tanzania.
6. Ranhorn (right) hikes up to the Kisese II site, marked by the large boulders in the background, in Konda, Tanzania. Photo by Samantha Porter

Ryan Williams is named the new director of the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University.

With over two decades of museum curatorial experience and over a decade of experience as head of the museum’s anthropology faculty, Williams brings a unique perspective and varied experience to ASU, including working with descendant communities by including them in the decision-making process for collections highlighting their heritage.

“Museums are an interesting institution in today’s world, as they are a product of both colonial imposition and taking, but also can serve today as places of creating greater understanding of human ingenuity and diversity,” Williams said.

“I hope my background can help the School of Human Evolution and Social Change grow in new directions, engaging publics in new ways, and give students the skills they need to approach 21st-century challenges in a diverse and multicultural world.”

Read more, https://news.asu.edu/20230713-ryan-williams-named-new-director-asu-school-human-evolution-and-social-change?{_src}=news-story

New research by a team of primatologists at Arizona State University is dispelling some myths about testosterone and aggression in primates. The team found that more testosterone does not mean more aggression in wild chimpanzees.

“Males (chimpanzees) with greater lean muscle mass were higher ranking and had higher testosterone but were not more aggressive,” said Jacob Negrey, a postdoctoral research scholar with the School of Human Evolution and Social Change. “We didn't find an association between muscle mass and aggression rates.”

“More aggressive chimps are generally higher ranking, but more aggressive chimps don't have higher testosterone levels or muscle mass.”

Read more: https://bit.ly/3XWEdvX

📷 2. Jackson, a dominant male chimpanzee, is groomed by a subordinate. Other images are adult male chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda.

Students are having a fantastic experience in Guatemala with Associate Professor Jonathan Maupin!

Maupin is leading the field school "The Community Health and Medical Anthropology: Guatemala," where students are participating in research projects with individual households and local schools that focus on community health issues, such as food insecurity, body image, and reproductive health.

Image 3 is Volcán de Fuego. In image 4, students learned about community-based, holistic health practices at Maupin’s grandpa's clinic he founded in the 1960s in Chimaltenango. In image 5, students heard from Judy Gibson, a psychologist who has done extensive work in Guatemala.

Thank you to Dr. Brittany "Bri" Romanello for sharing these amazing photos!

The Jane Goodall Institute and Arizona State University are expanding their partnership.

ASU is currently the repository for the Jane Goodall Institute Gombe Research Archive. The archive is a resource for scientific discovery that represents more than 60 years of research data on wild chimpanzees and is overseen by Ian Gilby, associate professor at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change and Institute of Human Origins.

This extended partnership will expand Roots & Shoots, Jane Goodall Institute's global youth program.

Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and U.N. Messenger of Peace, and ASU President Michael Crow recently signed a letter of intent to expand their partnership and focus on research and discovery for the planet and its inhabitants to scale up equitable and accessible education for youths and emerging leaders.
Read more: https://news.asu.edu/20230627-jane-goodall-institute-and-asu-take-first-steps-expand-partnership
📸
Ethologist and conservationist Jane Goodall (bottom right) and ASU President Michael Crow shake hands during a meeting to discuss ways to expand their partnership, while (from back left) Anna Rathmann, executive director, Jane Goodall Institute USA; Lilian Pintea, vice president of conservation science, Jane Goodall Institute USA; Ian Gilby, ASU professor; and Susana Name, vice president of founder relations, Jane Goodall Institute; look on.

ASU bioarcheologist, Brenda Baker spent time in Cyprus this summer continuing her research on medieval life through burial remains.

The area continues to be the focus of her work as part of the Princeton University Cyprus Expedition. The goal of the project is to examine Hellenistic and Roman layers of the town that were discovered, as well as the late antique-to-medieval basilicas. Baker is the project’s bioarchaeologist and is in charge of studying the skeletons of people buried in and around the two churches some 500 to 1,700 years ago.

Read more! https://bit.ly/44JhN3t

📸 Photos courtesy of Katelyn Bolhofner
1. Baker works in her lab in Cyprus.
2. ASU researcher Brenda Baker has worked at this excavation site in Polis, Cyprus, for many years. The excavations are near two basilicas. Baker is studying the skeletons of people buried in and around the churches 500 to 1,700 years ago.
3. Baker begins her work day by retrieving trays of bones from storage. The lab provides good light and a lot of table space to analyze the bones. Baker takes an inventory of what bones are present or absent and then determines the s*x, dental wear and more.
4. Baker's route from the Larnaca International Airport to the excavation site in Polis, or Poli Crysochous, Cyprus. Image courtesy Google maps.

New research from the School of Human Evolution and Social Change shows that male baboons split their time between important tasks.

SHESC graduate student Caitlin Hawley, researcher Sam Patterson and Regents Professor Joan Silk’s work reveal a ‘work-life balance’ for male baboons between mating and caring for offspring.

“Our results show that males can’t have it all; they have to make trade-offs,” said Silk, who is a research associate with the Institute of Human Origins.

“Although baboons are very different than modern humans, the environments that baboons live in now is similar to the environment in which humans evolved. Our results may help us (with) understanding the dynamics (of) mating and parenting in the evolutionary history of our own species," said Hawley.”

Read more - https://bit.ly/3qwdAky

📸 1. A male olive baboon caring for an infant. Photo courtesy Joan Silk/ASU.

2. Baboons, shown grooming each other, are highly social. Photo courtesy Joan Silk/ASU

Three students with the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University were honored with Fulbright awards this year!

Patrick Fahey (left) is a graduate student, who is also affiliated with the Institute for Human Origins. Fahey received a 2023–24 Fulbright to travel to South Africa and research the faunal (animal) remains from Pinnacle Point 5-6N (PP5-6N).

David Gowey (right) is a graduate student with a focus on sociocultural anthropology. Gowey received the Open Study/Research Award to work with schools in the central Philippines, in the town of Calinog.

Quinn Hardt graduated in spring 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology and a minor in Asian languages, with a focus on Chinese. Hardt received an English Teaching Assistant Award from Fulbright to teach and live in Kinmen, a small island off the coast of Fujian, China.

Read more - https://bit.ly/3WFFXZK

SHESC archaeologist Saburo Sugiyama was recently honored with one of Japan’s most prestigious awards.

Sugiyama received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette for his work at Teotihuacan and cultural and educational activities between Mexico, Japan and the United States.

“Teotihuacan is one of the most mysterious ancient cities, symbolically planned to materialize their worldview, astronomy, calendar systems, etc. It's fun exploring profound intelligence, technologies, arts and growing social complex systems with your hands for the first time.”

Read more: https://bit.ly/3IAx1Pq

Sebastían Ramírez Amaya was a PhD student at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change and at the Institute of Human Orgins at Arizona State University. He was studying the social interactions of the Ngogo chimpanzees that occur between males and females in Uganda, when he passed away in a tragic accident in April of 2022.

This spring his family accepted his posthumous degree.

His father spoke about what it means to the family.

“It is an act of love. By love, we give meaning to grief and stand to honor and recognize his achievements and celebrate his life,” Fernando Ramírez Cortes said. “I know what the doctoral degree meant for him, and he knew what it means for me. By accepting it on his behalf, we both are spiritually connected by love.”

Read more: https://bit.ly/41RVO8o

📸 1. Patrick Kenney (left), dean of The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, presents his posthumous degree to Sebastían Ramírez Amaya's family and friends. Photo courtesy Meghan Finnerty/ASU

2. Sebastían Ramírez Amaya was conducting fieldwork in Kibale National Park in western Uganda, where he was observing social relationships between adult male and female chimpanzees.

ASU student Zachary Whaley is double majoring in biological sciences, with a concentration in conservation biology and ecology, from the School of Life Sciences and in global health from the School of Human Evolution and Social Change.

He was recently awarded the SAGE Family Southeast Asian Studies Scholarship, that will allow him to travel to Indonesia and complete research on coral reef fisheries.

“I am planning on visiting Marine Protected Areas within the Bird’s Head Seascape of Papua, Indonesia, in order to assess how the interplay of social, political and ecological factors influences coral reef fisheries there,” said Whaley. “I also plan on traveling around the country for a week and visiting coral reef sites in order to gain a better understanding of the social-ecological systems present in Indonesian coral reef ecosystems.”

Read more: https://bit.ly/3MsI7r4

📸 1. ASU student Zachary Whaley worked on coral restoration in Trinidad and Tobago. Photo courtesy Zachary Whaley

ICYMI: Anthropologist and Assistant Professor India Schneider-Crease is leading a project looking to bring together students, engineers, conservationists and anthropologists from Arizona State University and Ethiopia to solve a trash crisis in the Simien Mountains.

ASU team helps protect World Heritage Site in Ethiopia ASU professors and students join an international team to give Ethiopian community members the tools and technology for a cleaner Simien Mountains National Park, home to many rare and endangered species like gelada monkeys, the Walia ibex and Ethiopian wolf.

Have you watched the new Netflix series “Chimp Empire?”

We were hooked and shook. 👀

This series shows the amazing community of chimpanzees in Ngogo in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Our own Kevin Langergraber, associate professor in SHESC and research scientist with , has studied this exact community for more than 20 years.

“I think the filmmakers have done an amazing job turning our scientific stories into compelling emotional drama that brings people in,” Langergraber said.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3LoPe32

📸 Photos courtesy of Professor Langergraber
1. Viewers of "Chimp Empire" resonated with the social struggles of adolescent male chimpanzee Gus.
2. ASU primatologist Kevin Langergraber studies the Ngogo chimpanzee community, which is the subject of "Chimp Empire."
3. Chimpanzees Garrison being groomed by Rollins. These two males of the western Ngogo group have spent countless hours over the years performing affiliative behaviors like this to cement their social bonds.
4. Adult female chimpanzee Carson and her son E.O., who was named after the evolutionary biologist E.O. Wilson.
5. Miles is the largest chimpanzee ever seen in the Ngogo community. He held the alpha position for many years before he was deposed by his paternal brother, Jackson.

Madeleine Oricchio was selected as this semester’s Dean’s Medalist by The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, a prestigious award that recognizes outstanding academic achievement. She is graduating this spring with a Bachelor of Science degree in anthropology from the School of Human Evolution and Social Change.

“Anthropology is a really interesting major because you can kind of do whatever you want with it,” said Oricchio. “There’s a bunch of different things you can study. And you can do internships, you can do lab work. You can talk to people in the groups that you’re studying or you can study abroad to go find the answers you’re looking for. So it really depends from person to person which is why it’s so great.”

Read more: https://bit.ly/42vJgob

Congratulations to all our spring 2023 graduates!


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Nao Yamamoto is graduating with her PhD in Applied Mathematics for the Life & Social Sciences from SHESC spring 2023!

Her graduate research focused on mathematical modeling for infectious diseases, specifically COVID-19 and HIV. Yamamoto has accepted a postdoctoral position at New York University School of Medicine, where she will continue working on HIV modeling.

• What was your “aha” moment when you realized you wanted to study the field you majored in?
Ever since I watched the Broadway musical RENT at the age of 16, I have been interested in contributing to the fight against HIV. During my undergraduate studies as a math student, I learned about exponential growth and logistic growth and was amazed by how a single additional parameter can change the dynamics. I realized I could apply this concept to HIV research, which is how I started working on mathematical modeling for infectious diseases.

• What’s something you learned while at ASU — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you or changed your perspective?
One thing that changed my perspective while at ASU is the importance of education. During a summer REU program in 2020, one of my mentors who was a postdoc told me, "Education always has a big impact; it changes lives." This statement challenged my previous belief that focusing on research and publishing papers was the hallmark of academic success. I used to think that publishing a paper in a top-rated peer-reviewed journal was the only way to make an impact in the world. However, working with the postdoc completely changed my view. Education is challenging but rewarding, sometimes even more than publishing a paper that may or may not have an impact. The mentor's words resonated with me because I realized the impact that mentorship can have on both the mentor and the mentee. I now believe that mentoring is not unidirectional, but rather benefits both parties and provides opportunities for personal and professional growth, as well as personal satisfaction.

• Why did you choose ASU?
I chose ASU because I was interested in conducting research at the Simon A. Levin Mathematical, Computational, Modeling Sciences Center, and I was particularly interested in working with Dr. Haiyan Wang at ASU.

• Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?
The professor who taught me the most important lesson while at ASU is Dr. Haiyan Wang. Meeting him was the best thing that ever happened to me in my professional life. He taught me what it means to be an educator and mentor. He always had my career in mind and even took my mental health into consideration because he knows that success means little if it's at the expense of a person's well-being. I learned from him that it's essential to respect, accommodate, and motivate individuals to help them grow.

• What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?
The advice that has been most helpful to me and that I would like to share with those still in school is to avoid limiting yourself and to listen to your own instincts. It's important to have faith in yourself and work hard, while also being kind to yourself. Remember that success looks different for everyone, and it's important to define what success means to you, rather than comparing yourself to others. Finally, don't be afraid to ask for help or guidance when you need it, and surround yourself with supportive and positive people who will help you grow and thrive. I believe that following these principles can lead to personal and professional fulfillment, based on my own experience.

• If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?
If someone gave me $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, I would focus on improving our ability to respond to infectious disease outbreaks using network science and mathematical models. This would involve investing in the development and refinement of mathematical models to better understand the spread of infectious diseases and identify effective intervention strategies. It would also involve improving disease surveillance systems and increasing the capacity for rapid response to emerging infectious diseases. While $40 million may not be enough to solve all of the world's public health challenges, it can be a significant step towards improving our ability to control infectious diseases and safeguarding public health.

Jason Bautista Pejay, a Flinn Scholar and student at Barrett, The Honors College, is graduating this spring with a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from the School of Human Evolution and Social Change.

Bautista Pejay said it took him time to find his true passion in college.

“It would take years of growth through exploration in the different fields of anthropology and unlearning the internalized racism that made me avoid academic spaces for so long, but eventually I found my place as a globetrotting, tarot-reading, Indigenous Mexican writer in the sociocultural branch of anthropology,” Bautista Pejay said. “Today, I am on my first ever personal project, an autoethnography, with my honors thesis director. Anthropology will always be my first love, and I only look forward to where it will take me post-undergrad.”

Read more: https://bit.ly/3oTd4fS

📸 Photos courtesy of Jason Bautista Pejay
1. Bautista Pejay visiting Mexico to see family after seven years of not going. He and his sister spent a week in Mexico City and visited Teotihuacan for a day. Jason also used to be in the Teotihuacan lab.

2. Bautisa Pejay overlooking Lake Arenal in San Carlos, Costa Rica. "We had just finished ziplining and taking a jungle tour with the Barrett Senior Class trip and were enjoying the views," said Bautisa Pejay.

Global health PhD graduate Alexandria Drake created a new tool to help treat opioid use disorder.

Roughly 188 individuals in the United States die every day due to an opioid-related overdose, according to Arizona State University PhD student Alexandria Drake, who reported on the issue in her dissertation.

Her research led to the development of a dashboard that communities, health-care providers and policymakers can use as a tool to help combat the opioid problem in America.

“One of the things about working in public health is that resources are limited,” said Drake, who is graduating with her PhD in global health from the School of Human Evolution and Social Change this spring.

“As much as we would like to say we’re going to address opioid dependency and a lack of treatment throughout the United States, there’s just not enough resources, whether it’s financial, personnel or time. How can we figure out a way to prioritize areas that really need attention right now? How do we highlight those alert areas?”

Use the interactive dashboard and read more here: https://news.asu.edu/20230424-asu-global-health-phd-graduate-creates-new-tool-help-treat-opioid-use-disorder?

📸 Photos courtesy of Alexandria Drake
1. Drake
2. Image of the dashboard that Drake created, providing flexible data about opioid use disorder.
3. Drake with Professor Dan Hruschka and Associate Professor Megan Jehn after her dissertation defense on April 7.
4. Drake presented her research at a conference in Portland, OR.
5. Drake conducted research with the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience at ASU about eviction and foreclosures in Maricopa County. Her work was highlighted as the cover story in the Arizona Republic in February 2021.
6. Drake at an event for Knowledge Exchange for Resilience, Nov. 2022.