Department of Anthropology Honors Students and Research Sites
Leah Isquith
Measuring cultural consensus on nutrition within and between parent and child groups in a Latino population in the Southeast: the effects of acculturation, influence on practice, and implications
Honors Advisor: Craig Hadley
Employing cultural consensus frameworks, I assess the extent to which parents and their children agree on what children should eat and if their practices support their prescriptions. Using both quantitative and qualitative measures, I analyze agreement within parent and child groups and examine between group variation to determine if parent and child perceptions are driven by distinct parent and child cultural domains or aspects of acculturation. I explore the extent to which these perceptions are implemented using anthropometric measures of children's nutritional status and ethnographic information. I describe the implications of this research for nutritional education and the improvement of children's diets within Latino communities in the United States.
Matthew Levy
Trabecular Bone Loss and Compressive Group Reformation in Femoral Heads of an Ancient Nubian X-Group (350-550 CE) Population
Honors Advisor: George Armelagos
Based on previous analyses, it is hypothesized that cross members of femoral head trabecular bone lessens with age. In this study, I show with cross section analysis of trabecular bone of the femoral head that bone density lessens with age. By evaluating twenty eight individuals from an ancient Nubian population (X-group), with ages ranging from 17-50, it is apparent that bone density significantly decreases. There is a specific pattern of bone loss: With aging, the two major groups of trabecular components, compressive and tensile groups, wear away. The compressive (vertical groups) reform in fewer yet thicker strands as compressive groups are lost. In the designated region of each femoral sample, the total number of cross members clearly lessens with increasing age.
John Woodliff
A comparative Analysis of Swift Creek Culture Remains in North East Atlanta
Honors Advisor: George Armelagos
I am researching a local prehistoric inhabitation site and compiling a typological and comparative report based on ceramic and lithic artifacts. More specifically, I will study the composition of the ceramic vessels and examining the various stamped designs that make these artifacts so interesting. I am working with Dr. Armelagos, Dr. Stutz, Dr. Kingston, Dr. Gouzoules, and Dr. Dennis Blanton, Curator of Native American Archaeology at Fernbank.
Emily Korval
The Health Status of African Refugees Living in the United States
Honors Advisor: Craig Hadley
My thesis research focuses on the nutritional status of refugees living in the United States. I am working with Dr. Hadley to analyze a data set of one hundred and five female Liberian refugees living in Providence, Rhode Island. This analysis involves looking at a variety of factors that impact nutritional status and overall health, such as income, involvement in social support programs, acculturation status, and remittance practices. The experience of the refugees will then be related to the Nutrition Transition, as prevalence of undernutrition drops off rapidly after entering the United States, and health problems relating to a Western diet arise. Finally, I will explore the local problems experienced by refugees living in Atlanta, as well as the outreach programs available to them.
Quynh-Chau Ha
Honors Advisor: Dr. Whitten
Research Supervisor: Dr. Mark Wilson (PsychoBiology Department - Yerkes National Primate Research Center)
Research Location: Yerkes National Primate Research Center (Field Station in Suwanee, GA)
Does a High Fat, High Calories Diet Reduce the Expression of Anxiety in Socially Housed Female Rhesus Macaques?
Obesity is a nationwide concern that can be addressed by examining the complex relationship between diet, psychological stress, and social and environmental factors. Psychological stressors can trigger neuroendocrine responses which stimulates food consumption and preference for higher calorie, high-fat foods. Non-human primates have been used as an animal model for studies of environmental and psychosocial factors affecting feeding patterns and behaviors. Stress and anxiety initiate behavioral changes that lead to the alteration of feeding patterns in subordinate female rhesus macaques. I hypothesize that the positive effects of a high-fat diet on stress and behavior establish an addiction for food. It is my plan to investigate behavioral changes occurring after subordinate individuals seek out food in response to stress stimuli.
Two additional students are working on Department of Anthropology honors research projects:
Brendan Munzer
Activity Determination through Measurements of Moments of Inertia
Honors Advisor: George Armelagos
Robert Pendergrass
How Ethnomusicologists Analyze and Present Non-Western Music to Western Audiences
Honors Advisor: Scott Lacy