Anthropology Commons^™

Non-Destructive Automated Classification Of Human And Large Mammal Long Bone Fragments: A Deep Learning Approach Using Micro-Ct Histomorphology And Grad-Cam Interpretation, Kathleen Marie Kelley

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

This study explores the development and validation of an automated, deep learning system designed to differentiate human from large mammal long bone fragments using micro-CT imagery. A comprehensive dataset of cross-sectional µCT images was assembled from human and animal skeletal material processed at the DPAA, Nebraska. A convolutional neural network (CNN) based on a ResNet-18 architecture, utilizing transfer learning from ImageNet weights, was trained to classify µCT images as human or animal. The model achieved a mean classification accuracy of 89.85% (± 8.27%) across five sample-level cross-validation folds, with a sensitivity of 96.21% and a 95% bootstrap confidence interval of …

Roads To Antiochia Ad Cragum: Pedestrian Survey And A Least Cost Path Model Of Roman Roads In The Vicinity Of Antiochia Ad Cragum, Southern Türkiye, Alexander W. Pastor

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Antiochia ad Cragum, a Roman site located in modern southern Türkiye, has been intensively investigated through archaeological study. However, the surrounding landscape has received less attention. This thesis addresses this gap by examining how this past settlement might have been accessed, which is an important step in gaining a better understanding of how people and resources traveled overland and how infrastructure was made to accommodate this travel. Pedestrian survey was conducted along posited western and eastern segments of a Roman-era road, finding remains consistent with but not definitively establishing this interpretation. In addition, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was used to …

Fishing, Butchery And Smoking: Salmonids In Northeastern Iceland, Quinn Matthew Habedank

Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores the ethnoecology of Northern Iceland from 1880-1920 via the zooarchaeology of salmonid remains. Based on the identification of salmonid bones retrieved from Hofstaðir, the people living at the farm likely engaged in small-scale production of transportable fish products based on locally available wild resources.

The Effectiveness Of Utilizing An Arts-Integrated Approach With Students With Ieps In Grades K–5 Self-Contained Classrooms And Why An Arts-Integrated Approach Is Not Widely Implemented In The United States, Alexandra Leff

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines arts integration as an approach for K–5 students with IEPs. Drawing on research from Western and non-Western and data from two programs, it shows gains in academic achievement and social-emotional learning. Despite cultural and systemic barriers, findings support expanding arts integration through teacher training and policy reform.

Sonic Rupture And Embodied Politics:
Reconfiguring The Aesthetic Regime In The Syrian Uprising, Lynn Shabani

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis argues that the Syrian uprising of 2011 emerged as a sonic and embodied rupture within an authoritarian aesthetic regime that had long governed public sensibility. Through chants, song, and coordinated movement, political agency took form as collective, affective practice, transforming vernacular repertoires into infrastructures of mobilization, audibility, and resistance.

Internalizing Diasporic Peoples: How Do We Keep Native Hawaiians Connected?, Kallie P. Kaaihue-Paopao

Whittier Scholars Program

In the attempt to better understand the grounds for the generation culture disconnect of identity in Native Hawaiians, I study the diaspora of my people. Diaspora is the dispersion of people from their native lands. I find interest in this aspect of my people because the most common studies blame our dispersion on socioeconomic status and as a Native Hawaiian that wishes to do more for her people, I want to express that while it plays a part that there is a disconnection between the social actions and reactions of Hawaiʻi’s people. Common questions that I find unanswered are, why …

Albany City As A Case Study In Language Mapping, Storm Pupina

Linguistics

This thesis uses Albany, NY, as a case study in urban language mapping, following the example of many other language mapping projects, most notably the NYC Language Mapping Project. Albany's languages and linguistic features were analyzed to better understand the area's linguistic ecology and ongoing heritage-language maintenance efforts. Various types of American Census data were compared to reach the conclusions. Despite not being a major city, Albany is bustling with both new and old language communities. Similar efforts with more varied data-gathering tactics would greatly benefit other American urban landscapes.

Intersectionality And Belonging: Higher Education Mathematics, Ashley Natalie

Mathematics and Statistics

Students with intersecting marginalized identities (such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, or first-generation background) often face unique challenges in advanced mathematics that affect confidence, participation, amounting to a sense of belonging. These experiences remain underrepresented in mathematics education research. This qualitative, narrative-based study examines how these students experience classroom dynamics and belonging in upper-level mathematics courses. Semi-structured interviews will be analyzed thematically to identify patterns related to identity, classroom culture, instructor behavior, and peer interactions. Findings aim to highlight barriers and supportive practices, informing more inclusive teaching strategies and equitable learning environments in advanced mathematics.

Intersectionality And Belonging: Higher Education Mathematics, Ashley Williams

Mathematics and Statistics

Students with intersecting marginalized identities (such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, or first-generation background) often face unique challenges in advanced mathematics that affect confidence, participation, amounting to a sense of belonging. These experiences remain underrepresented in mathematics education research. This qualitative, narrative-based study examines how these students experience classroom dynamics and belonging in upper-level mathematics courses. Semi-structured interviews will be analyzed thematically to identify patterns related to identity, classroom culture, instructor behavior, and peer interactions. Findings aim to highlight barriers and supportive practices, informing more inclusive teaching strategies and equitable learning environments in advanced mathematics.

Burmese Marionette Puppet In The May Weber Ethnographic Study Collection, Haley Dozier

Department of Anthropology

This report provides a detailed description and attribution of a Burmese marionette puppet in the May Weber Ethnographic Study Collection at Loyola University Chicago. It includes information about the puppet itself as well as the art and formation of Burmese marionette theater.

Decomposition Study Using Pigs In Southeastern Nebraska During The Fall And Winter Seasons, Ryan Bodine

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

When an individual is found deceased, one of the tools used in the identification process is estimating the post-mortem interval (PMI). This estimate is used to determine how long an individual has been deceased once their remains are found. To estimate an accurate PMI, knowing how decomposition is affected by external factors is key. The transition period from fall to winter in southeastern Nebraska consists of fluctuating temperatures as the seasons transfer from fall to winter. This thesis investigates how decomposition is affected during this transition period while also looking at two different environments that are common in Nebraska, prairies …

Exploring The Biocultural Profile Of The Undocumented Populations Of The Sonoran Corridor: A Skeletal Assessment Of The Prevention Through Deterrence Strategy, Mary A. Vaughn

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Over the last thirty years the mortality rate of the undocumented population at the US-Mexico border has risen, requiring methods distinguishing US-born individuals from immigrants to improve the likelihood of identification and repatriation through foreign consulates. Forensic anthropologists with the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner (PCOME) have advocated for the use of the biocultural profile, combining the biological profile with factors including oral health, osteological stress, and personal effects. The biocultural profile serves two purposes, functioning both as a tool for identification and with which to document structural inequality within communities of origin.

This study examines changes in …

Assessing The Use Of Accelerometers For Measuring Static Balance Perturbations, Delaney Mcmanus

Anthropology

Falls among older adults are a leading cause of injury and loss of independence and have become an increasingly relevant public health issue as the elderly population continues to grow. Understanding the biomechanical factors that contribute to fall risk is essential in developing fall-prevention strategies and identifying individuals at risk. Force platforms are the gold-standard method for quantifying balance perturbations, but they are expensive and require dedicated lab space and support staff to operate. This research has three goals: (1) to test whether wearable accelerometers can provide similar discrimination of balance perturbations as a force plate, (2) to evaluate the …

An Assessment Of The Basihyal And Its Functional And Ontogenetic Relationships To The Masticatory Apparatus In Primates, Parker Mitchell Taylor

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The hyoid is central to many important functions such as feeding, vocalization, and breathing. However, primate hyoid morphology has been widely understudied compared to other aspects of craniofacial morphology. This dissertation aimed to bridge gaps in the current understanding of primate hyoid morphological variation and the hyoid’s relationship with mandibular morphology. Using microCT, diceCT, and three-dimensional geometric morphometric methods, this work details broad taxonomic variation of basihyal shape, resting hyoid position, and suprahyoid muscle architecture in primates, and assesses such variation for the effects of phylogeny, allometry, and covariation between these elements and mandibular shape. These analyses were also conducted …

Addressing Low Vaccination Rates In Lewis County, New York: A Community-Based Participatory Research Study, Samantha Carter

Anthropology

Low rates of on-time human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination continue to remain a significant public health concern, particularly in rural communities, one being Lewis County NY, which reports the lowest rate of vaccination in the state.  This study, through Upstate Medical University, uses a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) model in efforts to examine barriers to HPV vaccination and identifying community-driven solutions formulated by committee members from within the community.  A steering committee composed of researchers and community members, who were also co-researchers, worked collaboratively to develop and distribute surveys to healthcare providers, dentists, and parents.  Responses revealed that while many parents …

Integrating Doulas Into The Medical Team, Alyssa Shaw

Anthropology

This thesis explores the potential integration of doulas into the obstetric medical team, defining birth as a cultural and social experience as well as a physiological process. Drawing on anthropological literature and historical accounts, I examine the shift from social, woman-centered childbirth practices to the medicalized model that occurs in modern American obstetrics. While this transformation has improved maternal and infant mortality rates, it has also caused a loss of continuous emotional and social support for laboring mothers, as well as a shift in autonomy from the birthing person to medical professionals. To investigate how doulas may help bridge this …

Microplastics And Generational Harm, Sara Najafi

Anthropology

Microplastics are persistent environmental contaminants increasingly detected in ecosystems and the human body, raising concerns about their effects on health and future generations. This paper examines the environmental pathways, biological mechanisms, and reproductive consequences of microplastic exposure, with particular attention to female reproductive health and fetal development. Current evidence indicates that microplastics can contribute to oxidative stress, inflammation, endocrine disruption, DNA damage, and cellular dysfunction, while also accumulating in reproductive tissues, follicular fluid, placental tissue, and breast milk. These exposures may impair ovarian function, fetal development, and long-term health outcomes. The paper also considers environmental inequalities that may increase exposure …

Bound To Status: A Comparative Study Of Public And Private College Libraries, Lilianna Fujita

Anthropology

This ethnographic study compares student culture and behavior at two upstate New York universities — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), a private STEM-focused institution, and the University at Albany (UAlbany), a public research university. Through two rounds of participant observation conducted in each school's library and three semi-structured student interviews, the author examines how institutional type, admissions selectivity, campus environment, and resource allocation shape student social dynamics, gender experiences, and overall well-being. The author argues that differences in student behavior reflect not only individual student dispositions but broader institutional decisions about who is admitted and what social infrastructure is supported.

Analysis Of Volumetric Reconstruction Methods In Archaeology, Cade O'Fallon

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry in archaeological projects is entering a period of transition; a method of producing 3D data that is traditionally embraced as tool for documentation is being explored for its analytic potential. One such way SfM photogrammetry can be used analytically is through the calculation of volumes using photogrammetric data. The tools exist for archaeologists to be able to create and quantify volumetric models; however, the discourse on these methods is still so new there is no consensus on the best method for conducting volumetric work. Different methods of creating and isolating volumetric space …

House Of Ill-Fame: A Historical, Cartographic, And Archaeological Study On The Spatial Evolution Of Commercial Sex Work In New Orleans, 1875 – 1925, Austin Roebuck

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the historic spatiality of commercial sex‑work in New Orleans by analyzing targeted addresses associated with the trade across three census years. Using the establishment and closure of Storyville (1897–1917) as a temporal frame, it compares demographic patterns in dwellings labeled as “houses of ill fame” in 1880, 1900, and 1920 to trace changes in household composition and social identity. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, newspapers, and city directories contextualize these patterns within three ten‑year intervals (1875–1885, 1895–1905, 1915–1925), revealing how sex‑work spaces were regulated, represented, and embedded in the urban landscape. The study also incorporates an archaeological assemblage …