Locating A Marketplace At The Ancient Maya City Of Lakamha', Mexico Using The Configurational Approach, Lydia Wolfe, Jonathan Roldan

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

Research Goal: Test configurational approach (Rejected markets, Confirmed markets), Propose market location at Lakamha', Mexico

Musculoskeletal Markers: A Comparison Of The Influence Of Three Biological Factors On Robusticity, Megan Greene

LSU Master's Theses

Research suggests that musculoskeletal markers (MSMs) can provide information about the lives of deceased individuals. The majority of studies focus on single factors that influence the morphology of MSMs in pre-modern societies (i.e., medieval, hunter-gatherers, preindustrial, etc.). This study analyzes MSMs of modern skeletons of 72 females and 83 males from the United States whose ages at death range from 30 to 89 to understand the relationship between various biological factors and MSM morphology. Eight MSMs (attachments of pectoralis major, deltoid, brachialis, supinator, iliopsoas, gluteus maximus, quadriceps, and soleus) were analyzed and categorized as phases zero, one, two, or three …

Defining A Culture Through Artwork: Case Of Asian Pacific, Camryn Kelbaugh, Gianna Aiosa, Brooke Demarsico, Fiona Lyons

Education Student Scholarship

Camryn Kelbaugh ’22, Major: Biology
Gianna Aiosa ’25, Major: Elementary/Special Education
Brooke DeMarsico ’25, Major: Elementary/Special Education
Fiona Lyons ’25, Elementary/Special Education
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Comfort Ateh, Secondary Education

Artwork is a major tool in any culture. Unfortunately, it has not been extensively explored as a tool in discussing the cultural diversity in our communities. In our research shared in this poster presentation, we focused on the Asian Pacific people and examined their culture through artwork. We investigated artists and their lives towards a deep understanding of the role of artwork in defining culture of a people. We share what …

Lo Afrocubano: Exploring Afro-Cuban Culture In Music, Literature, & Art, Pre- & Post-Cuban Revolution, Grace Maffucci

World Languages and Cultures Student Scholarship

Grace Maffucci ’22
Majors: Music Performance and Spanish
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Monica Simal, Foreign Language Studies

After the abolition of slavery in Cuba in 1886, Black Cubans struggled for equality and a place in a White-dominated society. The twentieth century brought about a deeper exploration of Afro-Cuban culture and identity through several forms of art. Despite the promise of racial equality guaranteed by Fidel Castro at the dawn of the Cuban Revolution, conversations about racial identity were silenced. This study delves into the music, literature, and art of twentieth century Afro-Cuban artists, notably poet Nicolás Guillén, painter Wilfredo Lam, and …

The Maine Archaeology Cultural Heritage Guide, Colleen Metcalf

Thinking Matters Symposium

Public outreach is an important aspect of modern archaeology, it can help shape how people understand their past, and help them navigate their place in today’s world. As an archaeology-based public outreach effort, the Maine archaeology cultural heritage guide compiles information about one hundred selected archaeological sites across the state of Maine. The selected sites represent the unique history of Maine and have both historical and cultural significance. Information collected about each site includes: name, location, NRHP status, geo-coordinates, watershed, time period, native tribal affiliation, historical significance, curation, and excavators. The organization of information about these sites into a comprehensive …

Salmon Coding Manual, Paulo Santesso Goncalves

Heritage Conversation Partners

No abstract provided.

Evergreen Coding Manual, Oscar Gonzalez, Liner Solarte

Heritage Conversation Partners

No abstract provided.

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Investigation Of Teachers’ Perspectives Towards Integrating Culture Into Chinese-As-Aforeign-Language (Cfl) Curricula And Instruction In American High Schools, Xuan Song

ETD Archive

The importance of integrating culture into foreign language teaching and learning has been acknowledged in the U.S. by the National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project and foreign language professionals. However, it remains challenging for Chinese-as-a-Foreign-Language (CFL) teachers to embrace this concept thoroughly and implement it effectively in their CFL classes. The study explores six CFL teachers’ perceptions and experiences towards culture and language integration into their CFL curricula and instruction in American high schools. This study aims to describe the overall landscape of culture-language integration in the CFL discipline in American high schools by revealing the essential knowledge of …

Resurrecting Gaelic: Modernity And Heritage Language Revival In Scotland In A Comparative Perspective, Sean Coady

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Many people from across the world have little or no connection to their heritage languages. Whether this loss is caused by conquest, colonialization, or simply lack of parent-child transmission, many believe that they are missing an integral part of their cultural identity and want to reclaim the languages of their forebearers. There is wide debate about how, why, and if this linguistic reclamation and revitalization should happen because, in the face of modernity and language evolution, the best solutions are not always clear. What constitutes successful language revitalization in the modern world, and why does it happen? Gaelic in Scotland …

People, Not Symptoms: A Visual Ethnography Of Ayurvedic Doctor Ashlesha Raut, Elizabeth Baranski

Outstanding Ethnographic Research Projects

Dr. Ashlesha Raut is an Ayurvedic doctor practicing in Bloomington-Normal at her clinic, Ayurveda for Healing. Her role as an Ayurvedic doctor focuses on diagnosing and treating imbalances in the day to day life of patients in order to guide people to their healthiest, happiest selves. My research focuses on Dr. Ashlesha Raut’s relationship with Ayurveda and how she diagnoses specific, individual patients through a holistic perspective. The research includes a contemporary literature review of Ayurveda, focusing on the perspectives of practitioners and their diagnostic methods. I conducted research in collaboration with Dr. Raut, with ethnographic interviews and experiencing Dr. …

Assessing The Effect Time And Burial Environment Have On The Use Of The Lamendin Dental Age Estimation Method In Two Archaeological Samples From Jordan, Sabrina L. Williamson

LSU Master's Theses

The Lamendin method is a dental age estimation method that can be used by biological anthropologists when the skeletal anatomy is not available. The Lamendin method utilizes an index derived from measurements of the tooth root height (RH), periodontal line height (PLH), and root transparency height (RTH) to estimate the age of an individual. Although this method is often used in forensic contexts, its presence in the bioarcheological literature is almost non-existent. Research that mentions the Lamendin method conflict about whether the method can be used in specimens with longer postmortem intervals (PMIs) and in various depositional environments. This study …

Interpreting Settler Infrastructure In Stevens County, Minnesota: Gager's Station And The Post Dakota-Us War Of 1862 Frontier, Mitchell Kane Hancock

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2022

Gager's Station is a little known, but formative settler infrastructure project from the 1860s in west-central Minnesota. Gager's Station was situated along both an important military supply route, and lands of significant importance to the Indigenous people of the area. Gager's Station bears several similarities to the scout camps and civilian defense forts in the broader Fort Wadsworth network that provided civilian defense to new homesteaders following the Dakota-US War of 1862. Fort Wadsworth served as another goal post in western expansion of the United States. Further, the networks of forts that supported it appeased the anxious settlers who feared …

"We're Like Ghosts, But We Have To Be." Invisibility & Liminality Among Kentuckiana's Undocumented Population, Sophie Amaya

Undergraduate Theses

The controversial topic of illegal immigration has repeatedly and deeply divided the United States. There has been, in recent years, a spotlight on immigrants from Latin America, and impersonal claims are being spread in news articles everywhere. For this research, survey questionnaires and ethnographic interviews were used to facilitate a sample of undocumented immigrants from the Louisville, Kentucky, and Southern Indiana (An area known as “Kentuckiana”) to provide insight on their experiences. This thesis aims to examine the effects of this uncertain status on the well-being of Latin American immigrants in this region, where not much research is done on …

Analysis Of Spindle Whorls And Fishing Weights From The Ancient Maya Trading Port Of Moho Cay, Belize, Kaitlin Samples

LSU Master's Theses

Abstract

Trading, fishing, and spinning thread were important parts of the ancient Maya world. Iconography and archaeological excavations have shown the importance of the three activities. The ancient Maya had an extensive trade network along the Belize River. The site of Moho Cay was an important trading area within this network. Excavations at Moho Cay show the importance of trade, fishing, and spinning at Moho Cay. The excavations done in 1979, led by Dr. McKillop and the team of Trent University, yielded a large sample of spindle whorls and fishing weights. Analysis of these spindle whorls and fishing weights is …

Volume 13, Payton Davenport, Audrey Lemons, Jacob Shope, Haley Smith, Cassandra Poole, Rachel Cannon, Rachel Boch, Suzanne Stetson

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction Dr. Roger A. Byrne, Dean

From the Editor Dr. Larissa “Kat” Tracy

From the Designers Rachel English, Rachel Hanson

The Effect of Compliment Type on the Estimated Value of the Compliment by Payton Davenport, Audrey Lemons, and Jacob Shope

The Imperial Japanese Military: A New Identity in the Twentieth Century, 1853–1922 by Haley Smith

Longwood University’s campus: Human-cultivated Soil has Higher Microbial Diversity than Soil Collected from Wild Sites by Cassandra Poole

Reminiscent Modernism: Poetry Magazine’s Modernist Nostalgia for the Past by Rachel Cannon

Challenges Faced by Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Preliminary Study of Age and …

Systemic Stress In Mid-Century American Military Service Members: The Impact Of Socioeconomic Status And Military Service Length On The Human Skeleton, Brianna L. Petersen

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

The purpose of this study is to identify how socioeconomic status (SES) and, separately, length of military service, may affect the human skeleton. Specifically, this study considers non-specific indicators of skeletal stress such as periosteal reactions, enamel defects, and skeletal porosity in a sample of World War II decedents. The Exact Logistic Regression test was used to examine the possible association between military service length and the presence of skeletal porosity and periosteal reaction, and Fisher’s Exact Test of Independence was used to evaluate the relationship between SES and presence of enamel defects, skeletal porosity, and periosteal reaction. In total, …

Analysis Of Briquetage (Brine-Boiling Pots) At Paynes Creek Salt Works: Implications For Classic Maya Salt Production, Rianna Bowen

LSU Master's Theses

Abstract

The Classic Maya period (A.D. 300-900) is characterized by large urban centers, distinct material culture, and long-distance trade of both utilitarian and elite goods. The rise in population during this time created a necessity for essential, everyday goods, to move along these trade routes; one of which was salt. Additionally, much of the production of utilitarian goods was occurring outside of urban centers and political control at smaller, specialized production locales. The Paynes Creek Salt Works in southern Belize was one of these specialized production locales. The number of salt works located in the Punta Ycacos lagoon suggests salt …

Analysis Of Vertebrae Pathologies Of Grave A650 Chryssi Island, Crete, Greece, Abbey E. Bartmess, Susan Kirkpatrick Smith

Symposium of Student Scholars

This study of multiple, co-mingled adult individuals located in grave A650 on Chryssi Island, Crete, Greece, examines the prevalence of several pathologies of the vertebrae. This grave was built into a collapsed Late Minoan period house (1400-1100 B.C.E.). Grave A650, which likely dates to the 5th – 7th century C.E., shows evidence of being used over a long period of time and may have served as an ossuary. The pathologies of approximately 30 recovered vertebrae, both complete and incomplete, show signs of degenerative joint disease, spondylolisthesis, and body expansion. Researching this data aims to accomplish a comprehensive understanding of what …

Who Were Mississippian Period Artists And What Was In Their Toolkit?, Riley James

Symposium of Student Scholars

The Mississippian Period lasted from approximately 1000 to 1550 CE and occurred in the regions of the North American Southeast and Midwest. Society followed a strong system of hierarchy with major settlements with mounds and palisades exerting political control over smaller towns and villages. In Georgia, the most notable Mississippian period site and settlement is Etowah, which belonged to the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (SECC). The SECC was an exchange network of culture and spirituality that dominated most of the Mississippian period and is largely defined by its iconography and artifact trends. It is the general consensus that most Mississippian period …

Dating The Seals Of Harappa: A Radiocarbon Approach, Grace Abernathy

Symposium of Student Scholars

For many years, Indus seals have puzzled archaeologists with their detailed motifs and undeciphered script. There is no pattern to the relationship between motifs and inscriptions, as each motif has been found scattered across the greater Indus region. In looking at the context of the seals and radiocarbon dating of charcoal, bone, and shell in a singular site, there may be a definitive pattern between certain motifs and the time periods they were used. This study uses contextual analysis to identify chronological patterns of seals discovered at the site of Harappa. Should any patterns arise, this research study could be …