Barbados Mercury, and Bridge-town Gazette (April 19, 1783). From the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC). http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00047511/00004.

Andree conducted a research survey at the Barbados Museum and Historical Society in July 2019 of fugitive slave advertisements in historical newspapers.  Fugitive slave advertisements offer a unique form of evidence in reconstructing modes of racialization that developed across different enslavement contexts.  She reviewed content in documents from the Barbados Mercury, and Bridge-town Gazette newspapers from the 18^th century.  She scanned and printed certain newspaper issues for further analysis.  Andree will continue to expand this dataset to include other sites of the Caribbean and United States.

Andree presented her dissertation research pilot data at the biannual 2019 International Association for Caribbean Archaeology meeting in Bridgetown, Barbados. Her research talk was titled, “Cranial morphological distribution of African descent peoples as reflectors of migration, variation and race construction.” Her presentation discussed the utility of using critical race theoretical frameworks to interpret patterns of biological variation among African descendant groups. Her ongoing research expands on this concept by relating slave trade port sites to each other through spatial distance and historical inference.

Congrats everyone on a successful end to the fall semester! Raphaela and Siobhan recently wrapped up their course, Skeletal Keys, where they taught undergraduate students about osteology and forensic anthropology.

Molly, Abbey, and Kimberly Schwartz attended the Florida Association of Science Teachers meeting in Miami, Florida. While there, the team presented a Human Evolution Teaching Material’s Project lab on Splitting and Lumping. To find out more about the Human Evolution Teaching Materials Project, check out the HETMP website: www.hetmp.com.

“Newton Plantation Slave List 1828.“
Digital image copyright 2012, Barbados Museum and Historical Society. All rights reserved. For more information contact The Barbados Museum and Historical Society, St. Ann’s Garrison, St. Michael, Barbados, West Indies. http://www.barbmuse.org.bb/

Andree recently traveled to Auburn University as part of her dissertation research on cranial morphological diversity across the African diaspora. Auburn University curates the skeletal remains of enslaved individuals from Newton Plantation, a burial site in Barbados. Andree visited the collection to gain a better understanding of the site’s history and skeletal preservation. She plans to return to Auburn next semester to scan fragmented cranial remains and perform virtual reconstructions.

One of our new graduate students in the lab is Emily (Rose) Bryson. She was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, where she has worked as a Fisheries Technician for the Department of Fish & Game for 6 research seasons. She completed her B.A. in Physical Anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where she began formally studying Forensic Anthropology. She has since completed her MSc in Bioarchaeology & Forensic Anthropology at University College London’s Institute of Archaeology in 2016. Rose is interested in the dynamics between the soft tissue of the brain and the endocranium of the human skull. Her research is exploring how these interactions could be useful in forensic identification techniques. Rose has done archaeological fieldwork in both Kenya and Alaska and hopes to continue doing osteological work around the world in her career.

One of our newest graduate student additions to the lab is Siobhan Summers. Siobhan is from Maryland. She completed her B.A. in Anthropology at Dickinson College and earned her M.A.A. from the University of Maryland, College Park. Her past experiences include a teaching assistantship on a forensic aviation archaeology field school, interning at the National Museum of Health and Medicine, and interning at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner. She currently volunteers with a nonprofit organization, Smiles on Wings, that seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of underserved communities in Thailand be providing dental care to communities and educational scholarships to young women seeking careers in healthcare or education. She enjoys traveling and reading in her spare time. While at UF, Siobhan will be working towards her PhD in anthropology focusing on the effects of biological characteristics (sex, ancestry, age at death, stature, body mass, pathology, etc.) on hindlimb/foot skeletal morphology and how that can be applied in forensic anthropology.

Congratulations to Sarah for passing her Qualifying Exam this summer! Sarah’s dissertation research analyzes the relationship between growth and development, biomechanics, and pelvic morphological variation.