May 2022 Anthropology Awards

May 2022 Undergraduate Anthropology Awards

 

Anthropology Award Ceremony Program

2022 Anthropology Graduation Ceremony Recording

 

Contributions to Anthropology

Awarded for exceptional participation in the discipline

Sarah Acselrod 
Mekhi Airhart
Desirae Bartos
Matthew Berman
Olivia Blumenshine
Gagana Borra
Marcos Briggiler
Claire Coats
Grace Cobble
Nautica Farrell
Bianca Florence
Michelle Hajdenberg
Zoë Hancock
Seonha Hwang
Saachi Jain
Amelia Lewis
Ben Lieberman
Lauren Loftis
Carly McLanahan

Ilana Miller
Nicholas Miller
Idia Ogbomoh
Sara Pierce
Olivia Powell
Lauren Puplampu
Ellie Sapiro
Dani Sarraf
Sarah Slutsker
Sofia Soraci
Emma St. Raymond
Alex Tward
Angelica Vasquez
Luke Volmert
Julia Wang
Samantha Weaver
Josh Wilson
Milkise Yassin

Service to Anthropology

For service to the discipline or community

Mekhi Airhart
Matthew Berman
Lizzy Diaz
Zoë Hancock

Ben Lieberman
Vikram Murugan
Lauren Shpiz

Excellence in Research

Awarded for independent scholarship and outstanding research assistantship

Mekhi Airhart
During the past a few years, Mekhi worked extensively at the Laboratory for the Analysis of Early Food-webs. He contributed significantly in two original research projects, employing isotopic and archaeobotanical methods, respectively, to gain better understanding of the past subsistence strategies at high altitude environments in eastern Tibetan Plateau 3000 years ago. – Prof Xinyi Liu

Sophie Good
Sophie’s attention to detail and enthusiasm for science is unparalleled. She conducted an excellent independent research project on the play behavior of chimpanzees at the Saint Louis Zoo. Sophie produced a professional conference-level presentation and standard journal-style manuscript that went well beyond expectation and stood out amongst her peers. Sophie also worked within a standardized dataset and took care to ensure others could use her data in the future. - Prof Crickette Sanz and PhD Candidate Jake Funkhouser

Julia Hong
Julia's commitment to and research and service in a local Hospice Care organization should be celebrated. Her work is profound. To know her is a gift. – Prof Anna Jacobsen

Nicholas Miller
Nick re-designed existing in-person and digital data collection methods to conduct an independent research project on the behavior of orangutans at the Saint Louis and San Diego Zoos. Nick produced a professional conference-level presentation and standard journal-style manuscript that went well beyond expectation and stood out amongst his peers. - Prof Crickette Sanz and PhD Candidate Jake Funkhouser

Nick Miller conducted an independent research project on Red Colobus Monkey and Chimpanzee Interactions in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Analyzing previously collected data, Nick found that red colobus monkeys living in old growth forest were at least three times more likely to encounter chimpanzees (one of their major predators) than those living in areas of the forest that had been previously logged. These findings shed light on long-term patterns of red colobus demography and ranging behaviors in this population. - Prof Krista Milich

Andrea Montecinos-Padilla
Andrea was determined to contribute invaluable original data on the activity budgets of the black-and-white colobus monkeys at the Saint Louis Zoo. During the Fall of 2020, Andrea devoted herself to in-person data collection at the zoo to generate data on this population that would not have otherwise been possible. In her independent research project, Andrea produced a professional conference-level presentation and standard journal-style manuscript that went well beyond expectation and stood out amongst her peers. - Prof Crickette Sanz and PhD Candidate Jake Funkhouser

Andrea worked with me in the lab to conduct enzyme immunoassays to measure testosterone in fecal samples from spider monkeys and woolly monkeys during the summer of 2021. She was a pleasure to work with—inquisitive and diligent about the work and delightful to have in the lab. She is very deserving of the Excellence in Research award, and I wish her much success in the future! – Prof Krista Milich

Lauren Shpiz
Lauren generated original data on the behavior of a pregnant chimpanzee at the Saint Louis Zoo in her independent research project. Lauren was bold in her approach to investigating a topic that is challenging and largely understudied. Lauren produced a professional conference-level presentation and standard journal-style manuscript that went well beyond expectation and stood out amongst her peers. Lauren also worked within a standardized dataset and took care to ensure others could use her data in the future. – Prof Crickette Sanz and PhD Candidate Jake Funkhouser

Emma St. Raymond
Emma took great care to combine innovative digital and in-person data collection methods in her independent research project on the behavior of bears at the Saint Louis and Kansas City Zoos. Emma produced an academic presentation and manuscript that went well beyond standard professional expectations and was a stand-out amongst her peers. – Prof Crickette Sanz and PhD Candidate Jake Funkhouser

Senior Honors in Anthropology

Sophie Goldstein
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Rebecca Lester
Speechless: Understanding the Manufacture of Omission in an Effort Toward a More Responsible Ethnography

Michelle Hajdenberg
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Shanti Parikh
An Analysis of Minority Participation in Clinical Trials: Contextualizing Barriers to Participation and Resocializing Medical Ethics

Morgan Leff 
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Anna Jacobsen
“That’s what hospice is supposed to do”: How U.S. hospice care staff bridge philosophy and institutions

Ilana Miller
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Shanti Parikh
Let’s Go Brandon and COVID-19: How Community Involvement affects a Pandemic Response

Alice Na
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Anna Jacobsen
The Intersection of Patriarchy, Feminism, and Sex Education and How it Shaped the MeToo Movement in South Korean Universities

Arianna Parkhideh
Thesis Advisor:  Dr. Anna Jacobsen
Radical Support: Understanding Doula Work as Resistance to Routinized Violence

Sara Pierce
Thesis Advisor:  Dr. Anna Jacobsen
Alimentary Politics and Algorithms: The Spread of Information about “Healthy” Eating and Diet on TikTok

Rithvik Ramesh
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Anna Jacobsen
Explanatory Necropolitics: Physicians’ Perspectives on Compliance, Culture, and Competence in the Management of Chronic Disease

Max Zalta
Thesis Advisor:  Dr. EA Quinn
Omega-3 and Omega-6 Rebalancing in Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic-Food (RUTF) for the Treatment of Moderate Acute Malnutrition in Children Aged 8-24 Months in Pujehun, Sierra Leone: An analysis of the differences in acceptability between a Docosahexaenoic acid-fortified standard RUTF, a Docosahexaenoic acid-fortified oat-based RUTF, and a standard RUTF

Bradley Stoner Excellence in Medical Anthropology Award

Awarded to the graduating senior who best exemplifies the tenets of the Medicine & Society program of research, service, and mentorship within medical anthropology

Rithvik Ramesh

The John W. Bennett Prize

The John W. Bennett Prize to the Outstanding Graduating Senior in Anthropology awards the graduating Anthropology senior with the highest combination of GPA and excellent honors thesis

Arianna Parkhideh
Radical Support: Understanding Doula Work as Resistance to Routinized Violence

Thesis Advisor:  Dr. Anna Jacobsen

Lambda Alpha Anthropology Honorary

Sarah Acselrod
Mekhi Airhart
Neel Aligave
Matthew Berman
Haley Blache
Lily Cohen
Azhia Contreras
Elizabeth Diaz
Bianca Florence
Michelle Hajdenberg
Maeve Hindenberg
Julia Hong
Saachi Jain
Morgan Leff
Ben Lieberman
Andrea Montecinos-Padilla
Alice Na
Idia Ogbomoh

Arianna Parkhideh
Sara Pierce
Olivia Powell
Lauren Puplampu
Emma Robison
Isamar Rodriguez
Ben Rosman
Elizabeth Sapiro
Dani Sarraf
Morgan Scheier
Lauren Shpiz
Sofia Soraci
Mingyi Suo
Ana Torres
Luke Volmert
Julia Wang
Rachel Wang
Max Zalta