CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGYL'ASSOCIATION CANADIENNE D'ANTHROPOLOGIE PHYSIQUE

Volume 2015 Issue 1

Table of Contents

President's Message 2Student Rep Message 3Department News 4Recent Publications 6Conference Announcements 7S. Saunders Winners 72015 Meeting Update 8Proposal: Regional Reps 8

Graduate Student Profiles 9Anthropology on the Web 12Career Spotlight 142014 Business Meeting Minutes 17Secretary­Treasurer's Report 19

Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Defense

We are now looking forward to the annualCAPA­ACAP meeting in Winnipeg,Manitoba, October 28­31, 2015. Please watchthe website for upcoming conference detailsand calls for symposia and abstracts. If you area new CAPA­ACAP student member, pleaseremember that CAPA­ACAP does providesome student travel funding for those whopresent a podium or poster paper at themeeting.

The new CAPA­ACAP website has beenlaunched. We are now in the final phase of thewebsite construction, which includes issuingusernames and passwords to all membersso they will be able to access the website'smembers­only privileges. In the next fewweeks, we will send all members a usernameand a link that invites you to create apassword. If you have any difficulties, pleasecontact our web designer, Cheryl Takahashi(cheryl@takahashidesign.ca), and she will helpyou get your password. If you are a memberbut do not get an email from us, please contactme at capa@mcmaster.ca and we will makesure we get an email out to you. Pleasecontinue to send our website editor, AstaRand (asta.rand@mun.ca) jobannouncements, news, and photos to post onthe website to keep it fresh.

At the last CAPA­ACAP business meeting inFredericton, we formed an ethics sub­committee to draft an Code of Ethics for

CAPA­ACAP that will be posted on ourwebsite. The committee consists of: Dr. SylviaAbonyi (U. ofSaskatchewan), MeganBower (PhD student, MUN),Dr. Tracy Rogers (UTM),Asta Rand (PhD student,MUN), and Dr. MichaelSchillaci (UTSC). Over thepast six months, they haveworked by committee todraft a statement that I willbe circulating to members shortly. Please takethe time to read it and comment on it. After wehave gathered feedback from members, thecommittee will create a final draft that we willvote on at the CAPA­ACAP business meetingin Winnipeg in October, 2015.

Finally, it is with regret that I write my lastCAPA­ACAP newsletter message from thepresident. I have truly enjoyed this position,and have been honoured to serve thisassociation over the past three years. I havehad the privilege to work with an amazingCAPA­ACAP executive and members, whohave donated their time and effort withgenerosity and grace. I am happy that I leavethis position with a healthy and vibrantassociation. I look forward to being a memberof CAPA­ACAP for years to come!

MESSAGE FROM THEPRESIDENTTina Moffat, McMaster University

Cover photo: Derek Congram and colleagues opening the coffin of an unidentified Korean War soldier (laterpositively identified). Photo credit: U.S. Department of Defense, Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command publicwebsite, www.jpac.pacom.milTo read more about Derek's career path so far, go to page 14.

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Dear CAPA­ACAP Student Members:

I hope your winter semesters have all beenproductive and enjoyable! As the semesterclosed, I was thrilled to see announcementsacross various social media platformscelebrating submitted dissertations andsuccessful defenses. Congratulations to allthose who are currently enjoying the transitionfrom graduate student to fully­fledged M.A.,M.Sc., or Ph.D.!

Whenever I speak to graduate studentsconcerning the greatest challenges they face inschool, the discussion inevitably moves towardthe feelings of isolation that accompany manyforms of fieldwork (I am certainly familiar withthis – keeping quiet in the archives is one ofmy greatest trials!) and the writing process. Tocombat their reclusive instincts, a group ofstudents in the McMaster AnthropologyDepartment have started an informal writingcircle for the summer. The group meets threetimes a week from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Therules are simple: no cell phones, no Internetaccess, and come with all your materials,prepared to work. Taking breaks with the grouphelps ensure that everyone is conscious oftaking breaks to eat and the afternoon breakincludes a physical activity, such as basketballor strolling around the nature preserve thatborders the McMaster campus. The idea issimple and yet incredibly effective – support

each other tohelp meetacademicgoals.

Group writing may not be for everyone, butmaintaining a connection with one’s peers andcolleagues is important, both personally andprofessionally. Never underestimate thebenefits associated with incorporating somesocializing into your day!

It is never too early to begin thinking about theCAPA conference, which will be happening thisfall in Winnipeg. I encourage all studentmembers to consider presenting – you havethe whole summer to dream up an abstract!

If you have not done so already, please ‘Like’the Canadian Association for PhysicalAnthropology group on Facebook. The group isa great resource for anthropology­relatedarticles and news.

As ever, please feel free to contact me withany of your concerns at mantml@mcmaster.ca.

Best wishes,Madeleine

MESSAGE FROM THESTUDENTREPRESENTATIVEMadeleine Mant, McMaster University

3Volume 2015 Issue 1

DEPARTMENT

NEWS

University ofToronto, St. George

Congratulations to DerekCongram, for winning theEllis R. Kerley Award,recognizing his'excellence in pursuit ofdevelopments in the fieldof forensic anthropology'.Derek was given thisaward in February, at the2015 American Academyof Forensic Sciencesmeeting in Orlando,Florida.

University of TorontoScarborough

The University of TorontoScarborough is veryhappy to announce that Dr. Julie Tiechroebhas taken a tenure­track faculty position in theDepartment of Anthropology starting this July.Dr. Teichroeb is a primatologist whoseresearch focuses on the evolution of sociality,group formation and the underlying causes ofsocial organization.

University of Alberta

From Pamela Mayne Correia: I continue toprovide the forensic anthropologyprogramming here in the Department ofAnthropology at the University of Alberta. Aswe have had a number of retirements over the

past few years (Dr. OwenBeattie and Dr. NancyLovell), we have spent thelast couple of yearsrethinking how ourbiological anthropologyprogram should look withthe current academicfaculty (myself, Dr. SandraGarvie­Lok, and Dr. LesleyHarrington). With a rangeof expertise in isotopeanalysis, dentalanthropology,bioarchaeology, osteology,cremation, and taphonomyanalysis, we can offer awide range of courses. Iam looking forward to newstudents interested inworking in the areas offorensic taphonomy andcremation. As part of myrole in the department, I

am the curator for our osteology collectionsand was fortunate to receive the Curator Hallof Fame Award, which was presented to me ina lovely reception this past March.

Simon Fraser University

Research on vertebrae shape and back painby Dr. Kimberly Plomp and colleagues waspicked up by media in the UK (BBC, Daily Mail,NHS website) and Canada (Vancouver Sun,and Global News). Links below.

Global News, Vancouver Sun, BBC, Daily Mail(paraphrasing alert!), NHS, BioMedCentralarticle.

Pamela Mayne Correia in front of the plaque

accompanying her Curator Hall of Fame Award.

Congratulations, Pamela!

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SFU and UBC students are joining Dr. HugoCardoso (SFU, Department of Archaeology) thissummer as volunteers in a field/lab experience atthe Santarém Municipal Museum in Portugal,where they will be involved in cleaning, labellingand cataloguing human remains excavated fromlocal medieval sites of the Muslim occupationperiod. Dr. Cardoso is starting a collaborativeproject with a local archaeologist to studypopulation health, disease, structure anddynamics during the Muslim Golden Age inPortugal. This experience includes visits to localarchaeological sites and historic buildings inSantarém, in addition to a short trip to Porto, for avisit to the National Institute of Legal Medicine andthe Natural History Museum. In the future, Dr.Cardoso will develop a formal field school inPortugal which will be offered by SFU, but opento all students interested.

University of Manitoba

Dr. Tracey Galloway is spending a busysummer collecting data for two new CIHR­funded projects. "Access to federal healthprograms" (CIHR 134071) is a study of thebiological effects of differential program accessin 14 Yukon First Nations. The "Nunavut End ofLife Care Project" (133655) examines Inuitexperiences of medical travel and healthservices during cancer and end of life care.University of Manitoba student Kirsten Brucewill be traveling north with Tracey to collect datafor her MA research.

McMaster University

Kandace Bogaert will take up a postdoc thisfall with Mark Humphries (Director, Laurier Centrefor Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies).Annabelle Schattmann completed her Master'sthesis, titled, The Co­occurence of Scurvy andRickets in 16th to 18th Century Skeletal Materialfrom Douai, France.

Yukon and Nunavut­based research teams with the Public

Health Agency of Canada's northern Innovation Strategy

meet at Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park, Nunavut, July 2014.

Graça Church in Santarém.

Photo credit: Fulviusbsas

5Volume 2015 Issue 1

University of Toronto Scarborough

Monika Sumra and Michael Schillaci, Stress and the Multiple­Role Woman: Taking a Closer Look atthe "Superwoman", in PLoS ONE. Link here.http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0120952

McMaster University

Kandace Bogaert, Jane van Koeverden, and D. Ann Herring, Far from Home and Down with the‘Flu: The Polish Army at Niagara­on­the­Lake, 1917­1919. In: Lives in Motion: LongitudinalResearch from Historical Sources, edited by Kris Inwood and Peter Baskerville. Montreal: McGill­Queens University Press. Link to overview here.http://www.mqup.ca/lives­in­transition­products­9780773544666.php

Brickley, M.B. and Buckberry, J. 2015. Picking Up the Pieces: Utilizing the Diagnostic Potential ofPoorly Preserved Remains. International Journal of Paleopathology, 8: 51­54.

Moffat, T. and Thrasher, D. 2015. School Meal Programs and Their Potential to Operate as School­Based Obesity Prevention and Nutrition Interventions: Case Studies from France and Japan.Critical Public Health, early view online: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ccph20.

Eleftheria Palkopoulou, Swapan Mallick, Pontus Skoglund, Jacob Enk, Nadin Rohland, Heng Li,Ayça Omrak, Sergey Vartanyan, Hendrik Poinar, Anders Götherström, David Reich, and LoveDalén, Complete Genomes Reveal Signatures of Demographic and Genetic Declines in the WoollyMammoth, in Current Biology. Link here.http://www.cell.com/current­biology/abstract/S0960­9822(15)00420­0

Alex Rewegan, Kandace Bogaert, Melissa Yan, Alain Gagnon and D. Ann Herring, The First Waveof the 1918 Influenza Pandemic Among Soldiers of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, in theAmerican Journal of Human Biology. Link to abstract here.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajhb.22713/abstract

RECENT

PUBLICATIONS

6Volume 2015 Issue 1

The 2015 recipients of the Shelley Saunders Research Grant are:

Kayla Hartwell, PhD candidate from the Department of Anthropology, University of Calgary,for her research project, titled 'Mechanisms for Fission­Fusion Dynamics in Spider Monkeys(Ateles geoffroyi) at Runaway Creek Nature Reserve, Belize'.

Asta Rand, PhD candidate in the Department of Archaeology, Memorial University ofNewfoundland, for her dissertation research, entitled 'Understanding the Diet and Mobility ofthe Classic Maya of Belize: A Multi­Isotopic Approach'.

Elizabeth Sawchuk, Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, for her PhDdissertation, 'Social Change and Human Population Movements – Dental Morphology inHolocene Eastern Africa'.

Congratulations to the 2015 Shelley R. Saunders Thesis Research Grant winners!

2015 Shelley R. Saunders Research Grant Recipients

Dr. Megan Brickley will be running a workshop with Dr. Buckberry at the PPA meeting in BuenosAires (workshop dates 16th­17th August).

Metabolic Diseases in Palaeopathology: How to use recent developments in your research, andutilise resources offered by the newly launched Digitised Diseases website.

Paleopathology Association: Buenos Aires, Argentina. August 12­14, 2015. Go to:http://www.paleopathology.org/PAMinSA2015.html

American Association of Physical Anthropologists: Atlanta, Georgia. April 13­16, 2016. Go to:http://physanth.org/documents/34/Call­for­presentations­AAPA­2016­Atlanta.pdf

British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology: Sheffield, England.September 18­20, 2015. Go to: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/archaeology/events/babao

CONFERENCES,COURSES ANDOPPORTUNITIES

7Volume 2015 Issue 1

The deadline for symposia proposals is July 31, 2015. Please include titles, participant names anda brief abstract of the proposed symposium.

The deadline for abstracts is Sept. 15, 2015.

Details coming soon on the CAPA­ACAP website for where to send your proposals and abstracts.

2015 CAPA­ACAP MEETINGDESTINATION: WINNIPEG

CAPA­ACAP is a great organization with members spread across Canada. While the officers can allbe easily reached by email, I propose that we add regional representatives to the infrastructure ofthe organization.

These regional representatives would facilitate communication between the geographicallywidespread regions of Canada and the officers. From the officers’ side, it would aid communicationto have specific members to contact for updates, information, and suggestions (and newsletternews!). Regional representatives would give members more of a voice; everyone has existingrelationships within their own departments and universities, and probably within their widergeographical region as well. Using these existing networks, regional representatives would pass onany suggestions or comments to CAPA­ACAP officers, for dissemination to the organization. Thegoal is to encourage discussion and feedback within the wider organization.

I welcome any comments or suggestions regarding this proposal (jsharman@dunelm.org.uk); itwill be discussed further at the 2015 CAPA­ACAP Business Meeting in Winnipeg.

PROPOSAL FOR CAPA­ACAPREGIONAL REPRESENTATIVESJennifer Sharman

8Volume 2015 Issue 1

GRADUATESTUDENT PROFILEAsta Rand, PhD CandidateMEMORIAL UNIVERSITY OF NEWFOUNDLAND

The human past has always intrigued me, andI found my calling in bioarchaeology during myundergraduate degree at Trent University.Several undergraduate courses left mefascinated with the ancient Maya and whattheir skeletons could tell us about their lives. Itwas also during this time that I volunteered forthe 34th Annual Canadian Association forPhysical Anthropology conference in 2006,when I first became a CAPA­ACAP studentmember.

After receiving my B.Sc. (Honours) inAnthropology with an emphasis in archaeology,I continued my studies at Trent in theAnthropology M.A. program under thesupervision of Dr. Anne Keenleyside. My M.A.research involved macroscopically andisotopically analyzing the skeletal remainsexcavated in the 1980s from the ancient Mayasite of Caledonia, Cayo District, Belize. First, Iconfirmed and expanded upon the originalMNI, age, sex, and stature estimates providedby Dr. Herman Helmuth, and recordedobserved pathological lesions. Second, Icollected and prepared bone collagen from 21individuals for stable carbon and nitrogenisotope analysis, and bone and tooth enamelcarbonate from 18 and 6 individuals,respectively, for carbon and oxygen isotopeanalysis. This research was funded by severalinternal awards from Trent University, as wellas a SSHRC Joseph­Armand Bombardier CGSMasters Award. As was expected givenprevious studies of ancient Maya diet, theCaledonia Maya consumed a varied diet,based primarily on maize (corn) withcontributions from terrestrial animal protein andsome freshwater resources. Although Ioriginally proposed four individuals may have

consumed marineprotein, asubsequentanalysis of theiroxygen isotopesrevealed they werelocal and did notgrow up in acoastal area wheremarine resourceswould have beenavailable forconsumption.

Upon receiving myM.A., I began work as an Archaeological FieldTechnician with Archaeological Services Inc.(ASI), based out of Toronto, ON. I primarilyworked on the Stage 4 excavations ofprecontact Huron­Wendat village sites,although I also excavated several other sitetypes, including precontact lithic scatters andhistoric European sites. After receiving myApplied Research Licence from the OntarioMinistry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport (No:R447), I was promoted to Field Director in thespring of 2013. My duties included maintainingfield notes, interacting with members of thepublic on behalf of ASI, and supervising a crewof five Field Technicians while identifying sitesby shovel testing and field­walking.

In the fall of 2013, I began my doctoral studiesat the Memorial University of Newfoundland inSt. John’s, NL, under the supervision of Dr.Vaughan Grimes. I have since completed allcoursework, my Spanish languagerequirement, as well as the first of threecomprehensive exams. By the time thisnewsletter is published, I will have submitted

Off­duty Asta.

9Volume 2015 Issue 1

my second exam, and hopefully will bepreparing for my third. My studies have beenfunded by several internal awards fromMemorial University, as well as a SSHRCJoseph­Armand Bombardier CGS DoctoralAward, and, most recently, the Shelley R.Saunders Thesis Research Grant from CAPA­ACAP.

While my doctoral research continues toinvolve the ancient Maya, my interests haveexpanded to include an understanding of theirmobility patterns in addition to their

subsistence.The analysisof strontiumand stableoxygenisotope ratiosin humantissues iswell­documentedamong theancient Maya,specifically inthe context oflong distanceeliteinteractions atmajor Mayasites. Myresearch willemploy these

techniques to gain a better understanding ofhow lower status individuals from smallerBelizean sites moved across their landscapeand how this may have differed from themobility patterns of elite individuals at largersites. My research will involve conducting aseries of isotopic analyses and perhapsradiocarbon dating of samples in order tofurther contribute to interpretations of ClassicMaya mobility and subsistence.

In addition to my studies, I have also hadseveral volunteer and employment

opportunities throughout my academic career.I volunteered during several conferenceshosted by the institutions where I have studied,and in September 2013, I became the CAPA­ACAP Website Editor. My interest in teachinghas been inspired by the Teaching Assistantpositions I have held during my graduatestudies. I have primarily supervised biologicalanthropology or osteology laboratory sessions,graded assignments, and invigilated exams.This summer, I will expand upon theseexperiences, as I will be instructing theosteology course as part of the Slavia FieldSchool in Mortuary Archaeology in Drawsko,Poland.

Overall, throughout my academic career, Ihave had many amazing opportunities toconduct research, travel, teach, and learn.This was made possible by various individuals,institutions, and funding agencies. My hope forthe future is not only to continue to growacademically, but also to pass my knowledgeon to others, whether in the classroom, field, orlab.

Asta working in the Memorial Applied Archaeological

Sciences laboratory at MUN.

Photo credit: Alison Harris

Asta excavating a burial in an

unmarked Early Modern period

cemetery at the Drawsko 1 site,

Drawsko, Poland.

Photo credit: Ronnie Krile

10Volume 2015 Issue 1

GRADUATESTUDENT PROFILEElizabeth Sawchuk, PhD CandidateUNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

Elizabeth is a PhD candidate at the Universityof Toronto studying human dental morphologyand the spread of food production in easternAfrica. She grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, andreceived her B.A Honours and M.A. from theUniversity of Alberta. Her lifelong dream to doarchaeology in Africa can be traced back tosome children’s books on Ancient Egyptbought by her unsuspecting parents.

Her dissertation centres around a new skeletalcollection she excavated from several mid­Holocene “pillar sites” in northwestern Kenyathrough the Later Prehistory of West Turkana(LPWT) project. Radiocarbon dating suggestsconstruction and use of these megalithic burialsites between 5270 to 4825 cal BP. Because

these sitescoincidewith theappearanceofdomesticated animals,and are theearliestmegalithicconstructions in theregion, it islikely thatthey werebuilt bysome ofEastAfrica’s firstpastoralists.The pillar

sites thereforedate to a periodof profoundeconomic,social, andenvironmentalchange in theTurkana Basin.They not onlyrepresent thebeginning ofEast Africa’sstrongpastoralisttradition, but anopportunity tostudy humanadaptation during another period of globalclimate change.

However, the origin of the people involved inthe construction of these pillar sites remainsunclear. Did they emigrate from the desiccatingSahara at the end of a major African wetphase, or descend from hunter­gatherer­fisherpopulations already living around LakeTurkana? What was their relationship to richherding cultures that appear further south amillennia later?

Elizabeth is addressing these importantquestions in her dissertation by comparing thedental traits of the new skeletal sample fromWest Turkana to archaeological skeletons ofprevious foragers and later pastoralists acrossKenya and northern Tanzania. Her researchtests biological continuity in the region from theearly to middle Holocene as means of

Lothagam West pillar site, Turkana,

NW Kenya.

Photo credit: Elizabeth Sawchuk

Elizabeth in the

Palaeoanthropology Department

at the National Museums of

Kenya, Nairobi.

Photo credit: Hilary Duke.

11Volume 2015 Issue 1

PHYSICALANTHROPOLOGYON THE WEB

Deathsplanation is written by Alison Atkin, aCanadian PhD student at the University ofSheffield, England. The blog started as a wayfor Atkin to share her research and discusstopics of interest (as you may guess from thetitle of the blog, death/science are regularlycovered), but there are also sections for herexcellent ‘doodles’ and outreach activities.

Atkin’s PhD research involves demographicmodelling of Black Death population profiles,and she does blog a bit about her research.Perhaps more in line with the medium, though,Atkins discusses her attempts to include artand personality into her academic work. Onepost documents her award­winning conference

DEATHSPLANATION

In this issue, we’ve got the bioarchaeology blog, Deathsplanation, by Alison Atkin, and the websiteof the Paleo­oncology Research Organization, which is dedicated to the promotion ofinterdisciplinary, open­access research on cancer in the past.

Bioarchaeology blogs are popular, while other fields of physical anthropology seem to be quieter onthe blogging front. Primatology and medical anthropology seem to be underrepresented. Bloggerssay that unexpected advantages and opportunities have come from this work. Indeed, KristinaKillgrove, whose blog, Powered by Osteons, was profiled in the previous CAPA­ACAP newsletter,is now writing a regular blog for Forbes (http://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove). Of course,blogging is also a great forum for public outreach! If any enterprising CAPA­ACAP members start upa blog, let us know so that we can feature your work in the newsletter.

exploring human migration associated with thespread of herding.

Elizabeth spent five months last year collectingher data from National Museums in Nairobiand Dar es Salaam, as well as the TurkanaBasin Institute. With the help of the ShelleyRae Saunders Award, she will finish her datacollection by visiting two final collections atHarvard University and the SmithsonianInstitute. Elizabeth has also worked on terminalPleistocene burials from the Mlambalasirockshelter in southern Tanzania, and is keenlyinterested in dental anthropology,

bioarchaeology,and exploringhuman populationmovements in thepast. She has apassion forexcavation andhopes to continueworking in easternAfrica aftercompleting herdoctoral studies.

Elizabeth excavating at the Lothagam North pillar

site, Turkana, NW Kenya.

Photo credit: Kate Grillo.

12Volume 2015 Issue 1

PALEO­ONCOLOGY RESEARCHORGANIZATION

Founded in 2013 by Kathryn Hunt, RoselynCampbell, Casey Kirkpatrick and JenniferWilloughby, the Paleo­oncology ResearchOrganization aims to provide access toinformation about cancer in the past: itshistory, biocultural context and epidemiology.After being diagnosed and surviving ovariancancer, Hunt began thinking more aboutbioarchaeological cancer research. Withprevious experience in Egyptianbioarchaeology, she was particularly interestedin the social perceptions of cancer in AncientEgypt. Hunt began to look for research oncancer in the past, and realized that there hadnot yet been any synthesis of such work. Withher friends and colleagues, Campbell,Kirkpatrick and Willoughby, some of whom hadbeen affected by cancer in their families, it wasdecided that they would undertake this project,collating ancient cancer research in an online,open­access repository.Their work so far is a growing list of researchon both malignant and benign neoplasticdisease in the past. There are also educationalvideos on cancer development and biology,examples of posters presented at conferences,and a Google map showing the globaldistribution of bioarchaeological evidence of

cancer. They hope to promote interdisciplinarycollaboration as well as open access toresearch on cancer in the past; future plansinclude the development of an online paleo­oncology database.If you’re interested in finding out more, you canadd your name to their email list to receivetheir newsletter, or follow the PRO onFacebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

poster on attritional mortality ­ hand­drawn andinteractive (lift­the­flap style), Atkin’s posterdesign refreshes the conventional model.

Disability in archaeology is a particularlyimportant topic that Atkin has covered,including her personal experience inarchaeology, academia and adapting tohearing loss. The second part of this four­partseries includes an enlightening discussion ofhow conference organizers can ensure thatthose who use hearing aids can successfullyparticipate in conference sessions (spoiler:

induction loops are essential).

Another recent post discussed themisrepresentation of academic research in themedia (in which the media managed to mutatesome research on the Black Plague intoblaming gerbils for spreading the disease).With a wide range of subject matter,conversational, clever and entertaining writingstyle, discussions informed by knowledge andexperience, and Atkin’s illustrations woventhroughout, this blog is definitely worthfollowing.

Headstone of Ann Turner (d. 1734) with cause of

death noted as cancer.

Photo credit: Morguefile.

13Volume 2015 Issue 1

Jennifer asked me if I would write about mypost­PhD career and I agreed without reallyconsidering it. I agreed in part because Ireceive many emails from students who arefacing graduation, are anxious about theirfutures, and are looking for advice, particularlyabout how to get involved in human rightscontexts, which is my area of expertise. Thereis a lot of interest in this application ofarchaeology and bio­anthropology, but jobsare few, so I thought that by illustrating myrecent and current reality, it would give thoselooking to do the same an accurate idea ofhow things are in this realm. I should also sayup front that my career path is pretty unstable,involves hard­core nomadism, and I’m notsure that many would want to follow it (toughsell, eh?), but here goes...

About half of my professional life (so far)actually came before I did a PhD, mostlybouncing between contracts in forensicinvestigation and bioarchaeology. As such, Ibegan my doctoral studies with quite a bit ofpractical experience in the field and lab, and apretty good sense of what I needed tocontinue in a career that was forensic­focussed, but did not exclude teaching orresearch in conventionalarchaeology/anthropology. My PhD researchwas designed to fill a gap that I saw in theexisting field of forensic/humanitariananthropology.

My PhD research was on spatial analysis andGIS­modelling of clandestine mass gravesfrom Spanish Civil War rearguard killings. Ichose Spain because the context simulatedforensic work really well (recent researchshows that over 130,000 people were extra­judicially executed during and immediatelyfollowing the 1936­1939 war), but was

essentially historical bioarchaeology. Theissue is politically sensitive in Spain: thegovernment has eschewed the work, insteadleaving it to non­governmental organizationsand universities to collect witness testimony,conduct historical research, exhume andanalyze the remains. When I was nearing theend of my PhD, I presented preliminary resultsat the 2010 meeting of the American Academyof Forensic Sciences. At the conference, Ispoke with some managers at a U.S.Department of Defense laboratory in Hawaii,which is dedicated to the search for and

CAREERS IN ANTHROPOLOGY

SPOTLIGHT ON...DEREK CONGRAM

Derek drawing a soil profile at a (then­buried) Vietnam

War helicopter crash site.

Photo credit: Paul Villanueva.

Derek analyzing remains exhumed from an

unmarked mass grave in Spain.

14Volume 2015 Issue 1

identification of missing U.S. combatants frompast wars (formerly “JPAC­CIL” but recently re­organized as the Defense POW/MIAAccounting Agency). At that time, the labmanagement was instituting some reallyinnovative ways of incorporating recentgraduates, including non­U.S. citizens. Twoweeks after the conference, I was interviewedover the phone and offered a post­doctoralresearch position, which I happily accepted.

There is little greater motivator for finishing athesis than impending childbirth (NOTE: I amnot advocating that those in a thesis rutbecome or get someone else pregnant) and Isubmitted my thesis two days before our son,Thomas, was born. Five weeks later, we flew toHawaii. I was to be conducting GIS­basedanalysis of burial locations of missing U.S.personnel, but a series of complications(perhaps inevitable being a foreigner at theU.S. Department of Defense, but also as partof a massive military bureaucracy) meant thatmuch of my next two years was spent doingthe work of lab employees (about thirtyarchaeologists, biological anthropologists anda few dentists): directing fieldwork and lab­based anthropological analysis. In my thirdyear, the dynamic changed, and I receivedfunding and time to work on GIS­basedresearch. However, that same year, my wifewas accepted to do a Ph.D. at the University ofToronto, so we left Hawaii in August 2013.

People are often shocked to hear that we leftour sunny life and work at a huge,exceptionally well­funded lab in Hawaii forCanada, but it was an easy decision. My wifeput her career as a cultural anthropologistaside so that we could be together while I didmy Ph.D. While it was not difficult to convinceher to move to Hawaii, her visa did not permither to work. So, after seven years ofsupporting my professional development, therewas really no question about leaving Hawaii sothat she could finish her studies. Besides,having been raised as a Toronto Maple Leafs

fan, I thought it would be good for me toexperience their perpetual mediocrity up close.After two seasons of this, I’m over it now.

I was anxious about the move to Toronto, notknowing what I would do (other than be a stay­at­home dad, a serious role that I embrace),but several people made me feel welcome andalleviated some of the stress. Themanagement at the U.S. Department ofDefense lab generously allowed me tocontinue working remotely for a while after weleft the U.S. A couple of faculty members at theUniversity of Toronto Anthropology Department(St. George) have made me feel welcome,including me in classes and departmentactivities. Other colleagues have beendecidedly unwelcoming, which surprised me abit, despite warnings that I should expect this.

Soon after settling into Toronto, a formercolleague who works at an international legalorganization asked me if I would help withsome investigations overseas. This involvedthree trips, ranging between one week and onemonth and will involve court testimony in thenext year. Over the summer, I also did someshort contracts with organizations in Chad andSerbia. Between contracts, I responded to apublisher’s call for books in anthropology and

Derek playing soccer with Vietnamese kids at an

orphanage. He says that the kids kicked his ass and

he left with blisters.

15Volume 2015 Issue 1

pitched a book, which is now out for externalreview. I also took advantage of downtime towrite other things for publication ­ something Ihad too little time for in Hawaii.

About a year ago, I was contacted by theInternational Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC). They had been to the U.S. Defenselab in Hawaii and asked for advice on settingup a GIS­platform for their work searching formissing persons from armed conflicts inseveral countries. Lab management referredthat person to me. As a result, a geographerfriend, Gill Green, and I will be working withICRC delegations in three countries this year,most of the work remotely (so I can still walkthe kids to school).

Finally, this past semester (January­May2015), I taught two classes at the University ofToronto’s Trudeau Centre for Peace, Conflictand Justice (Political Science). One of thesewas a research methods course, so fairlygeneric. Although political science seems likea professional detour, I have a Master’sdegree in International Politics (and one inArchaeology), and students seem toappreciate my perspective from the field,helping relate forensic and humanitarian workto the broader socio­political context. This, inturn, has led to my participation in a researchproject in Latin America this year.

In sum, my post­PhD career has been a mix ofapplied field/lab work, research, teaching,writing and – not least – supporting family athome. Balancing these has been a challengeand there has been a fair dose of stressrelated to an uncertain future. I suspect mymixed­bag example of chasing contracts,walking kids to/from school, writing for an houror two each day, cooking, and contract­teaching is hardly attractive to impending orrecent graduates. I see it is pragmatism at itsbest. I see an investment in my wife’scontinuing education as something that I oweto her and an investment in our future careers.

This conflicts somewhat with my near­termcareer, but the pay­off is time at home withfamily and broadening my experience.

My advice for those looking for post­graduationwork:1. Don’t turn down an opportunity because it isnot exactly what you want. Instead, use it asan opportunity to broaden your experience.

2. Network. It sounds cliché, but it works. Mywork overseas last year was because ofpeople who I met and worked with fifteenyears ago. Gill, my current research partner,was a dorm­mate during an exchange toJapan almost twenty years ago.

3. Be flexible. A willingness to go (almost)anywhere gave me opportunities andintroduced me to people who would be friends,colleagues and collaborators in the future.When I did not have a contract or researchproject, I wrote.

4. Form partnerships. Most of my publicationsare co­authored, my current research is inter­disciplinary/international, and, of course, myrelationship with my wife is personal andprofessional. I benefit tremendously from all ofthese.

Derek taking skeletal layout

photographs for a site where hundreds

had died/were executed and buried in

unmarked graves during and following

the Spanish Civil War.

Photo credit: Eleonor Fernandez.

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CAPA­ACAP Business MeetingFriday, Nov. 7, 2014, Fredericton, New Brunswick

Minutes recorded by Ian Colquhoun (CAPA­ACAP Treasurer); transcribed by Tina Moffat (CAPA­ACAP President). The meeting started at 4:37 pm.

1. Approval of the Agenda: motion, Tracey Galloway, seconded, Sylvia Abonyi; approved.

2. Approval of Minutes: motion, Tracy Prowse, seconded, Masako Fujita; approved.

3. Business Arising: none.

4. President Report: Introduces new website, designed by Cheryl Takahashi; notes there will be amembers login only area that will include: recent newsletters, membership list, past businessmeeting minutes, Secretary­Treasurer reports, membership status, can create automaticmembership renewal alerts. Introduces Asta Rand, new webmaster (aka website editor). Websiteincludes French translation side. Transferred information from old site and revamped it (e.g.executive profiles, grad student profiles, current meeting page). Maddy Mant (studentrepresentative) will solicit more grad profiles. Also, student resources can be added to. Tina thanksLeslie Chan and Jennifer Johnson for their time as web masters.

5. Secretary­Treasurer report (see attached): motion, Andrew Nelson, seconded by Rob Hoppa;approved.

6. Webmaster report: Asta Rand introduced herself and her background (2nd year PhD student atMUN, Vaughan Grimes is supervisor – looking to defend in 2017). Nominated as webmaster insummer of 2014. Enthusiastic to step into the role. Likes the new website appearance. Thingspossibly to add in the future: more student profiles, student research opportunities, etc. Applause!

7. Newsletter Editor report: Jen Sharman unable to attend (report read by Tina); send new MA/PhDabstracts, websites, and fieldwork reports, etc. Is the newsletter actually being read? The majorityof the members at the business meeting said yes, they do read it.

8. Student Representative report: Maddy Mant thanked Amy Scott for her work as the previous rep,and for her feedback to her inquiries. Student luncheon: thanks to Anne Keenleyside and KimPlomp for being guest speakers.

9. Ethics Statement: revisited this topic; asked for input and impressions. Asta Rand remarked thatAAPA/SAA versions could be used as templates. Rob Hoppa suggested something that is brief, butthat is broad and captures the essence of CAPA’s perspective on ethical research. Tina suggestedthat a sub­committee be formed to draft an ethics statement that could be circulated to themembership and once approved, posted on the new website. Sylvia Abonyi, Megan Bower, AstaRand, Michael Schillaci volunteered to join the sub­committee. Tina also volunteered Tracy Rogers,who wasn’t at the business meeting, but had contacted Tina previously and said she wanted to bepart of the sub­committee if it was formed.

10. Student Paper Awards Authorship Issue: Tina summarized the current terms of the prizes, which

17Volume 2015 Issue 1

stipulate single authorship. Vicky Gibbon noted that even a single­authored paper could havesubstantial input from others. Asta commented that the poster on which she was first author…DebMerritt and Vicky Gibbon both commented on the ethical issue of working with Chinese skeletalmaterial and the people who curate the material, as they have to be named as co­authors.Vaughan Grimes suggested a journal style listing of authors’ contributions to the paper. He notedthat a student author with multiple co­authors could still bollocks up the presentation of the paper.Tracey G. and Cory M. both asked rhetorically whether there was a good argument for not offering aprize to multi­authored papers? Michael S. reviewed the judging criteria for everyone, to make clearthe dimensions of the papers being judged. Megan B. commented that her single­author paper hadhelp. Tina commented that outside help was a critical component of the academic process. Somestudents said that they wanted the judging criteria to be transparent. Tina stated that the criteria bywhich the student papers will be judged will be posted on the website.Motion proposed by Rob Hoppa, Andrew Nelson, and Vicky Gibbon: Student Award competition willallow multi­authored papers, with any award going only to the student, and to be eligible thestudent’s contribution must be substantive. Tracy P. seconded. Motion was adopted unanimously.

11. Other Business: Suggested that the Web Master name be changed to Website Editor and theterm changed from 5 to 3 years in line with other executive positions. Andrew N. noted that thismust be changed in the constitution; amendment pending if made at next business meeting in 2015.

12. Future Meetings: 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Oct 28­31, Fort Garry Hotel. Rob said if you likedit in 2005, you’ll love it 2015! Applause!

2016 – Trent to host the meeting. Hosts: Anne K. and Jocelyn Williams. Anne said the venue willbe the Holiday Inn (sigh), but will do their best to host a great meeting. Applause!

13. Tina thanked Kumari Mitra and Vicky Gibbon and volunteers at UNB for all of their hard work toput on such a great meeting this year!

The business meeting ended at 5:28 pm.

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Secretary­Treasurer’s Interim ReportCAPA­ACAP Annual Meeting, Fredericton (UNB) 2014

1. Statement of Income and Expenses for 2014 (to Nov. 5, 2014)

CAPA Community Account Opening Balance(for the period Dec. 18, 2013 to Nov. 5, 2014): $ 45,568.81

Income:2014 Membership dues (cheques): $ 698.85Bank interest to date: $ 2.31Transfer of funds from UTSC (Annual Meeting 2013): $ 5,933.56Transfer of funds from PayPal account (May 23, 2014): $ 2,940.00Transfer of funds from PayPal account (Oct. 16, 2014): $ 1,875.00Amount currently in PayPal account (Nov. 5, 2014): $ 24.28Donations to Shelley R. Saunders Thesis Research Fund: $ 20.00Sponsorship funds re. 2014 Student Workshop: $xxx.xx (?)Sub­total revenue for 2014 (to Nov. 5, 2013): $ 11,494.00

Expenses:Oschinsky­McKern & Davidson Black Awards 2013: $ 975.00Student travel reimbursements 2013 (15 x $ 50 + 1 x $25): $ 775.00Shelley R. Saunders Thesis Research Awards 2013 (3 x $ 800): $ 2,400.00New Webpage Design (first installment): $ 2,073.752015 Annual Meeting, Winnipeg – Fort Garry Hotel deposit: $ 750.00Reimbursement of Exec. member 2014 dues (M. Mant, J. Sharman, A. Rand): $ 75.00Reimbursement for cost of Student Luncheon Guest Speaker gifts: $ 64.58Student travel reimbursements 2014 ($ 50.00 x ‘x’): *TBDSub­total expenses for 2014 (to Nov. 5th/’14): $ 7,113.33

Community Account Balance to Nov. 5, 2014: $ 49,949.48* TBD = To Be Determined

2. Current Assets (as of Nov. 5, 2014, Online Banking Check):Bank of Montreal:Community Account Funds: $ 53,739.40Total Assets: $ 53,739.40

3. Comparative figures for revenue from membership (2002­2014):

2002: $ 2,243.732003: $ 3,629.72 (year of increase in membership dues)2004: $ 5115.012005: $ 4,838.262006: $ 5,619.972007: $ 6,162.78

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2008: $ 5,755.762009: $ 4,002.972010: $ 2,439.202011: $ 6,458.872012: $ 5,224.962013: $ 4,295.782014: $ 5,513.85

4. Membership Breakdown 2014 (as of Nov. 5, 2014):

New Renewal Totals

Student 32 39 71

Full 4 41 45

Totals 36 80 116

plus, together with 10 Life Members = 126 Members in CAPA­ACAP for 2014.

Membership Breakdown 2013 (for comparison):

New Renewal Totals

Student 39 36 75

Full 11 43 54

Totals 50 79 129

plus, together with 10 Life Members = 139 Members in CAPA­ACAP for 2013.

There was a slight decline in total membership in 2014 compared to 2013. However, a membershipof 126 to this point in 2014 is slightly above the mean membership of CAPA­ACAP going back to1996 (mean = 122.9; see Comparative Membership totals below). New memberships account for31% of paid memberships in 2014, with 89% of those being New Student memberships. Renewalsfor 2014 in both the “Student” and “Full” membership categories were very close to the 2012numbers, with almost no difference in total Renewals between 2013 and 2014. Some late 2014memberships could still yet trickle in (e.g., on­site memberships).

Comparative Membership totals, 1996­2014(* historic high in CAPA­ACAP membership)

Total membership 2014 (Fredericton): 126

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Total membership 2013 (Toronto): 139Total membership 2012 (Victoria): 161Total membership 2011 (Montreal): 216*Total membership 2010 (Saskatoon): 95Total membership 2009 (Vancouver): 132Total membership 2008 (Hamilton): 168Total membership 2007 (Banff): 155Total membership 2006 (Peterborough): 130Total membership 2005 (Winnipeg): 130Total membership 2004 (London): 91Total membership 2003 (Edmonton): 96Total membership 2002 (Ottawa): 110Total membership 2001 (Winnipeg): 149Total membership 2000 (Burlington): 133Total membership 1999 (Fredericton): 117Total membership 1998 (Calgary): 62Total membership 1997 (London): 58Total membership 1996 (Kingston): 78

Avg. membership 2010­2014: 147.4Avg. membership 2005­2009: 149.4Avg. membership 2000­2004: 115.8Avg. membership 1996­1999: 78.8

Avg. membership 1996­2014: 122.9

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