Bill Jansen’s Career: A Shining Example of Development Anthropology

By Monica Udvardy

Dr. William Jansen II returned to UK’s anthropology community on January 27, 2023, to give the Department of Anthropology's Annual Alumni Talk. Bill earned his bachelor's degree in anthropology with honors from the department in 1971 and went on to earn his master's and doctorate in anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1975, based on fieldwork in the Canadian Arctic.

In 1976, Bill began his long and distinguished career with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). He started as a social science analyst for development assistance programs in Southeast Asia.

As his career unfolded, 

Despite the vast social and geographic distance between Kentucky and Alaska, Elaine Drew (Ph.D. Anthropology ’04), Travis Hedwig (Ph.D. Anthropology ’13), and Britteny Howell (Ph.D. Anthropology ’17) call Alaska their home.

Dr. Drew is an Associate Professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), where she teaches and mentors undergraduate and graduate

Born and raised in the Netherlands to Surinamese immigrants, Aminata Cairo came to the United States to pursue a college education. She obtained a Bachelor's in Psychology and a Bachelor's in Physical Education from Berea College, a Master's in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Kentucky University, and a Master's and Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology from the University of Kentucky. Her goal is to use her academic skills to positively impact communities.

Dr. Cairo has done extensive community work in the United States, the Netherlands, Suriname, and Ghana. She founded her own multi-cultural dance company called Sabi Diri in Kentucky and performed across the United States and Suriname. As a professor, she committed herself to uplifting students and promoting their sense of

Anthropology post-doc Amber Plemons won the 2023 J. Lawrence Angel Student Paper Award of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Her paper examines the evolutionary significance of population affinity from craniofacial morphological features.

Amber earned her Ph.D.in Anthropology at the Michigan State University, an M.A. from the Mississippi State University and her B.S. at the Texas State University before arriving at the University of Kentucky to conduct research in the Human Evolution and Virtual Archaeology (HEVA) Laboratory. HEVA explores the evolutionary and biocultural mechanisms contributing to the emergence, diversification, and adaptation

In fall 2022 and spring 2023, Anthropology Ph.D. candidate Goeun Lee took her students of ANT 225 Culture, Environment, and Global Issues to a sustainable fish farm, a community garden, and UK’s own recycling warehouse. These trips, as well as guest lectures from sustainability experts and advocates, are part of Lee’s Environmental Anthropology: Community-Engaged Learning project, which was funded by the Student Sustainability Council and the Legacy Fund. 

At the core of this project are three themes: environmental stewardship, food and environmental justice, and social inclusion. As a result of this active learning, two of Lee’s students

In 2015, Bill Schweri (B.A. ’69, M.A. ’78) created the Anthropology Legacy Gift Fund to help students develop professional networks through research and other professional opportunities. Through Bill's continued generosity, this fund was converted into an endowment, the Anthropology Legacy Endowment Fund, to provide sustaining support and impact for anthropology students. All contributions made to the fund be matched by Bill.

Fossil Frenzy took place on Saturday, December 17th at the Lexington Children’s Theater in downtown Lexington. It consisted of an interactive display of archeological tools and artifacts from the University of Kentucky’s William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology, followed by a performance of Digging Up Dessa. After the performance, attendees were treated to a Q&A session with the cast and creative team of the Lexington Children’s Theater, Webb Museum Staff, and Dr. Brenna Hassett, a founding member of the Trowel Blazers, which is an organization dedicated to highlighting the contributions of women in the ‘digging’ sciences. Curator Lisa Guerre

By Ryan Girves 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 30, 2023) — The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for Humanities has selected 12  undergraduates as scholars for the university's Gaines Fellowship Program for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years.

The Gaines Fellowship is presented in recognition of outstanding academic performance, demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, an interest in public issues and a desire to enhance understanding of the human condition through the humanities. Founded in 1984 by a gift from John and Joan Gaines, the Gaines Center for the Humanities is designed to enrich the study of the humanities at UK and functions as a

By A Fish 

LEXINGTON; Ky. — When one hears about archaeology, one thinks of Indiana Jones, Egypt, anything — but rarely does one hear about archaeological sites in the rolling hills of Kentucky. Elena Sesma has started two research projects at the University of Kentucky so that anthropology students can get hands-on experience while in undergraduate and graduate programs. 

The first project is a reanalysis of a site in Nicholas County, Kentucky, that was excavated in the mid ’90s by the Kentucky Archaeology Survey. 

“The site today is on the property of the North Central 4H camp” said Sesma, an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky. “It was a home site for an African American family in the last 20 years of the 19th century, and what I have been doing in this research is reanalyzing the artifact assemblage to get a better understanding

By A Fish 

LEXINGTON; Ky. — Internet is available nearly everywhere in the United States, but people in other countries often go to great lengths to obtain this modern necessity. Solar panels are often needed to help people power their phones and connect to the Internet.  

Kristin Monroe, an associate professor in anthropology and director of graduate studies, has been traveling to Lebanon regularly since the early 2000s in the pursuit of her research, but due to global events, namely the COVID-19 pandemic, she had not been able to go to Lebanon for a couple of years. She returned last summer and published an article on sapiens.org about the recent solar panel boom that rich and poor alike have embraced so they can have WiFi, lights, working refrigerators and so on. The article, titled “In Lebanon, Solar Power Is Booming, Why?,” is

HEVA member Bruno Athié Teruel presented his summer research to the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees during their recent retreat on October 20th. Bruno, a double major in Anthropology and Computer Science, is currently writing the results of his undergraduate Honors Thesis in the Department of Anthropology and the Lewis Honors College. The work is a collaboration with the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at the University of São Paolo, Brazil.

The UNited In True Racial Equity Research Priority Area (UNITE RPA) welcomed its inaugural cohort of 18 graduate students from 6 colleges to the UNITE Predoctoral Research Enhancement Program. 

UNITE is led by Danelle Stevens-Watkins, Ph.D., and associate vice president for research, diversity and inclusion. She created this program in 2022, with support from the Office of the Vice President for Research, Office of Institutional Diversity and The Graduate School, to engage and support scholars who enhance diversity, equity and inclusion in Ph.D. programs at UK. The program is aligned with university priorities to create cultures of inclusive excellence while integrating students into the world of research and academia. 

“The UNITE Predoctoral Research Enhancement Program is designed to meet the needs of exceptionally talented graduate students, determined

By Richard LeComte

LEXINGTON, Ky. --- Gabriela Spears-Rico, assistant professor of Chicano Latino Studies and American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, will lead off the University of Kentucky Department of Anthropology’s Autumn Colloquium Series with a talk titled “Malinche’s Refusal: New visions for a decolonized Latinidad. “

This first event, at noon Friday, Oct. 14 in the Young Library Auditorium, is free and open to the public. Sponsors are the UK College of Arts & Sciences, Martin Luther King Center and the Gaines Center for the Humanities.

Spears-Rico will discuss the idea of “Dia de la Raza,” or “Day of the Race,” which Spanish-speaking communities often celebrate in place of Columbus Day. She will explore the origins of the term “la raza” and how it relates to gendered

By Whitney Hale

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 23, 2022) — University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences students have received Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships to support their education abroad goals.

The Gilman Scholarship supports students who have been traditionally under-represented in study abroad, including but not limited to  students with high financial need, community college students, students in under-represented fields such as the sciences and engineering, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds and students with disabilities. Award recipients are chosen by a competitive selection process and must use the award, ranging from $100 to $5,000, to defray the cost of tuition, room and board, books

By Richard LeComte 

Check out this gallery of photos from the dig. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Behind the older but spiffed-up University of Kentucky buildings along East Maxwell Street, beneath a canopy, UK students methodically dig two orderly, rectangular and deep holes. In said holes, they find what seems to be the foundation of a former outbuilding, some 1960s pull-tabs from old soda cans, pieces of ceramics and shards of china and glass — treasures from a recent past.  

“So far we found a lot of pieces of miscellaneously colored glass and random pieces of iron, like a nail or a hinge or a car part,” said Katie Reidy, a senior psychology major who’s in the class. “We found an L-shaped car part made out of iron, and we’ve found some old pull-tabs, too. It is

By Daniel T. Flener

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 25, 2022) — The International Center at the University of Kentucky has announced the 2022 UK Global Impact Award winners. Among them is Ann Kingsolver, professor of anthropology and director of the Appalachian Studies Program. 

The awards honor faculty, staff, alumni and community members who have contributed to the university’s global engagement through education, research and service as well those who have fostered a culturally diverse, welcoming environment.

“This past year has reinforced for us just how interconnected our world really is, and how critically important international collaboration is in research and higher education,” said Sue Roberts, associate provost for internationalization. “These individuals are making a wonderful and

By Alicia Gregory

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 19, 2022) — It’s the signature on a bourbon barrel. It's the ancient footprints in Mammoth Cave. Heritage science is all around us and has deep roots in the Commonwealth. Kentucky’s story begins in prehistoric times, when mammoths roamed the Ohio River Valley at Big Bone Lick.

In November 2021, the University of Kentucky announced a new $14 million mid-scale infrastructure grant from the National Science Foundation, that will allow UK to tell

By Alicia Gregory

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 16, 2022) — The University of Kentucky Office of the Vice President for Research has named four fellows to the Lyman T. Johnson Postdoctoral Fellowship and the University Research Postdoctoral Fellowship.  The Lyman T. Johnson Postdoctoral Fellowship is named in honor of UK's first Black graduate student and prioritizes funding for candidates from backgrounds that are traditionally underrepresented in the faculty ranks. The University Research Postdoctoral Fellowship is for individuals training in disciplines with limited gender diversity.  

One of the University Research Postdoctoral Fellows is Amber Plemons, Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences. Her mentors are Hugo Reyes-Centeno and James Hartsfield.

By Lindsey Piercy

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 15, 2021) — Growing up in Stanford, Kentucky, Gary Chandler’s aspirations stretched far beyond the small farm he called home.

It was 1971, and the 18-year-old was on the brink of a big decision — where to attend college.

“Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, the University of Kentucky was the school to go to if you lived in the Commonwealth,” he said. “I never thought of going to any other school.”

Feelings of anticipation and apprehension were intertwined as Chandler made a life-changing decision — to become a Wildcat. 

While UK was everything he hoped it would be, Chandler admits, he didn’t live up to his own expectations. “During the 70’s, I was not a great student — to say the least,” he continued. “My GPA barely allowed me

By Lindsey Piercy, Alicia Gregory, and Ben Corwin

It’s the signature on a bourbon barrel — it's the ancient footprints in Mammoth Cave.

Heritage science is all around us and has deep roots in the Commonwealth.

Kentucky’s story begins in prehistoric times, when mammoths roamed the Ohio River Valley at Big Bone Lick.

Now, thanks to a $14 million infrastructure grant from the National Science Foundation, the University of Kentucky is poised to tell that story in new, groundbreaking ways through the lens of heritage science.

“We are at a turning point,” Brent Seales, UK Alumni Professor in the Department of Computer Science, said. “Science and technology