FSU Department of Anthropology

Florida State University in Newsweek ▶️ New research coauthored by Jayur Mehta (FSU Department of Anthropology) examines the impact of rapid sea-level rise on New Orleans and the broader Mississippi Delta region.

To view the full article, which discusses potential courses of action such as relocating New Orleans residents over time, visit: bit.ly/3Ss143u.

We are equally excited to celebrate this achievement by Dr. Dean Falk!

We are thrilled to announce the 2026 Mary W. Klinger Book Award winner! 🌿📖

This year, we are proud to honor the book:
The Botanic Age: Planting the Seeds of Human Evolution by Dean Falk

Dean Falk is the Hale G. Smith Professor of Anthropology and a Distinguished Research Professor at Florida State University. A leading evolutionary anthropologist, her research focuses on the evolution of the human brain and the emergence of cognitive abilities including language, music, and analytical thinking.

In The Botanic Age, she takes readers millions of years into the past to argue that botanical innovations, including weaving and woodworking, preceded the Stone Age and laid the neurological groundwork for human intelligence as we know it today.

Congratulations to Dean Falk on this well-deserved recognition!

To learn more about the award, visit https://ethnobotany.org/home/awards/mary-w-klinger-book-award.html

The newest class of FSU College of Arts & Sciences graduates crossed the stage one week ago today, and we're still celebrating !

Blakelynn Burnham earned her master's in biological anthropology, becoming a two-time alumna of the FSU Department of Anthropology. For her thesis, Burnham conducted forensic anthropology work to reopen cold cases between 1970 and 1985. She employed modern scientific methods to help identify the remains of missing or unidentified persons.

"My most meaningful, eye-opening opportunity at FSU has been my thesis, which allowed me to do things I never thought possible. My research focused on reopening these cases to hopefully identify them and return them back to their families."

Burnham is working toward landing a position at a medical examiner’s office or 911 dispatch agency, eventually earning a doctorate in forensic anthropology.

For more on Florida State University's spring commencement ceremonies and the FSU journeys of several outstanding FSU College of Arts & Sciences graduates, visit: fla.st/9VUPWT0O.

We can't believe it's been almost a week since the class of crossed the stage, but we're still celebrating our newest Florida State University alumni! 🎓

During the Friday evening commencement ceremony, Liberty West received dual bachelor's degrees in anthropology (FSU Department of Anthropology) and art history (College of Fine Arts at Florida State University).

"The thing I enjoy most about anthropology is its versatility and how well it works with other disciplines. Originally, I thought I had to choose between my passion for history, art and science, but further research led me to the multifaceted career of conservation, which combines chemistry, art history and anthropology."

For her Honors in the Major thesis, West used non-destructive portable X-ray fluorescence to analyze the chemical "fingerprints" of ceramics from the Carson Mounds site in Mississippi. This work aimed to distinguish between potential long-distance trade imports and local ceramics in Mississippian culture, which was comprised of Indigenous societies from 800 to 1600 C.E. in the present-day Midwestern, Eastern and Southeastern U.S.

West will attend University of Pennsylvania to pursue a master's in historic preservation with a focus in architectural conservation.

For more on FSU's spring commencement ceremonies and the FSU journeys of several outstanding FSU College of Arts & Sciences graduates, visit: fla.st/9VUPWT0O.

Associate Professor Jayur Mehta (FSU Department of Anthropology) is part of a team that has found that ancient migration routes used by Indigenous peoples are relevant to today’s policy and planning surrounding coastal living in rapidly changing environments.

This research generated frameworks on how to live in ecologically dynamic landscapes like coastal Louisiana, and how to manage relocation from these areas, as life-threatening issues like sea-level rise and extreme weather events increase erosion of the land.

To learn more, visit: fla.st/DMPSTCG1.

Florida State University, Florida State University Division of Research

Today's the day, and we're celebrating our FSU College of Arts & Sciences graduates as they prepare to cross the stage! 🎓

This evening, Abigail Arnold will receive a bachelor's in anthropology (FSU Department of Anthropology). For one of her research projects, she collaborated with the Jacksonville Zoo to investigate how bonobos, a type of endangered primate, behave in captive environments.

"During my time at Florida State University, I reignited my interest in wildlife and conservation during a Fall 2025 internship with the North Florida Wildlife Center. I was able to work with the center's black-and-white ruffed lemurs and observe their adjustment to new facilities."

After graduation, Arnold will travel to South Africa as a research assistant on the Nature’s Valley Baboon Project.

For more on the commencement ceremonies, visit: fla.st/9VUPWT0O.

Last up, but certainly not least, we have Eric Shattuck, Ph.D. He is an assistant professor of anthropology who specializes in topics related to infectious disease, inflammation, and immune function in humans across varied social and environmental contexts. His research is grounded in evolutionary theory and borrows from psychoneuroimmunology, behavioral endocrinology, and other allied fields while focusing on human biological and cultural variation. Shattuck earned a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Georgia (2005), an M.S. in biomedical anthropology from SUNY Binghamton (2009), and his Ph.D. in biological anthropology from Indiana University (2015). He uses multiple methods – including interviews, surveys, enzyme immunoassays, immune function measures, and accelerometry – to answer questions about human health and disease. In addition to work here in the U.S., Shattuck also works in Jalisco, Mexico on a project related to Indigenous Wixárika health in collaboration with faculty at the Universidad de Guadalajara. He has researched and published on multiple topics in biological anthropology, including sickness behavior, sleep and sleep health, “tattoo flu,” the intersection of pain and anger, disgust and the behavioral immune system, and “social immunology.”

He directs the Social Health and Immunology Research (SHIRE) Group and teaches courses on One Health, health disparities, Indigenous health, and human adaptability, among others. He also leads a field school on Indigenous health in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Eric Shattuck is recruiting graduate students interested in health, sickness behavior, inflammation and immune function, sleep, and vaccine hesitancy across a variety of social and cultural contexts.

Congratulations to all of our students that have graduated this academic year! We had the opportunity to celebrate our graduates with a party full of laughter, joy, and praise. We cannot express enough how proud we are of our students, past and current. We look forward to seeing all of them achieve their dreams. But don’t forgot your home away from home at the Florida State University Department of Anthropology, we are in your corner.