News & Events

Sanggay Tashi Awarded the Cora Du Bois Fellowship

Renee Kuban — Tue, 19 May 2026 22:16:22 +0000

Sanggay Tashi Awarded the Cora Du Bois Fellowship Renee Kuban Tue, 05/19/2026 - 16:16

Sanggay Tashi (Cultural Anthropology, PhD in Progress) awarded the Cora Du Bois Fellowship at Harvard University.

This fellowship will allow Sanggay to utilize Harvard's Tozzer Library collections in Anthropology, Indigenous Studies, and Tibetan Studies as he completes his dissertation.

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Cristian Figueroa Presented His Co-Authored Paper at the SAA Annual Meeting

Renee Kuban — Tue, 12 May 2026 22:04:41 +0000

Cristian Figueroa Presented His Co-Authored Paper at the SAA Annual Meeting Renee Kuban Tue, 05/12/2026 - 16:04

Cristian Figueroa (Archaeology, PhD in Progress) participated at the Society of American Archaeology (SAA) 91st Annual Meeting, where he co-authored a paper presentation titled “Archaeological Collections, Institutional Policies, and Community Self-representations in Indigenous Museums of Sonora, Mexico” with Dr. Anabella Coronado (Universidad de Sonora & Instituto Sonorense de Cultura).

Additionally, Cristian was a Discussant in the Lightning Round titled “Queer Archaeology Part III: Queer Lightning” where he engaged in conversation with other scholars about how archaeologists are practicing Queer Archaeology.

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Lauren Hosek's Co-Authored Article Published in American Journal of Biological Anthropology

Renee Kuban — Tue, 12 May 2026 21:49:09 +0000

Lauren Hosek's Co-Authored Article Published in American Journal of Biological Anthropology Renee Kuban Tue, 05/12/2026 - 15:49

Lauren Hosek's co-authored article, "On Making Descendant Communities: Three Case Studies From Historical Bioarchaeology," Published in American Journal of Biological Anthropology.

Abstract

Bioarchaeologists, museums and universities, journal editorial boards, and academic professional organizations are working toward ethical engagements with human remains, with a focus on descendant community engagement. This article reexamines past and present bioarchaeological descendant community engagement to consider how “descendant community” has been defined. The authors present three case studies to highlight variation in descendant community definition in practice. The first describes the Loretto Bioarchaeology Project, a community-engaged investigation of the lives of Catholic Sisters (1870–1969) based in Denver, Colorado. The Loretto Community of Sisters and affiliates acts as the descendant community, centering ‘chosen’ family over biological relationships. The second case study discusses two hurricane victims from the 1928 Hurricane, in Belle Glade, Florida. A biological descendant community is impossible given the population of migrant laborers that died in the storm, but a community of care has been developed at a local memorial site for the storm. The third case study considers next-of-kin reported in archival documents pertaining to persons in the Huntington Anatomical Collection (1893–1921), currently housed at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. While next-of-kin documented at decedents' deaths include biological kin, bonds were also created through shared residence and life in New York City, problematizing notions of lineal descendants in the present. The case studies represent a multiplicity of “family,” “descendants,” and “kin,” complicating policies for defining and prioritizing descendant communities and offering examples of paths forward through different iterations of community in bioarchaeological practice.

Read the article American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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Cristian Figueroa Successfully Defended His Qualifying Exams

Renee Kuban — Mon, 11 May 2026 18:28:13 +0000

Cristian Figueroa Successfully Defended His Qualifying Exams Renee Kuban Mon, 05/11/2026 - 12:28

Cristian Figueroa (Archaeology, PhD in Progress) successfully defended and passed his Qualifying Exam. Through this exam, Cristian demonstrated knowledge in the theoretical, regional, and methodological approaches his research will embrace. Cristian’s Ph.D. committee is formed by Professors Gerardo Gutiérrez (chair), Kira Hall, and Eric Jones.

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Cristian Figueroa Presented His 91��Ҹ� at the Symposium of Young Archaeologists

Renee Kuban — Mon, 11 May 2026 18:01:06 +0000

Cristian Figueroa Presented His 91��Ҹ� at the Symposium of Young Archaeologists Renee Kuban Mon, 05/11/2026 - 12:01

Cristian Figueroa (Archaeology, PhD in Progress) participated and presented his research at the Symposium of Young Archaeologists held at the Faculty of Archaeology at Leiden University in the Netherlands on April 10th. Cristian’s presentation titled

“Non-Binary Identities Expressed Through Ceramic Figurines” was well received under the symposium’s theme “Archaeology of the Margins.”

His participation in the symposium was made possible thanks to funding awarded by the Graduate School Student Travel Grant and the Graduate 91��Ҹ� Awards Demonstrating Excellence (GRADE) grant from the Center for Humanities & the Arts.

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Donna Goldstein's 91��Ҹ� Featured in A&S Magazine

Renee Kuban — Thu, 07 May 2026 18:26:57 +0000

Donna Goldstein's 91��Ҹ� Featured in A&S Magazine Renee Kuban Thu, 05/07/2026 - 12:26

Professor Donna M. Goldstein’s recent work has been featured in the May 2026 issue of Arts and Sciences Magazine. The story, "Rethinking what fruit flies taught science to ignore," highlights an article originally published in the Journal of the History of Biology.

The research was co-authored with former graduate student Magda Stawkowski. It examines the historical role of the fruit fly in scientific research and explores the specific biological narratives that were prioritized—or overlooked—as a result of its dominance as a model organism.

Read the full feature in Arts and Sciences Magazine

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Nicholas Puente Successfully Defended His PhD Dissertation

Renee Kuban — Thu, 07 May 2026 18:04:00 +0000

Nicholas Puente Successfully Defended His PhD Dissertation Renee Kuban Thu, 05/07/2026 - 12:04

Nicholas Puente successfully defended his PhD dissertation, "Bridging Surface and Subsurface Worlds: Entangling Maya Subterranean and Surface Practices at Punta Laguna, Yucatán, México," Nicholas's committee included Professors Sarah Kurnick (Advisor), Arthur Joyce, Gerardo Gutiérrez, Roberto Rosado-Ramirez, and James E. Brady.

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Michael Orellana Presents at the SAA Meeting

Renee Kuban — Thu, 07 May 2026 16:34:28 +0000

Michael Orellana Presents at the SAA Meeting Renee Kuban Thu, 05/07/2026 - 10:34

Michael Orellana (Biological Anthropology, PhD in Progress) presented an invited talk at the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) annual meeting.

The presentation, titled “The Impact of Genomics on Understanding the Domestication of South American Camelids: New Perspectives and Challenges,” addressed the role of genomic data in researching the domestication history of South American camelid species.

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CU Anthropology Represented at the 2026 AES Spring Conference

Renee Kuban — Tue, 05 May 2026 18:24:40 +0000

CU Anthropology Represented at the 2026 AES Spring Conference Renee Kuban Tue, 05/05/2026 - 12:24

Professor Carole McGranahan and PhD candidates Anna Wynfield, Katie Donlan, and Conor Laning presented at the American Ethnological Society (AES) Spring Conference on May 1 in Victoria, BC. The team was joined by Jessi McNeill for the panel, “When Saying Everything is Too Much: Flash Ethnography Experiments with Ethics, Responsibility, and Refusal.”

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Abigail Verneuille Named the Spring 2026 College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Graduate

Renee Kuban — Tue, 05 May 2026 17:52:36 +0000

Abigail Verneuille Named the Spring 2026 College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Graduate Renee Kuban Tue, 05/05/2026 - 11:52

Anthropology’s own Abigail Verneuille has been named the Spring 2026 College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Graduate.

Abigail is graduating with a BA in Anthropology and a certificate in GIS. Her honors thesis focused on ancestral Puebloan culture, drawing on her experiences at field school in New Mexico and research in North Macedonia. She is currently featured in A&S Magazine, where she discusses her time at CU and her plans to continue her work in archaeology.

Read the article A&S Magazine

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News & Events

Sanggay Tashi Awarded the Cora Du Bois Fellowship

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Cristian Figueroa Presented His Co-Authored Paper at the SAA Annual Meeting

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Lauren Hosek's Co-Authored Article Published in American Journal of Biological Anthropology

Abstract

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Cristian Figueroa Successfully Defended His Qualifying Exams

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Cristian Figueroa Presented His 91���Ҹ� at the Symposium of Young Archaeologists

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Donna Goldstein's 91���Ҹ� Featured in A&S Magazine

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Nicholas Puente Successfully Defended His PhD Dissertation

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Michael Orellana Presents at the SAA Meeting

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CU Anthropology Represented at the 2026 AES Spring Conference

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Abigail Verneuille Named the Spring 2026 College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Graduate

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Cristian Figueroa Presented His 91��Ҹ� at the Symposium of Young Archaeologists

Donna Goldstein's 91��Ҹ� Featured in A&S Magazine