A Story of Us

In this episode of A Story of Us, Nagarathna Balakrishna chats with renowned paleoartist John Gurche (https://gurche.com/) as he candidly reflects on his early journey into reconstructing our ancestors, shares how he blends science and art in his work, navigates the creative and ethical challenges of reconstruction, and offers thoughtful advice for aspiring students in the field.

In this episode, we sit down with Julia (frost6603@gmail.com), an undergraduate in the Anthropology Department at The Ohio State University, to talk all things archaeology, art, and ancient plants. From excavating in the Northern Chaco Outliers Project to working in an archaeobotany lab, Julia shares how her interdisciplinary lens—combining anthropology with art—shapes the way she studies the past. We chat about collaboration, creativity, and the questions that drive her research into ancient human-environment relationships.

For our first episode of the year, our new host, Nagarathna Balakrishna, sits down with fellow PhD candidate and former podcast host, Andrew Mitchell (mitchell.13@osu.edu), to discuss his dissertation fieldwork on Oaxacan culinary adaptations across Columbus, Los Angeles, and Oaxaca City. Join us as Andrew shares what drew him to cultural anthropology, insights from his research on culinary adaptations across the three sites, challenges of fieldwork, and his teaching activities. Plus, get a sneak peek into some of his fascinating findings— and keep an eye out for his public defense around April!

In this episode, Dr. Habiba Chirchir, a biological anthropologist, discusses her research on skeletal anatomy and behavior and its implications for understanding human evolution. She explores what it means for the human skeleton to be more ‘gracile,’ drawing comparisons between the domestication of domestic dogs and wolves, the challenges of interpreting skeletal changes, and the importance of collaboration and mentorship in her work. Dr. Chirchir is looking to grow her team! If you're interested in joining, reach out at chirchir.4@osu.edu or visit the Skeletal Anatomy Lab (https://habibachirchir.wixsite.com/scientist-site) to learn more.

This episode Andrew Mitchel sits down with Associate Clinical Professor Dr. Katie Zejdlik. They discuss the joys of reading fiction as a way to decompress, Dr. Zejdlik's work on mortuary contexts in Romania/Transylvania (https://www.archaeological.org/fieldwork/medieval-cemetery-funerary-excavation-living-and-dying-on-the-edge-of-europe-transylvania-romania/) and her approach to teaching archeology and forensics.

This episode Andrew Mitchel sits down with Ohio State PhD Candidate Ben Mertus. They discuss the article Beyond Wiindigo Infrastructure (https://grangehallpress.com/Enbridgeblog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Beyond_Wiindigo_Infrastructure.pdf); the concept of ecotourism in anthropology; Ben's fieldwork in Manawan, Quebec; the concept of resilience in his research; the hidden costs of fieldwork; and Ben's teaching.

This episode Andrew Mitchel sits down with Ohio State PhD Candidate Harold "Butch" Wright. They discuss readings on commensality (https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/commensality-from-everyday-food-to-feast-9780857857361/), social network analysis (https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Communities+and+Networks%3A+Using+Social+Network+Analysis+to+Rethink+Urban+and+Community+Studies-p-9780745654201), and food insecurity (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ajhb.23821). They then cover Butch's fieldwork in Parque das Tribos in Manaus, Brazil; discuss the pros and cons of applying standardized food insecurity measures to this community; and show how food is tied closely to be egocentric networks and urban indigenous identity in Brazil and beyond.

This episode Andrew Mitchel sits down with Ohio State PhD Candidate Madelyn (Madee) Green (green.1365@osu.edu). They discuss research on isolation in islands, Madee's fieldwork in Japan with prehistoric Jomon populations, the Sannai Maruyama site (https://jomon-japan.jp/en/learn/jomon-sites/sannai-maruyama), and her teaching strategies.

This episode Andrew Mitchel sits down with OSU Anthropology's newest hire in forensic anthropology, Dr. Nicholas Passalacqua. They discuss an article on the legal and social ramifications for wrongdoing (https://doi.org/10.2307/2564673), the definition of forensic anthropology, the process of completing a case analysis, a textbook project Dr. Passalacqua has worked on (https://titles.cognella.com/forensic-anthropology-9798823309363), and an ethics book Dr. Passalacqua is co-writing with OSU alumnae Marin Pilloud (https://shop.elsevier.com/books/ethics-and-professionalism-in-forensic-anthropology/passalacqua/978-0-12-812065-1).

In this interview, Andrew sits down with Maddison Elliott, who is graduating with her MA this semester in anthropology. They discuss The book Buzz (https://nyupress.org/9781479827381/buzz/), Maddison's MA thesis on pollinator protection, hierarchies of insects, roundtable method of teaching introductory anthropology courses, and the Wicked Science program at Ohio State (https://u.osu.edu/wicked/)!