Colorado State University’s department of anthropology and geography has been ranked among the top five anthropology programs in the nation for research spending by the Higher Education Research and Development Survey.
The survey ranks CSU among some of the most prestigious institutions in the nation and highlights the program’s dedication to advancing the field through innovative research and funding opportunities.
Michael Pante, chair of the department of anthropology and geography, said what sets CSU’s program apart from others is the combination of anthropology and geography and the diversity that accompanies being part of the College of Liberal Arts.
“It allows us to access a greater diversity of funding,” Pante said. “We are unique in the College of Liberal Arts, having both biological and physical sciences, social sciences and others that work in the humanities, so it’s a diversity grant that we can apply for, and we’re usually one of the top two departments in the college for securing sponsored research funds.”
The program’s emphasis on research and funding has been instrumental in shaping its students’ careers and academic experiences.
“I’m very lucky that our department is very serious about its research, and I’ve been lucky enough — not only through the department but elsewhere — to get research funding and have that support from within and outside of the department.” -Alex Pelissero, Ph.D. candidate
“My time at CSU has been invaluable to me as a student and a burgeoning academic,” said Isabell Osborne, a graduate student studying biological anthropology. “I deeply appreciate the dedication of the department research and advancing both undergraduate and graduate student learning.”
CSU’s program is unlike others because it supports its graduate students, allowing them to pursue research opportunities without financial strain, which is typically a challenge for these students.
“The department’s strong funding has allowed me an exceptionally rare opportunity to be funded throughout the pursuit of my masters,” Osborne said. “Many programs, especially in anthropology and geography, are not funded in any capacity. My ability to pursue this degree without any financial or personal cost is the only reason I am even capable of doing the research that I am currently conducting and has allowed me to further my education and follow my passion.”
Osborne said many graduate students would be unable to participate in advanced research without the level of support provided by CSU’s program, which is what sets it apart from others.
The department’s research extends beyond campus, with multiple students conducting field research at multiple archaeological sites — Ph.D. candidate Alex Pelissero is one of them.
His project, The Spatial Distribution of Hominin Activities at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania During the Oldowan-Acheulean Transition, has received funding from the National Science and Leakey Foundations.
Pelissero has been conducting research at the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, spending multiple summers mapping and surveying sites with a 2 million-year-old record of human evolution.
“I’m very lucky that our department is very serious about its research, and I’ve been lucky enough — not only through the department but elsewhere — to get research funding and have that support from within and outside of the department,” Pelissero said.
Pelissero credits a major part of his success not only to the department’s financial support but to the extensive professional and career support as well.
“My adviser, who is our chair, obviously has helped me a lot, but also other professors here are sort of guiding me on how to successfully get funding and things to avoid,” Pelissero said. “I’m very lucky to have the opportunities I have, and part of that is being in the department that I’m in and getting that support from the department … in terms of the funding we have available to us but also the professional development support, too.”
Looking ahead, the department aims to continue to build its Ph.D. program and incentivize research to support both staff and students, providing them access to the resources available.
“One of our goals for the future is to grow our Ph.D. program,” Pante said. “It takes time to really establish a program like that, … so we’re working on changes to our graduate programs to attract new students. We want to continue to invest in research by allowing faculty the flexibility to either buy out of teaching or receive course releases where appropriate to incentivize research.”
Reach Laila Shekarchian at science@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.
