Current Issue: 2026

From the Desk of the Editors: Dr. Alex Garcia-Putnam and Amelia Sethi (Student Co-Editor)

In last year’s From the Desk of the Editor, former Spectrum Editor Dr. Sara Withers noted that our students are thinking anthropologically about the world “not just in academic settings, but the ways in which the discipline of anthropology can lead the way in creating a more equitable and just way of representing and supporting communities and people in the real world.” In the 2025-2026 academic year, our students have leaned into these values even more. This issue exhibits a diverse array of research and applied projects—in various media—that showcases not only the excellent work of our students, but also the importance of anthropological thinking more broadly.

Anthropology at its most basic is the study of people—past and present. The simplicity of this statement masks the complexities of examining human culture and biology. Anthropology approaches these topics wholistically, thinking about the human experience biologically, culturally, linguistically, and archaeologically; the student work highlighted here explores those various subfields and how they can be used and combined to understand the human condition. The works here are wide-ranging, from introductory-level projects to senior theses. Our students examine various topics including migration, health and disease stigmas, laws regarding the use of unclaimed bodies for medical research, and how we can think about the archaeological past by looking at our own garbage! While illustrative of the breath of anthropological research, the throughline for these works is their interest in interrogating the human experience. Further, many of the projects highlighted this year are also applied, with an eye toward using our anthropological ethos to advocate for positive change within the discipline and in the world around us.

This year’s issue has Cover Art created by Emilia Nascimento entitled A Manifest Anthropology and is a wonderful illustration of the breadth and interconnectedness of anthropological inquiry here at UNH. Below, instead of dividing works by subfield, they are instead divided by medium: written works, photo essays, and posters. This is explicitly designed to showcase anthropology’s holism and interconnectedness.

Section I: Written Works
Section I features work done by various students across the subfields of anthropology. The first submissions are from three students from Dr. Meghan Howey’s Spring 2026 ANTH 515: Method and Theory in Archaeology course, with a short forward by Dr. Howey. This collection of research papers represents one hands-on research project from that course—Trash Talk. As Dr. Howey states “When archaeologists recover artifacts -- material objects made, used, and/or modified by past peoples -- it is often for the humblest of reasons: because they were discarded as everyday trash”. This assignment put students Taylor Brown, Connor Lincoln, and Brady Proctor in a position to examine their own lives based on the trash they accrue. Interpreting past lived experiences and behaviors from the archaeological record is a challenge; this project is designed to make students confront that challenge and to examine their own past lives through archaeological theory. Each of their works acts as a unique lens through which to view the archaeological record and our interpretation of it.

The next written work is authored by Katherine Rule who presents a reflection essay based on a large project completed for Dr. Sara Withers’ ANTH 665: Anthropology of Migration and Movement course. This work, entitled “Crossing Borders: Teaching Migration Through Experiential Learning”, asks if students can move beyond abstract theory and into tangible experience through the use of a role-playing game. This game and Katherine’s analysis of it is a powerful example of anthropology’s ability to creatively examine complex political and cultural phenomena like migration. Matt Jasper’s “Decreasing the Prevalence of HIV/AIDS Misinformation and Stigma in South Africa”, takes the form of a Policy Brief for Dr. Casey Golomski’s ANTH 685 Gender, Sexuality and HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa course. This work examines the roles that intentional misinformation and stigma play in hampering the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa. Matt provides a set of policy recommendations to affect positive change in this region.

Section II: Photo-Essays
Emilia Nascimento catalogued and analyzed artifacts recovered from test excavations around what is now the UNH President’s Residence. Photographs of a collection of representative artifacts are included here as a photo-essay. The excavations took place as part of Dr. Meghan Howey’s Spring 2025 ANTH 515: Method and Theory in Archaeology course; and the full artifact analysis is ongoing. The artifacts highlighted here offer insights into the various uses of this property, how it has changed through time, and the lives of those that used those spaces.

Section III: Posters
Students from Dr. Alex Garcia-Putnam’s ANTH415 (Honors) Human Evolution, Fossils, and DNA course created posters on various topics in biological anthropology; three are highlighted here. These posters showcase the diversity of research topics within biological anthropology, and all address the fact that we as a species are the result of complex biological and cultural phenomena.

1. “How Racial Discrimination Accelerates Biological Aging” by Leah Maddison
2. “Does Neanderthal DNA Impact Modern Behavioral and Psychological Traits” by Kiernan Werchniak
3. “Physical Health Impacts of Increased Digital Technology Use” by James Poupolo

Student’s involved with the Forensic Anthropology Identification and Recovery (F.A.I.R.) Lab are encouraged to conduct independent research and are embedded within the research projects of Lab Director Dr. Amy Michael and Assistant Director Dr. Alex Garcia-Putnam. This year four posters were produced for the Undergraduate Research Conference at UNH and are reproduced here for digital viewership.

1. “Building an Experimental Human Decomposition Scent Detection Library for K-9 Search and Recovery Training in New England” by Julia Melanson, Brady Proctor, Ainsley Rennie, and Mallorie Carvalho
2. “Poverty and Health: Skeletal Evidence of Syphilis at Charity Hospital Cemetery #2, New Orleans, Louisiana (1842-1929)” by Connor Lincoln
3. “From Gravestones to People: Mortuary Archaeology and Microhistory at North Cemetery, Portsmouth, NH (1753-1926)” by Juliet O’Brienhalla
4. “How We Treat the Unclaimed Dead: Initial Research into Human Remains Laws Across the U.S.” by Rhydian Schaaf