The last few decades have marked an ongoing struggle between the highland Indigenous groups of Northern Thailand and the Thai government over the settlement and use of lands located inside of protected national parks. According to the Thai government, these native groups, including the Karen people, use practices that are harmful to the local environment and amplify climate change's effects. However, many others, including academics and Karen activists, argue that Indigenous knowledge and practices are in fact more beneficial to the environment than simply leaving nature alone. This paper examines the validity of these assertions by exploring how the Karen group interacts with the environment through their culture and what effect this has on environmental factors such as climate change and biodiversity. Findings from literary research, artifact observation at the Burke Museum, and interviews with various experts with experience involving these land rights issues suggest that Karen people’s culture is in fact what informs their respect for their local environment and the reason why their environmental practices, such as rotational agriculture, usage of natural materials for clothes and tools, and their general treatment of the natural world are mutually beneficial to both Karen people and the environment. My research also suggests that there is immense value in protecting Karen culture both within their communities and from the threats of the Thai government and its dominant culture. By better understanding and appreciating this knowledge that Karen and Indigenous peoples as a whole have based on years of experience on their native land, we will be able to understand the importance of protecting Native peoples’ right to their lands for both the good of the environment and those living within it.

In the US, our primary healthcare is mostly delivered via the fee-for-service model. Interactions between providers and patients under this model are mediated by insurance companies. In order to bypass health insurance companies, some primary care physicians have opened direct primary care clinics which charge a monthly fee for unlimited care. As part of my undergraduate thesis for the anthropology honors program, I investigated two clinics operating under this model in the Pacific Northwest using participant observation and semi-structured interviews with physicians. My aim was to determine how the direct primary care model affects the agency of physicians and influences the therapeutic process via the clinical encounter. I found that physicians in the US face a unique dilemma of role conflict between the competing identities of business owner and doctor. Additionally, I explored how the expectations of patients differ for male and female physicians and how direct primary care can play into this. My findings highlighted the inadequacies of our existing healthcare system in the United States. Further, I concluded that although direct primary care is a solution to this broken system for some patients and some physicians, systemic changes must be made in order to make primary care a more desirable field for physicians and to provide equitable and quality care for all patients.

The Boomplaas cave is located in the Cango Valley in South Africa and has been the site of many recent archaeological inquiries. The cave contains archaeological deposits spanning the Middle to Late Stone Age. Cave environments, like Boomplaas Cave, are ideal for the preservation of sediment deposits and can tell us about past environments and changes in human occupation patterns over time. Archaeologists can use the magnetic susceptibility of sediments as an indicator of human occupation intensity and climatic changes. Activities such as burning increase the magnetic susceptibility of soil, and warmer climates will result in higher magnetic susceptibility of soil compared to colder climates. We used an Bartington MS2 meter to measure the magnetic susceptibility of 44 sediment samples collected from the cave to infer climatic changes and occupational patterns over time. Our results show clear periods of more intensive human occupation. With this information, we can provide a more comprehensive understanding of variation in the intensity of hominin occupation within this region of South Africa.

Going into an academic career is a path frequently chosen by archaeology graduate students after their graduation. Job listing websites often serve as the first place for these students when seeking academic positions. It's crucial to understand the expectations of institutions, given the limited number of available positions and the abundance of candidates. This study examines tenure-track job advertisements over the past decade to gain insights into the academic job market for archaeologists. Using data from the community-edited Academic Jobs Wiki for Archaeology, we examine the evolution of the academic job market over time. We studied the text of 449 job ads posted from 2013-2023. Our analysis focuses on shifts in archaeological topics and methods requested in job ads. We investigate whether the burden on applicants has changed over time: do institutions request more information and documents from applicants at the initial stages of application, compared to a decade ago? We also examine whether there is an increasing trend in job advertisements highlighting diversity and inclusivity, thereby encouraging a broader range of applicants. Additionally, we assess the influence of socio-political factors on the changing focus of research topics in the field.
Our data analysis indicates an uptrend in the complexity of application requirements and a more pronounced emphasis on diversity and inclusivity in job advertisements. This research aims to assist current and future archaeology students and graduates in better understanding the job market and the requirements of employers, thereby aiding them in effectively preparing for their applications for positions in archaeology.
 

The Field of Cultural Mediation, along with Linguistic Mediation, has gained popularity in Italy as the country is increasingly a destination for immigration. As EU migration policies have become more selective, solidifying dangerous paths for “irregular migration” such as the Mediterranean and Balkan routes, reception systems become more complicated, borders become more violent, and public opinion polarizes (Lo Bianco, personal communication, 2023). In this context, it is increasingly important to ensure migrants have someone to facilitate communication between them and the various actors they encounter in an increasingly complicated and dispersed reception system built to dispel them. Thus, the Cultural Mediator, often a former migrant themselves, is increasingly employed by public institutions and social cooperatives to facilitate communication, integration, and to inform newcomers of their rights (Cuiban, 2019). There is inherent precariousness in being placed between these two often conflicting sides, requiring a high degree of social, emotional, and institutional expertise in addition to mere linguistic and cultural knowledge. Due to a lack of national regulation and decentralization, Cultural Mediators in Italy face social and emotional difficulties as well a lack of respect, proper regulation, payment, and support in their jobs. In this paper, I investigate the struggles Cultural Mediators in Italy face, which I argue is a product of the broader decentralization of the “Migration Industry”. By conducting surveys and Interviews regarding the Struggles Cultural Mediators in Italy face in comparison to existing primary and secondary resources, I aim to identify these struggles as well as their contexts.

The stratigraphic integrity of stone artefacts found in Australia’s earliest archaeological site, Madjedbebe in northern Australia, has been questioned due to the potential impact of termites burrowing through the deposits. Studies have claimed that the 65,000-year date of early human settlement in Madjebebe is invalid due to biodisturbance - in particular, termite disruption, which causes vertical and horizontal displacement of artefacts. Here we analyse the chemical composition of the archaeological sediments and termite mound sediments to investigate the claim that bioturbation processes have impacted the dating of the Madjebebe site. We used a micro-X-Ray Flouresence instrument to analyse the elemental composition of micromorphology samples from the Madjedbebe. Our prediction is that there are distinctive, non-overlapping chemical fingerprints for termite sediments and the archaeological sediments, suggesting minimal termite activity in the archaeologial deposits. The results will provide new information on the validity of the stratigraphic integrity of deposits in Madjebebe, clarifying its significance for debates about the movement of modern humans out of Africa.

Cortisol is a stress hormone that plays a role in several vital processes throughout our body, including immune and metabolic regulation and stress responses. Typically, cortisol follows a diurnal pattern, peaking in the morning and gradually declining as the day goes on. More blunted cortisol diurnal slopes have been associated with chronic stress and poor sleep. In Autumn Quarter 2023, we investigated the relationship between diurnal cortisol patterns and hours of sleep among 20 University of Washington (UW) students as part of a class project. Over three days, participants self-collected saliva samples immediately after waking and at 8 PM and answered daily survey questions about sleep, stress, and behavior. Saliva samples were analyzed by students for cortisol concentrations using an in-house enzyme immunoassay protocol. We calculated the diurnal slope by finding the quotient of the difference between the AM and PM cortisol concentrations and the difference between collection times. For this study, we calculated the average slope across the three sampling days for each individual, and the average hours of sleep across the three days. We found that sleeping less than 7 hours per night was associated with a blunted cortisol response. We are investigating if this pattern replicates across UW students using prior class data sets from 2020-2023. Understanding the relationship between these variables, including how sleep interacts with hormones like cortisol, is crucial for gaining insight into how stress influences students' academic performance and can inspire further research.

The COVID-19 pandemic heavily affected individuals’ lives, not only through disease transmission but downstream effects such as unemployment and worsening mental health. People living with HIV (PLWH)—as a marginalized and vulnerable population—experience greater mental health risk and life challenges than the general population, which the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated. Studies that investigate PLWH’s wellbeing during the pandemic are few. In this study, I conducted a mixed-methods study in Qingdao, China using interviews and surveys to explore the effects of COVID-19 and associated policies on the wellbeing of PLWH. My overarching aim was to understand personal experiences of wellbeing, mental health, and factors specific to PLWH before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Collaborating with Qingtong, an NGO working with PLWH in Qingdao, China, I conducted 15-minute semi-structured interviews with a total of 17 HIV+ individuals whose median time had been living with HIV was 6 years (+/- 2.32). I asked questions about life and wellbeing changes due to the pandemic and challenges they faced. I qualitatively coded the interview transcripts, and found three themes, including (1) Social embodiment, support, and stigma of living with HIV, (2) COVID’s physical and mental effects on PLWH, and (3) Medication access changes over the pandemic. Overall, I suggest that mental health issues experienced by PLWH were not caused by their HIV status solely but by systemic factors such as COVID-19 policies and geographic disparities in accessing medication. Therefore, I advocated that the management of PLWH and relative policies need to be further strengthened in order to respond to any future public health emergencies and to ensure the wellbeing of this population.

The Tanginak Spring site on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska contains lithic technologies dating back to 7,500-6,000 cal BP. This is one of the earliest records of human activity in the Kodiak archipelago and contains key artifacts reflecting how the settlement developed and how people adjusted to the island environment. The prevalence of stone tool technology on Sitkalidak Island begins an operation examining how scrapers are used in the process of modifying wood and skins. I investigate how the prevalence and types of lithic scraper technology changed through time. Shifts in stone technologies related to bifacial projectile points and blades allude to shifts in technology and activities performed at the site. I use typological and technological analysis through visual inspection to examine the scrapers and their use wear, which reflects how long these artifacts were utilized and for what purpose. Additionally, I apply a stratigraphic analysis to investigate how scraper types change through the layers of the site. Analyzing the stratigraphical location of tools within this assemblage allows me to evaluate ideas about relatedness in the technological sequence through scraper morphology. This examination contributes to an ongoing investigation of changing scraping activities through time at the site. Continuing to explore the progression of scraping technology in the Kodiak archipelago can provide context to how people began to sustain their livelihoods on the island during a period of significant climatic cooling.

Community-based Archaeology can allow researchers to interact and cooperate with descendant populations to establish a more ethical and accessible discipline. This past summer, I traveled to Kodiak, Alaska to conduct archaeological fieldwork as part of the Old Harbor Archaeological History Project. This year, the project set out with an added goal; the facilitation of a cultural camp for local Indigenous youth. Serving as a counselor, I aimed to expose Indigenous youth to archaeology by showcasing an ancestral site of their heritage while working with adult community members to create an enriching, and fun, cultural learning environment. Community members of varying ages from Old Harbor, Alaska, joined me at the camp on Sitkalidak Island for this experience. This poster will share my experience in facilitating the cultural camp and discuss the importance of archaeologists' connections with community members. It will also spotlight the knowledge that the archaeological team and Indigenous youth took away from Alutiiq community presenters, including subsistence methodologies as well as Indigenous language, dance, and arts. Ultimately, this poster will demonstrate how community-based work can have wide-reaching, positive impacts on both descendant populations and the quality of archaeological research.

Indigenous populations in Latin America are socially disadvantaged groups that often experience insufficient access to everyday necessities. With climate change raising global temperatures, heat-related illnesses are rising in vulnerable groups, especially among communities in heat-prone environments. The Qom is a population indigenous to the Gran Chaco, a tropical dry ecozone with average summer temperatures well over 90°F ( <33°C). Most of the Qom today are located in the rural Argentinian province of Formosa, and the majority live below the poverty line, further limiting their accessibility to health services. Access to interventions that mitigate extreme heat, such as air conditioning, is also not feasible for most Qom families. The Chaco Area Reproductive Ecology (CARE) program has worked with Qom communities in Formosa for over 20 years, most often in the community of Namqom (~ pop. 5000). A current aim of the CARE program is to gain insight into the therapeutic itineraries that Namqom residents rely on the most, particularly for heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and heat cramps. If not addressed these illnesses can be fatal, and can exacerbate health conditions for vulnerable individuals. This study aims to identify what factors exaggerate or prevent heat-related illnesses to explore further what type of interventions can be created and implemented within the Namqom community to mitigate this issue becoming more widespread. This poster presents findings from a scoping review to inform our study design. This review will identify and synthesize findings to date on the following topics: (1) human biological and behavioral adaptations to living in the Gran Chaco and similar ecozones and; (2) the specific health risks among vulnerable groups (infants, children, pregnant women, elderly, individuals with underlying health conditions) that are exacerbated by heat stress.

For the past two decades, Korean pop music, also known as K-pop, has garnered a massive fanbase that grows in number by the day. These dedicated fans gather together online in places that are often referred to as fandom spaces and engage in various activities, interacting with one another through mediums such as tweeting, consumerism, and activism. This study aims to explore these behaviors and the culture that is cultivated within fandoms as it pertains to K-pop and its growing fanbase. Through the use of Benedict Anderson’s theoretical framework for nationalism— imagined communities which describes people who feel comradeship through the mere fact of shared citizenship despite never having met one another— the question of whether or not the internet encourages the creation of an imagined community for K-pop fans is asked. Further, this study will consist of reviewing literature, online ethnography, ethnographic interviews, and auto-ethnography to explore the topic at hand. The combined effort of these methods hopes to confirm the existence of an imagined community in the K-pop fandom and to overall analyze the group behaviors that have developed and are prominent within its ever growing base. Ultimately, this study may also pose the question of how the internet is able to cultivate various imagined communities across fandoms pertaining to different objects of fanaticism such as television shows, video games, and celebrities, and how cultures are created through the means of social media.