ARISE program offers anthropology students intensive learning experience

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A group of budding anthropologists recently spent two weeks at Penn State engaged in timely and important research, thanks to the Penn State Department of Anthropology’s ARISE program.

Founded in 2022, ARISE (Anthropological Research in Science Education) is a summer institute designed to spur interest in integrated anthropological sciences among undergraduate students from historically underrepresented groups within the discipline.

Ten students were selected from this year’s pool of 35 applicants to participate in the program — two Penn State students and eight undergraduates from schools in California, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina and Mississippi. During their time on campus, the students worked closely with anthropology faculty and graduate students to receive intensive training in theoretical problem-solving skills, data collection and analysis methods, the ethics and historical background of the field, and applications of anthropological sciences within and outside academia.

“I was very impressed with the group we had this year — they’re just really inspiring students who had phenomenal applications,” said ARISE program director Laura Weyrich, associate professor of anthropology and bioethics at Penn State. “They’re all very passionate — and using their interest in anthropology in different ways. Meanwhile, they’re also building a network of fellow scholars within the space.

“Whether they plan to go on to graduate school or an industry job, the program provides students with that foundation and training that will help them along their journey,” Weyrich continued. “And for us, ARISE is a way to change the dial for the discipline. Right now, there’s a pipeline problem, and we need to find more equitable ways for the profession to promote young people from underrepresented groups.”

The students completed four modules centered on specific areas of anthropological research: genetics (largely evolutionary); isotopes (including processing a sample for radiocarbon dating, stable carbon, and nitrogen isotopes); spatial analysis (using ArcGIS software); and theory and methods of human osteology and bone functional adaptation. From there, they received detailed, hands-on training to develop and carry out their own research project within the module of their choosing.

The undergraduates also were introduced to the concepts of anthropological storytelling through film and other mediums and learned the basics of filming human subjects in a field setting.

Their time wasn’t entirely focused on work — they also had ample opportunities to bond through a variety of activities, from pottery classes to movie nights to weekend team-building exercises.

“Plus, they had access to all the great facilities on campus, including our DNA sequencers, CT scanners, supercomputers and our ancient DNA lab,” Weyrich said.

“It’s great to have access to all of the resources available here,” said ARISE participant Austin Gillis, a rising senior at Mississippi State University who is interested in forensic anthropology. “The people are great, the school is great, and I would definitely do it again if I could.”

Sophie Fogg, a rising fourth-year student at the University of Florida, said she applied for ARISE because of its hard science focus and lab component. Interested in infectious diseases, she spent her time on campus investigating the impact of climate change on malaria transmission in Africa.

“I like the fact that we have the chance to work with faculty who come from different areas of expertise within anthropology,” Fogg said. “That allows me to broaden my horizons — I didn’t know that half of these things were even possible. And gaining various perspectives and meeting new people and networking has allowed me to see what I can do in grad school and moving forward.”

Eva Chauveau, a rising fourth-year student at the University of Georgia, chose a project centered around migration patterns of Brazilians due to climate change.

“I’ve never felt such a quick and intense connection with people before, primarily because we’re all anthropology students,” Chauveau said. “And we bring so many different perspectives; it’s such a diverse group of people. It’s really nice to come together and share ideas for how we can make anthropology more involved with other fields, because the field is so interdisciplinary.”

Cade Peterson, a rising second-year student at the University of Georgia, said he was excited to participate in ARISE due to Penn State having one of the premier anthropology programs in the country.

“This is the epicenter of research,” said Peterson as he worked with fifth-year Penn State doctoral student Jenny Chen on his isotopes-centered project comparing the diets of ancient and contemporary indigenous Brazilians in the Amazon River basin. “The faculty has been really understanding and happy to answer questions, and it’s been really nice getting connected with students from other universities.”

Chen said it was a pleasure to mentor such passionate students.

“It’s been a pleasure showing the students how to apply anthropology to real life — and their projects are so interesting and so fun,” Chen said. “I think the most important thing about ARISE is that the students are not only getting the chance to come here and do good science, but they’re seeing people like me, people of color. It shows that college and a career in science is accessible to everyone.”

For Weyrich, one of her favorite things about ARISE is the students’ final presentations. There, she gets to see all they’ve gained from the experience.

“The final projects were just incredibly inspiring and reminded us how impactful anthropology can be to multiple disciplines,” Weyrich said. “We did a closing ceremony, as well, and gave all the students certificates of completion. Everyone was cheering each other on and it was just the most supportive, inclusive thing. To see these students get that response at the end of the two weeks was so powerful. It reminded us faculty why we’re in anthropology.”