Faculty Interview: Dr. Wrobel

I had the great opportunity to meet with a MSU anthropology faculty member last week. Dr. Wrobel is an associate professor of anthropology specializing in bioarchaeology. He is also the director of the Caves Branch Archaeological Survey Project in Belize.

When I asked Dr. Wrobel how he became interested in bioarchaeology, he stated that at first he wasn't an anthropology major. In fact, he started in pre-med, but while he was interning at a hospital, he discovered that he didn't really like sick people. He managed to "stumble upon" anthropology, and studied abroad in Mexico. He found archaeology in particular fascinating, and was lucky to work with a professor of biological anthropology as an undergrad.

His favorite experience as an undergraduate was his first archaeological field school in Belize. This experience not only included hands-on archaeology, but also allowed him to be immersed in another culture. He also mentioned that being part of a larger archaeological community including foreign and community scholars was also an incredible experience.

If Dr. Wrobel had the chance to re-study anthropology as an undergraduate, he mentioned that he would like to explore other topics in anthropology and gain a broader picture of the field. 

While an undergraduate, Dr. Wrobel had equal passions for both bio-anthropology and archaeology. Because he wasn't sure exactly what he wanted to study, he attempted to gain as many experiences as possible by immersing himself into the field of study and even volunteering with a professor and presenting a paper. Dr. Wrobel's advice for undergraduates in general is, "if you think you might like it, try it out."

However, Dr. Wrobel didn't go directly into graduate school. Before studying at graduate school, Dr. Wrobel worked in contract archaeology in order to gain more experience. By the time he applied to graduate programs, he knew what he wanted to do, including the program and the project. While looking for prospective graduate programs, Dr. Wrobel also made sure that mentors with whom he could work with were also at the university.

Dr. Wrobel mentioned three things when I asked him what were the biggest differences between undergraduate and graduate programs. First, coursework is more specialized, so if you're studying anthropology, all of your classes will be in anthropology or directly related to your specialization. Second, classes are smaller and, thus, more interactive. Third, graduate work also involved professional development, including learning the skills and background to become a professional.

His favorite opportunity during graduate school was the fieldwork. As Dr. Wrobel described fieldwork as the opportunity to do nothing for several months but working on a project that you yourself designed. Furthermore, he mentioned that it can be a little stressful, especially since you make your own decisions.

Finally, Dr. Wrobel offers some advice to undergraduates. He said that undergraduates should immerse themselves into whatever they want to do, whether that would be by touring a lab facility or visiting a site. He also says it's helpful to be inquisitive, and to learn as much as possible.

Thanks, Dr. Wrobel!

What's That Bone? The Ilium

I wasn't sure what bone to talk about this week, so my roommate asked me to talk about something in the pelvis girdle. (She stated this while looking through my copy of The Human Bone Manual) And thus I decided to talk about the ilium.

Your pelvis is made up of three bones (not including epiphyses): the ilium, the ischium, and the pubis. In this segment of "What's That Bone?" I will be talking about the ilium, which can be demonstrated by the picture above. If you're still not sure what that bone completely is, it's also your hip bone.

The ilium fuses with the ischium and the pubis to form the acetabulum, which is where your femur (thigh bone) connects to your pelvis.

Because I mostly work with sub-adult skeletons in the lab, I don't get to see many fused pelvic girdles, so I have experience looking at the ilium as separate from the rest of the pelvis. At first I had a little trouble siding them, but then I managed to figure it out after I realized that the auricular surface (a slightly rougher surface than the rest of the bone) fuses with the sacrum (basically your tailbone). So, I tend to double check by sometimes comparing the ilium to my own.

Here's a great picture by the way:

Stay tuned for later in the week, when I will be posting an interview with a bioarchaeologist! And also make sure to check in this Friday, when I talk about the vertebrae on the next segment of "What's That Bone?"!

Grad School ... That's After Undergrad

The other day my mom called, and mentioned that in one year I will be (hopefully) graduating from Michigan State University. Which led me to my second thought: What I'm doing afterwards.

I know what I want to do: go to grad school. Now all I have to do is find someone in my field with my interests, or at least, similar interests, look at the programs, take the GRE, apply for schools, get recommendation letters, write personal statements, look into funding, and also maintain all of the things that I currently do (school, organizations, anthropology club, work, eating). It sounds like a lot of work, but hey, others have done it, right?

I'm no expert, but here's what I've been looking for thus far. First, I'm trying to find programs with a physical/biological anthropology program, and at least one professor in the field that does research in bioarchaeology. Second, I look at the professor's recent publications to determine what they do research in, where they do research, other physical anthropologists they have worked with, and what connections they have outside of the university (to other universities, research sites, skeletal collections, etc.). Lastly, I look at the department overall: Does the department have a strong physical anthropology program, or is it only one to two specialists? Does the department have labs pertaining to bio-archaeology? 

Other things that are high on my list that others may disagree with includes location. A school in Ohio might have a great program, but for me, where I'm living is almost important. I have to put into perspective that I would most likely be living in this place for 6 - 8 years. I also consider funding. 6 - 8 years is a long time, and in addition to having a nice place to live - location-wise - I also need to recognize that I have school loans currently, and being a professor doesn't exactly pay a lot. There are a lot of options for teaching assistant fellowships, scholarships, grad school fellowships, but I make it a point to look into the funding just to see what is available.

When I apply, I plan on applying to both Masters and Ph.D. programs. I'll apply to a couple that I will consider my safeties, a bunch that I would be an equal contender, and then one or two long shots.

So that's where I am with grad school. I'm kind of going in blind, up to my own devices. I talk to other graduate students, my professors, and my advisors, but when it comes to me, I ultimately have to make the decision. It's crazy to think that in a year I'll (hopefully) be moving somewhere else to study graduate-level physical anthropology.