Patrons of the Human Experience: A History of the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, 1941-2016

The Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research has played a critical but little-understodd role in the development of the social and biological sciences after 1941. For anthropology particularly, its programs have often helped redefine scholarly priorities and research trajectories. Its grants to doctoral students have functioned as an important early sign of scholarly legitimacy, a mark of belonging to the profession. The foundation\u27s history also reflects general transformations in scientific partronage as new landscapes of federal, military, and private funding re-configured opportunities in the social sciences. In this account we track the evolution of the foundation in tandem with the evolution of anthropology during a period of dramatic change after 1941, looking at the Second World War context from which the foundation emerged and the ideas and experiences of those who played a key role in this history. We examine the long-term influence of a philanthropic foundation on the postwar emergence of an internationally oriented anthropology from a tiny, almost clubby discipline with a few key institutions and leaders to a mahor academic and scientific enterprise with sometimes revolutionary ideas about evolution, human biology, race, culture, power, gender, and social order

Life on ice: Frozen blood and biological variation in a genomic age, 1950–2010

Natural historical and anthropological collectors have long engaged in work described as salvage —the attempt to metaphorically freeze those artifacts, traditions, and languages in danger of disappearing into the past. In the Cold War era, justifications for salvage were re-articulated as new techniques emerged that changed how such materials could be collected and maintained. The metaphor of freezing had become a reality in practice: new access to technologies of mobile and long-term cold storage—including mechanical refrigeration, dry ice, and liquid nitrogen—supported the accumulation of thousands of vials of bodily extracts collected in the field and their indefinite preservation in the lab. This dissertation examines the conditions of possibility that led pieces of the Xavante and Yanomami in the Amazon, Pacific Islanders, and members of many other supposedly primitive communities to colonize the freezers of the biomedical lab, where they persist—in some cases—as contested resources for the population research on biological variation. I situate these changes in collection practice in the history of the International Biological Program (IBP), a large-scale effort to assess biological baselines in the mid-twentieth century. I devote particular attention to the activities of IBP-affiliated human biologists in order to provide a commentary on the shifting status of the human as an object and subject of knowledge since World War II. I also critically evaluate the archival project that supports historical knowledge making in both history of science and the historical life sciences

Life on ice: Frozen blood and biological variation in a genomic age, 1950–2010

Natural historical and anthropological collectors have long engaged in work described as salvage —the attempt to metaphorically freeze those artifacts, traditions, and languages in danger of disappearing into the past. In the Cold War era, justifications for salvage were re-articulated as new techniques emerged that changed how such materials could be collected and maintained. The metaphor of freezing had become a reality in practice: new access to technologies of mobile and long-term cold storage—including mechanical refrigeration, dry ice, and liquid nitrogen—supported the accumulation of thousands of vials of bodily extracts collected in the field and their indefinite preservation in the lab. This dissertation examines the conditions of possibility that led pieces of the Xavante and Yanomami in the Amazon, Pacific Islanders, and members of many other supposedly primitive communities to colonize the freezers of the biomedical lab, where they persist—in some cases—as contested resources for the population research on biological variation. I situate these changes in collection practice in the history of the International Biological Program (IBP), a large-scale effort to assess biological baselines in the mid-twentieth century. I devote particular attention to the activities of IBP-affiliated human biologists in order to provide a commentary on the shifting status of the human as an object and subject of knowledge since World War II. I also critically evaluate the archival project that supports historical knowledge making in both history of science and the historical life sciences

Impact of digital meditation on work stress and health outcomes among adults with overweight: A randomized controlled trial.

Mindfulness meditation may improve well-being at work; however, effects on food cravings and metabolic health are not well known. We tested effects of digital meditation, alone or in combination with a healthy eating program, on perceived stress, cravings, and adiposity. We randomized 161 participants with overweight and moderate stress to digital meditation ('MED,' n = 38), digital meditation + healthy eating ('MED+HE,' n = 40), active control ('HE,' n = 41), or waitlist control ('WL,' n = 42) for 8 weeks. Participants (n = 145; M(SD) BMI: 30.8 (5.4) kg/m2) completed baseline and 8-week measures of stress (Perceived Stress Scale), cravings (Food Acceptance and Awareness Questionnaire) and adiposity (sagittal diameter and BMI). ANCOVAs revealed that those randomized to MED or MED+HE (vs. HE or WL) showed decreases in perceived stress (F = 15.19, p < .001, η2 = .10) and sagittal diameter (F = 4.59, p = .03, η2 = .04), with no differences in cravings or BMI. Those high in binge eating who received MED or MED+HE showed decreases in sagittal diameter (p = .03). Those with greater adherence to MED or MED+HE had greater reductions in stress, cravings, and adiposity (ps < .05). A brief digital mindfulness-based program is a low-cost method for reducing perceptions of stress and improving abdominal fat distribution patterns among adults with overweight and moderate stress. Future work should seek to clarify mechanisms by which such interventions contribute to improvements in health. Trial registration: Clinical trial registration http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov: identifier NCT03945214

Impact of digital meditation on work stress and health outcomes among adults with overweight: A randomized controlled trial.

Mindfulness meditation may improve well-being at work; however, effects on food cravings and metabolic health are not well known. We tested effects of digital meditation, alone or in combination with a healthy eating program, on perceived stress, cravings, and adiposity. We randomized 161 participants with overweight and moderate stress to digital meditation ('MED,' n = 38), digital meditation + healthy eating ('MED+HE,' n = 40), active control ('HE,' n = 41), or waitlist control ('WL,' n = 42) for 8 weeks. Participants (n = 145; M(SD) BMI: 30.8 (5.4) kg/m2) completed baseline and 8-week measures of stress (Perceived Stress Scale), cravings (Food Acceptance and Awareness Questionnaire) and adiposity (sagittal diameter and BMI). ANCOVAs revealed that those randomized to MED or MED+HE (vs. HE or WL) showed decreases in perceived stress (F = 15.19, p &lt; .001, η2 = .10) and sagittal diameter (F = 4.59, p = .03, η2 = .04), with no differences in cravings or BMI. Those high in binge eating who received MED or MED+HE showed decreases in sagittal diameter (p = .03). Those with greater adherence to MED or MED+HE had greater reductions in stress, cravings, and adiposity (ps &lt; .05). A brief digital mindfulness-based program is a low-cost method for reducing perceptions of stress and improving abdominal fat distribution patterns among adults with overweight and moderate stress. Future work should seek to clarify mechanisms by which such interventions contribute to improvements in health. Trial registration: Clinical trial registration http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov: identifier NCT03945214

Des êtres vivants et des artefacts

Colloque international organisé les 9 et 10 avril 2014 au musée du quai Branly par Perig Pitrou, Ludovic Coupaye et Laura Rival, en partenariat avec le Laboratoire d’anthropologie sociale, la Pépinière interdisciplinaire CNRS-PSL « Domestication et fabrication du vivant », le département de la recherche et de l’enseignement du musée du quai Branly, la Fondation Fyssen et la Ville de Paris. Avec les contributions de Ludovic Coupaye, Roy Ellen, Carole Ferret, Eduardo Kac, Frédéric Keck, Emma Kowal, Dominique Lestel, Doyle McKey, Perig Pitrou, Joanna Radin, Laura Rival, Rupert Stasch et Nancy J. Turner. En dépit des différences existant entre les êtres vivants et les artefacts, il est fréquent que les sociétés humaines tentent d’expliquer certains processus vitaux – tels que la croissance, la reproduction, l’animation – à travers les analogies qu’ils présentent avec les processus techniques, comme on l’observe par exemple dans les mythes de création. Par-delà ces ressemblances, il est surtout intéressant de constater que ces processus s’imbriquent de diverses manières selon que l’on observe les activités agricoles, horticoles ou pastorales, l’incorporation d’artefacts (greffes, ornements), la transformation, rituelle ou non, d’êtres vivants en artefacts ou encore le biomimétisme. La pluralité des actions, de fabrication ou de domestication, grâce auxquelles les humains exercent leur pouvoir sur le vivant renvoie ainsi à des conceptions de la vie qui varient selon les champs de la pratique, les époques ou les cultures. À travers une approche interdisciplinaire et comparatiste s’appuyant sur des enquêtes menées dans des sociétés occidentales et non-occidentales, ce colloque international proposait aux participants de commencer à explorer cette multiplicité. Certaines présentations faites lors du colloque ont donné lieu à des publications dans des revues, elles ne sont donc pas intégrées dans ces Actes, mais sont consultables grâce aux liens suivants : Houdart, Sophie 2015 « Petits récits destinés à joindre les deux bouts des particules au cosmos – en passant par la Suisse », Gradhiva 22 : 106-135. [Lien] Stépanoff, Charles 2015 « Transsingularities : the cognitive foundations of shamanism in Northern Asia », Social Anthropology 23 (2) : 169-185. [Lien] Proceedings edited by Perig Pitrou, Ludovic Coupaye and Fabien Provost International conference organized on the 9th and 10th of April 2014 at the musée du quai Branly by Perig Pitrou, Ludovic Coupaye and Laura Rival, in partnership with the Laboratoire d’anthropologie sociale, the Pépinière interdisciplinaire CNRS-PSL « Domestication et fabrication du vivant », the Department of research and education of the musée du quai Branly, the Fyssen Foundation and the City of Paris. With contributions by Ludovic Coupaye, Roy Ellen, Carole Ferret, Eduardo Kac, Frédéric Keck, Emma Kowal, Dominique Lestel, Doyle McKey, Perig Pitrou, Joanna Radin, Laura Rival, Rupert Stasch and Nancy J. Turner. In spite of the differences that separate living beings and artefacts, human societies frequently attempt to account for certain vital processes –such as growth, reproduction, animation– by making use of to the analogies that they present with technical processes, as we can see in the case of creation myths. Beyond these similarities, it is particularly interesting to notice that such processes are articulated in diverse ways, whether we observe agricultural, horticultural or pastoral activities, the incorporation of artefacts (transplantation, ornament), the transformation –be it ritual or not– of living beings into artefacts, or biomimicry. The plurality of actions, of fabrication or domestication, thanks to which humans exert their power on living beings, reflects certain conceptions of life which vary in function of the fields of practice, historical eras and cultures. Following an interdisciplinary and comparative approach which relies on investigations carried out in both Western and non-Western societies, this conference was offering its participants to begin the exploration of this multiplicity. Certain presentations of the conference led to publications in journals and are therefore not included in these proceedings. They are available at the following links: Houdart, Sophie 2015 « Petits récits destinés à joindre les deux bouts des particules au cosmos – en passant par la Suisse », Gradhiva 22 : 106-135. [Lien] Stépanoff, Charles 2015 « Transsingularities : the cognitive foundations of shamanism in Northern Asia », Social Anthropology 23 (2) : 169-185. [Lien

2002 Research Honors Program Abstracts

Faculty in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University mentor and guide undergraduate students who have chosen to pursue a research project and graduate with honors. These abstracts reflect the depth of their scholarship and intellectual ability. The research projects encompass work in animal science, biological science, entomology, natural resources, physical science, plant science, and social science