People
![]() Nina JablonskiCHED Director and Evan Pugh University Professor of Anthropology, College of the Liberal ArtsA biological anthropologist and paleobiologist, she studies the evolution of adaptations to the environment in Old World primates including humans. Her research program is focused in two major areas. Her paleoanthropological research concerns the evolutionary history of Old World monkeys, and currently includes an active field project in China. Her research on the evolution of human adaptations to the environment centers on the evolution of human skin and skin pigmentation, and includes an active field project examining the relationship between skin pigmentation and vitamin D production. Email – ngj2@psu.edu STIAS (Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study) Effects of Race Project |
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![]() David AlmeidaProfessor of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Health and Human DevelopmentEmail - dalmeida@psu.edu |
![]() Peter HatemiProfessor of Political Science, College of the Liberal ArtsEmail - phatemi@gmail.com United State Studies Center at the University of Sydney website |
![]() Kateryna MakovaPentz Professor of Biology and Director of the Center for Medical Genomics, Eberly College of ScienceKateryna is interested in genomics, evolution, and human genetics. Her lab studies mutations using both computational and experimental approaches. Additional topics of interest include sex chromosome evolution and genomics of childhood obesity. Email – kmakova@bx.psu.edu |
![]() Jenae NeiderhiserProfessor of Psychology, College of the Liberal ArtsEmail – jmn101@psu.edu |
![]() George (PJ) PerryAssistant Professor of Anthropology and Biology, College of the Liberal Arts and Huck Institute of Life SciencesPJ is a biological anthropologist with training in genomics. His research group at Penn State uses genomics and other approaches to study human and non-human primate evolutionary ecology - how we have adapted to our variable or changing environments. Current human research in his laboratory includes evolutionary studies of rainforest hunter-gatherer populations in Central Africa and Southeast Asia, and population history studies of the Malagasy, the people of Madagascar. His lab also has an ancient DNA component that is used primarily for genomic studies of Madagascar's extinct, giant 'subfossil' lemurs, but also for studies of archaeological human populations. Email - ghp3@psu.edu |
![]() Eric PlutzerProfessor of Political Science, College of the Liberal ArtsEmail - exp12@psu.edu |
![]() David PutsProfessor of Anthropology, College of the Liberal ArtsDr. Puts studies the neuroendocrine and evolutionary bases of human sexuality and sex differences. His research focuses on how sexual selection has shaped human anatomy, psychology and behavior, as well as the hormonal and genetic basis for these and other sexually differentiated traits. Members of Dr. Puts's lab employ a variety of methodological techniques in the lab and in the field across cultures and species, including psychological experimentation, anthropometry, enzyme immunoassay of salivary steroid concentrations, and candidate gene and genome-wide association studies. Email – dap27@psu.edu |
![]() Sam RichardsSenior Lecturer in Sociology, College of the Liberal ArtsDr. Sam Richards is an award winning teacher and sociologist at Penn State University and the instructor of Soc119, the largest race and cultural relations course in the United States. With over 760 students each semester and a twenty-five year legacy, that course has become a driving force behind several notable campus wide explorations of critical social issues. One of these endeavors has been to collaborate with Prof. Mark Shriver to understand the impact on the racial awareness of his students by offering them DNA ancestry testing. This led to his growing interest in the value of genetics and genealogy for race relations. Email - iunlearn@psu.edu |
![]() Mark ShriverCHED Co-Director, Professor of Biological Anthropology, College of the Liberal ArtsEmail – mds17@psu.edu |
![]() Elizabeth "Biz" WrightPost-Doctoral Researcher, Finding Your Roots Summer Camp, College of the Liberal ArtsBiz joins us following the completion this spring of her PhD in Curriculum & Instruction in Science Education at the University of Washington. Prior to her graduate work, Biz taught middle school science in the Boston area for seven years. Her research focuses, in part, on the ways that science teachers leverage relationships with students to support participation and engagement, particularly among English Learners. She also examines the nature of collaboration among English Learners and their English fluent peers in the context of problem-based science classrooms. Towards the ultimate goal of increasing interest and participation in science among underrepresented minorities, at Penn State Biz is working on designing a genetics and genealogy curriculum that invites historically marginalized students to experience the personal relevance that science can have in their daily lives, as doers and consumers of science. Email – eaw24@psu.edu |
![]() Heather Toomey ZimmermanAssociate Professor of Education, College of EducationHeather is a learning scientist who investigates and designs meaningful trajectories of educational activities for families and young people during out-of-school time. Her goal is to connect everyday life experiences to the learning that happens in schools, camps, museums and other informal spaces. Her research interests include science learning, parent-child interactions, designing for learning in informal institutions, technology to support learning across settings, and gender issues that intersect with STEM disciplines. Email - heather@psu.edu |