BSS 233 - Lab Tel: (707) 826-4330

Laboratory Director

Mary E. Glenn, Ph.D.

Mary attended Loyola University Chicago as an undergraduate in anthropology and received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Northwestern University in Evanston , Illinois . Her dissertation work was entitled The Natural History of the Mona Monkey on the Island of Grenada . She has studied primates in many countries, including bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo and mona monkeys in Nigeria , Cameroon , Grenada , and São Tomé and Príncipe . Mary is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at HSU, a Senior Research Scientist at the Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation, an editor for numerous scientific journals and publishers, and the Director of the Costa Rica Primate Field School . At HSU, she is directing research related to genetic drift and island monkeys, among other things.

Email:

Mary.Glenn@humboldt.edu

Education:

Ph.D., Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston , Illinois (1996)
M.A., Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston , Illinois (1989)
B.S., Anthropology, Loyola University Chicago (1988)

Research Interests:
African guenon monkeys; primate behavior, evolution and conservation

Research Associates

Marissa A. Ramsier, M.A., A.B.D.

Born and raised on California 's North Coast , Marissa attended College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State University as an undergraduate in Anthropology. While a student at HSU she attended the Koobi Fora Field School in paleoanthropology in Kenya and spent eight months on Grenada studying mona monkeys under the direction of Dr. Mary Glenn. Marissa attended UC Santa Cruz for her M.A. in anthropology, where she is currently a doctoral candidate. Her dissertation work explores variability in primate hearing with an eye to understanding relationships between hearing sensitivity, ecology and habitat use in platyrrhine monkeys. At HSU, Marissa is collaborating with Dr. Mary Glenn and colleagues in studying the behavior, ecology, and evolution of mona monkeys (Cercopithecus mona).

Email:
mramsier@yahoo.com

Education:
Doctoral Candidate, Anthropology, University of California , Santa Cruz (expected 2008)
M.A., Anthropology, University of California , Santa Cruz (2004)
B.A., Anthropology, Humboldt State University (2003)

Research Interests:
Sensory ecology, bioacoustics, primate behavior, ecology, anatomy and evolution

Lindsay Magnuson, M.S.

Lindsay Magnuson has been teaching as part-time faculty at College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State University since 2003. Lindsay earned her Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Management from Humboldt State University while working with Lowe's mona monkeys at Bia National Park in Ghana (2000). She completed a Master's degree in Natural Resources from HSU while focusing on the ecology and conservation of Roloway monkeys in Ghana (2002). Lindsay was given the Koplin award for outstanding Wildlife graduate of the year in 2003. She is actively working on conserving primates in Ghana .

Email:
lakua13@yahoo.com

Education:
M.S., Natural Resources, Humboldt State University , Arcata (2002)
B.S., Wildlife Management, Humboldt State University (2000)

Research Interests:
Behavior, ecology, and conservation of Cercopithecine monkeys and other wildlife in West Africa

Research Assistants

Ariel Gruenthal

A native Californian, Ariel was raised in San Diego . She has been studying Anthropology at Humboldt State University for the past three years. Within bioanthropology, Ariel is specializing in forensic anthropology and is hoping to work on international human rights issues after completing her Ph.D. She interned for the Humboldt County Coroner's Office during the spring and summer of 2007 and was a Teaching Assistant for the Forensic Anthropology course on campus last fall.

Contact Information:
amg45@humboldt.edu

Education:
B.A., Anthropology, Humboldt State University (expected 2008)
Certificate in Human Identification from the University of Tennessee , Knoxville (Summer 2007)

Research Interests:
Forensic anthropology; human biology and genetics; lifestyle, diet and disease in hominids

Current Projects:
Locating mona and vervet monkeys in captivity within the U.S. and Europe; Collecting blood samples and skins in museums both in the U.S. and abroad; Bioarcheology and Faunal Analysis; Coordinator of forensic division of the lab; Assisting local law inforcement in identifying human skeletal remains.

Gay Hylton

Born and raised in Arcata, Gay is an anthropology major with an emphasis in evolution. She also has a strong interest in the history of evolutionary thought. Her work in the lab focuses on genetic sampling, genetic drift, island population genetics and guenon behavior. Gay is also a Research Assistant for the Tribal Roads Project, a cooperative effort between CALTRANS, the Hoopa Valley Indian Tribe and several departments on campus. In the fall semester, Gay is learning techniques for DNA analysis. She is currently the Teaching Assistant for the bioanththropology course Evolutionary Medicine .

Contact Information:
glh14@humboldt.edu

Education:
B.A., Anthropology, Humboldt State University (expected 2009)

Research Interests:
Genetics, evolutionary processes, primate behavior and ecology

Current Projects:
Lab coordinator;Master bibliography; Genetics research.

Stacy Bressette

After earning a degree in English, Stacy found herself drawn to physical anthropology, and the fit could not be better. She teaches supplemental instruction for Biology 104, a biology class designed for non-science majors and is also a Teaching Assistant for Primatology and Human Biology and Evolution. She has also been the TA for Physical Anthropolgy lecture and lab, and Forensic Anthropology. In the lab, Stacy's emphasis is on island population genetics, particularly the founder effect and genetic bottlenecks in primates and other mammals.

Contact Information:
shadowmousey@gmail.com  

Education:
B.A., English, Humboldt State University (2004)
B.A., Anthropology, Humboldt State University (expected 2008)

Research Interests:
Human biology and genetics, capuchin behavior and ecology, forensic anthropology

Current Projects:
Range maps for guenon species; Researching a list of guenon species chromosome number; Bioarcheology and Faunal Analysis; All male groups and homosexuality in non-primate mammal species.

Katharine W. Fountain

Born and raised in Connecticut, Katharine moved to Northern California to pursue her Bachelor's degree at Humboldt State University in anthropology in 2003. Having Dr. Mary Glenn as an adviser, Kat's interests pulled her toward non-human primates within the field of anthropology.  After being Dr. Glenn's TA for Primatology in spring 2007, she participated in a Primatology field school in Costa Rica for one month.  Since then she has taken on the position of lab assistant, TA for the 2008 Summer Primatology field school in Costa Rica, and as President of the Northwest Primate Club.  In the lab, Katharine will be assisting and learning from all aspects of research and will focus on New World Primate Conservation.

Contact Information:
kwf2@humboldt.edu

Education:
 B.A. Anthropology, Humboldt State University (expected 2008)

Research Interests:
Primate conservation, capuchin anatomy and behavior and environmental education.

Current Projects:
Vocalization analysis; Forensics; Grant Writing; Photographing skeletal collection.

Jenn Coats

Born and raised in Southern California, Jennifer moved to the north coast in 2007 to pursue her Bachelor's degree at Humboldt State University.  With strong interests in both forensic anthropology and archaeology, she would one day like to work with the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, as well as in the area of international human rights violations.  This summer, Jennifer will accompany Dr. Johnstone and Dr. Shaw on the Cochuah Regional Archaeological Survey on the Yucatan Peninsula.  In the lab, Jennifer is assisting with DNA sample collections and grant research.  In the fall, Jenn hopes to be starting her graduate studies at CSU LA in bioarchaeology.

Contact Information:
jdc54@humboldt.edu

Education:
B.A., Anthropology, Humboldt State University (expected 2008)
Emergency Medical Technician, Utah Valley State College (2001)

Research Interests:
Forensic anthropology, archaeology, medical anthropology

Current Projects:
Bioarcheology and Faunal Analysis; Shipping of genetic samples to various labs for analysis; Forensics.

Isabel Grande

Isabel is a native Californian and has been attending HSU for the last three years. She will be graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a minor in Anthropology in the spring of 2008.  She developed a strong interest in animals and conservation while working at a wildlife rehabilitation center and sanctuary in southern California.  In the summer of 2007, Isabel was awarded a HHMI grant to study the gene flow of cuckoo shrikes of the Solomon Islands. She is the instructor for the Biology 105 supplemental course. She is also a tutor for biology, biometrics, and genetics.  Isabel is interested in focusing her studies on primate genetics, conservation, and field work.

Contact Information:
img4@humboldt.edu

Education:
B.S., Biology, Humboldt State University (expected 2008)

Research Interests:
Evolution, conservation biology, mammology, primatology, and molecular biology.

Current Projects:
Vocalization analysis; Vervet bibliography and research.

Ana B.

A native Californian, Ana was raised in Sacramento. She has been studying Anthropology, with an emphasis in primates and evolution, and German at HSU for the past three years. She attended an archaeological field school in the summer of 2006 on San Nicolas Island and spent a year at the University of Tübingen in Germany in 2007-2008 studying both Anthropology and German. As Dr. Glenn's TA for Human Biology and Evolution, Physical Anthropology, and
Evolutionary Medicine, Ana's interests in the field have grown and she hopes to next travel to Madagascar to study and aid conservation efforts for lemurs, and to work with the Max Planck Institute in Germany.

Contact Information:
agb17@humboldt.edu

Education:
B.A. Anthropology, Humboldt State University (expected 2009)

Research Interests:
Primate conservation, behavior, and communication; evolutionary processes

Current Projects:
Vocalization analysis, All-Male Groups

Biological Anthropology Research Laboratory Alumni