Texas State Department of Anthropology

Texas State Department of Anthropology Transcending Borders, Making Impacts
The official account for the TXST Dept. of Anthropology. and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Applied Anthropology.

At TXST Anthropology, we are transcending the borders that divide us and restrain us—whether that's transnational borders, disciplinary borders, or the borders between academic and practicing anthropologists. Our research and learning engage theoretically-grounded, evidence-based, applied, public, and creative anthropologies to make impacts beyond the borders of anthropology. The Anthropology Depa

rtment offers two undergraduate degrees, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Anthropology, a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Anthropology, and a Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Cover Photo: Students in Peru conducting archaeological fieldwork under the direction of Dr. Christi Conlee (Left); Photo from "Anthropolocuras" ethnographic fieldwork conducted by Dr. Aimee Villarreal in New Mexico.

Brown Bag Graduate Talks Begin!Are you interested in presenting your research, a published paper, or do you simply want ...
09/02/2026

Brown Bag Graduate Talks Begin!

Are you interested in presenting your research, a published paper, or do you simply want more practice presenting before your proposal/final defense? Brown Bag Talks are the perfect opportunity to share your research and practice presenting among your friends and faculty! All sub-disciplines are encouraged!

Please sign up with the email address below if you are interested to claim your presentation spot!

First Place Poster Winner at the Brazilian Forensic Anthropology National ConferenceBianca Schueng Zancanela, a third-ye...
09/02/2026

First Place Poster Winner at the Brazilian Forensic Anthropology National Conference

Bianca Schueng Zancanela, a third-year PhD student, was awarded first place for her poster presentation at the Brazilian Forensic Anthropology National Conference, Aracaju, Brazil. Her winning presentation was titled, "Investigating Cranial Variation at the CEAF-UFPE Collection in Brazil Using Geometric Morphometrics and a Quantitative Genetics Approach."

The award-winning work stems from a Spring 2026 pilot study designed to test the reliability of specific statistical methods. Zancanela’s research yielded significant results, successfully detecting secular cranial variation within the CEAF sample.

The project was conducted under the guidance of her advisor, Dr. Nicholas Herrmann, alongside committee members Dr. Elaine Chu and Dr. Melina Calmon. Zancanela also partnered with colleague and Texas State doctoral graduate Elisabeth Cuerrier-Richer to complete the study.

Back to School Grad Student Lunch 26-27Back to School Grad Student Lunch 2026-2027 is in the books!!! Welcome to your ne...
08/25/2026

Back to School Grad Student Lunch 26-27

Back to School Grad Student Lunch 2026-2027 is in the books!!! Welcome to your next chapter, Grads!

Dr. Kilby Publishes Volume on the Earliest Archaeology of the American SouthwestDr. David Kilby, along with the late Dr....
08/25/2026

Dr. Kilby Publishes Volume on the Earliest Archaeology of the American Southwest

Dr. David Kilby, along with the late Dr. Bruce Huckell (University of New Mexico), has published the first comprehensive overview of the early archaeology of the North American Southwest. The Southwest looms large in American archaeology, well known for the agricultural societies that dominated its arid landscape in later times. However, the traces of its earliest occupants, Native American ancestors who shared the ancient landscape with mammoth and giant bison toward the end of the last Ice Age, remain more obscure. Nevertheless, discoveries and methodological advances in the Southwest have strongly influenced the direction of Paleoindian research across the continent.

"The Paleoindian Southwest" is a collection of twelve chapters that explore the history of research, classic and newly discovered archaeological sites, as well as broader overviews of patterns of human behavior across varied regions of both the United States and Mexico, authored by experts in the field. The subjects of the book's chapters range from classic Clovis mammoth kills, to landscape-scale surveys, to the newly discovered pre-Clovis human trackways at White Sands National Park. Kilby serves as an editor of the volume as well as an author or co-author of four of the book's chapters. The volume is published by the University of Utah Press.

https://uofupress.com/books/the-paleoindian-southwest/

Wescott and Cunningham attend the International Forum for Police SciencesFACTS Director Dr. Daniel Wescott and FACTS fac...
08/25/2026

Wescott and Cunningham attend the International Forum for Police Sciences

FACTS Director Dr. Daniel Wescott and FACTS faculty member Dr. Deborah Cunningham attended the Third International Forum on Police Sciences (III FICP) in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, organized by Instituto Arrecife (, ). This year's conference focused on forensic sciences and evidence-based approaches to public safety, bringing together law enforcement professionals, scientific researchers, students, public officials, institutional leaders, and private-sector innovators in a unique setting designed to bridge practice, science, technology, and innovation.

Dr. Wescott delivered the keynote address. "Improving Medicolegal Death Investigations through Research and Training." and Drs. Wescott and Cunningham participated in a panel on forensic science and public safety, where they discussed the importance of accurate postmortem interval estimation and the role of research in strengthening death investigation systems

Drs. Wescott and Cunningham made numerous connections at III FICP that will lead to long and productive relationships with UNESPAR and other partners in Paraná and Brazil, strengthening future collaborations in forensic anthropology, research, training, and evidence-based public safety.

Drs. Siegert and Wescott Invited Presenters at the Border Prosecution UnitDrs. Courtney Siegert and Daniel Wescott were ...
07/02/2026

Drs. Siegert and Wescott Invited Presenters at the Border Prosecution Unit

Drs. Courtney Siegert and Daniel Wescott were invited presenters at the 2026 Annual Conference of the Border Prosecution Unit. Dr. Siegert discussed the important role of OpID in the identification process and Dr. Wescott provided an overview of FACTS. The conference was a great success!

Dr. Christina Conlee to give public virtual lecture tilted "Beyond the Nasca LInes"Dr. Christina Conlee will be giving a...
06/08/2026

Dr. Christina Conlee to give public virtual lecture tilted "Beyond the Nasca LInes"

Dr. Christina Conlee will be giving a public virtual lecture tilted "Beyond the Nasca Lines: Ancient Life in the Peruvian Desert" on Monday June 8th at 7:00 pm MDT through the Adult Lecture Series of the Salt Lake County Library. For more information and to sign up for the talk go to

https://apps.slcolibrary.org/Events/sign-up.php?event=84.

15 TXST archaeology graduate students presented original research at the Annual meeting of the Society for American Arch...
05/05/2026

15 TXST archaeology graduate students presented original research at the Annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in San Francisco this weekend! Way to go and represent TXST Anthropology!!!

Anthropology Awards LuncheonThe Dept. of Anthropology had an awards ceremony this past Friday, April 24th, to recognize ...
05/01/2026

Anthropology Awards Luncheon

The Dept. of Anthropology had an awards ceremony this past Friday, April 24th, to recognize our outstanding students. Those honored that day were students who received an Academic Excellence Award, Outstanding Undergraduate Student, Outstanding Master's Student and Outstanding Doctoral Student. The dept. also recognized those students inducted into the Lambda Alpha Honor Society and into Phi Beta Kappa. Congratulations to all!!!

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Evans Liberal Arts 266, Texas State University, 601 University Drive
San Marcos, TX
78666

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+15122458272

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