Hereford Residential College

I am an anthropology Ph.D. student writing a dissertation based upon the 17 months of fieldwork I conducted in the Central African country of Gabon. Previously, I worked as an anthropologist of food, doing research on French food laws in tiny villages where people plied me with copious servings of cheese and blood sausage. Note that I become particularly animated when talking about my home state of Delaware, 4-H clubs, Lake Chautauqua in NY state, or my Italian-American background. My husband Dave works locally as a photographer; finally, you will most often see me accompanied by my sidekick, baby Zoe, hands down my greatest accomplishment of 2007-2008.

I am a graduate student in the Department of Religious Studies, specializing in Islamic studies and religious ethics. My dissertation is about the use of assisted reproductive technologies in Islam, based on nine months of research in Iran. I consider myself a Southern Californian at heart, but I love to travel--especially internationally--and have visited Egypt, India, Taiwan, and Malaysia, among others. The best way to experience the world is to eat your way across it, and since my favorite cuisines are Mexican, Ethiopian, and Indo-Pakistani, I take that as a sign that I have lots more traveling to do. And while nobody believes it by looking at me, I served nearly four years in the Marines.

I am a graduate student in the department of Anthropology who specializes in the archaeology of third millennium B.C. Upper Mesopotamia. Specifically my work considers the disintegration or “collapse” of ancient state societies, focusing especially on changes in food production over time (I study animal bones). I am originally from Western New York, went to college in Buffalo, and from time to time still refer to “soda” as “pop.” When I’m not working on my research or having fun at Hereford you will likely find me spending time with my family, and either lamenting or celebrating the most recent performance of the Bills and/or Sabres.