ARISE at Penn State: Anthropological Research in Science Education
Anthropological Research in Science Education (ARISE) at Penn State is a summer institute in integrated anthropological sciences for historically underrepresented and underserved undergraduate students from the United States.
Program Overview
The program is open to all undergraduate students in the United States, but anthropology majors will have priority. Eligibility is open, and we encourage students who may not have experience or oppeortunities in anthropological research to apply to ARISE.
Training Topics
ARISE will train students in:
- theoretical approaches to solving anthropological problems
- methods to collect and analyze anthropological data
- ethics and historical background to the discipline
- applications of anthropological sciences in and beyond academia
Anthropological Modules
We will select 25 current undergraduate students interested in pursuing anthropological research to work closely with Penn State faculty and graduate students in these four modules:
Human Genetics
In this module, students will be theoretically and methodologically introduced to anthropological genetics topics, potentially focused on evolutionary genetics in the context of humans, microbes, and environments (depending on selected student’s interests). Students will be able to actively participate in the research process in the laboratory and by completing their own genetics analysis using current bioinformatics tools.
Microbiomes and Health
Students will be introduced to a basic microbial ecology approaches to study the trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live in the human body – the microbiome. Students will learn basic microbiology culturing techniques, as well as next-generation sequencing techniques and data analysis. Projects in this module will work to understand variation of the human microbiome across different human populations and its associations to disease.
GIS/Spatial
In this module, students will be introduced to the use of spatial analysis methods using ArcGIS software. Learning goals will include data collection with GPS, map projections, coordinate systems, open source data repositories, and the display and simple analysis of spatial data, with a focus on the types of data that anthropologists typically produce.
Osteology
Students in this module will be introduced to theory and hands-on methods of studying human and non-human osteology. They will learn basic osteology, be introduced to osteometric and morphological techniques used for skeletal analysis, and the basics of computer tomography (CT) imaging. In addition, students will complete a project on a subject of their choosing, such as on functional morphology, paleopathology, and skeletal growth and development, using publicly available data. As part of the program, students will be exposed to each of the research areas, as well as receive detailed, hands-on training developing and executing their own research project in the top module of their choosing.
Antropological Storytelling
Students will also be introduced to the concepts of anthropological storytelling through film and other mediums. Each student will receive hands-on training with basic approaches to filming human subjects in a field setting, and students will be allowed to document their own research journey throughout the ARISE program. Participants will also be able to participate in a community-based project to document the ARISE experience.
Program Information
If you are interested in participating in ARISE from May 12-23, 2025; the first week will be remote, with the second week in person. All selected participants will receive full funding to attend ARISE, including travel, room and board, and laboratory and analysis costs. To apply, please complete the application form. Applications close December 31, 2024. Selected participants will be notified before January 31, 2025.