Lisa Paciulli

Hello!  I am a physical anthropologist with a specialty in primatology.  I received both my Masters and Ph.D. from the Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences at SUNY Stony Brook.  I have been a happy faculty member at Ithaca College (IC) since 2005.  I came to IC as the resident primatologist and as the resident biological anthropologist as well.

At IC, I teach a variety of courses such as

·        Introduction to Anthropology: Four-field Approach

·        Biological Anthropology

·        Introduction to Primates

·        Primate Conservation

·        Issues in Biological and Cultural Anthropology

·        Human Origins and Evolution

·        Human Variation: ‘Race,’ Biology, and Culture

·        Physical Anthropology Method & Theory

I love teaching!  I also like to provide students with a four-field approach to anthropology, as is evident by the many fieldwork opportunities I have provided to various students.  Over the years, I have invited many students to work with me at Betumonga Research Station (BRS), the site I helped establish on the remote MentawaiIslands of West Sumatra, Indonesia.  I have also worked with students in Costa Rica, Kenya, Nicaragua, and Belize.

I am constantly striving to bring the excitement of contemporary anthropology into the classroom, by having students conduct and present research projects, in which they are required to go out into the community and collect original data.  In the upper-level courses, I use a variety of teaching methods and curricular perspectives to enhance student learning such as intensive writing, oral presentations, critical thinking, small group discussions, and hands-on assignments.

I hear, and I forget

I see, and I remember

I do, and I understand

- Chinese proverb

I have been fortunate to have conducted research on several primate species in Madagascar, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and Nicaragua.  My dissertation work was on the effects of logging, hunting, and vegetation on the Mentawai primates.  Also, I am conducting a long-term study on the basic behavior and ecology of the simakobu monkey (Simias concolor), a previously unstudied animal.  BRS is the only site with habituated simakobus.  Again this year, Conservation International designated the simakobu as one of the 25 most endangered primates in the world.

While I was collecting data for my dissertation, I traveled back to the States to meet with my dissertation committee.  During my absence, part of BRS was logged.  This catapulted me into the world of rainforest conservation and environmental politics.  Subsequent negotiations with national, regional, and local officials led to the protection of the site.

As part of my graduate coursework at Stony Brook, I designed and carried out various projects, one involving research on the ontogeny of phalangeal curvature in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and its implications for the locomotor repertoire of Australopithecus afarensis.  Finger curvature is a topic that I am hoping to revisit.  This past year, I finished a literature search, explored various methodologies, and spoke with several researchers in the field regarding an examination of phalangeal curvature in gymnasts.  Next year, I hope to apply for funding to begin a pilot study on this topic.