Brigitte Holt Lead Investigator Curriculum Vitae Brigitte received a BA in anthropology and MA in biological anthropology from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. She went on to University of Missouri-Columbia where she received her PhD in biological anthropology. See Research page for more details about my work.  

GRADUATE STUDENTS                                                           

Tabitha Dorshorst I Tabitha is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she is studying functional skeletal morphology and behavior reconstruction.   Tabitha received her MA in Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she used a combination of biomechanical techniques to determine if the muscle forces produced during archery are compatible with proposed strains that result in specific humeral shape. She completed her B.S at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh majoring in anthropology and kinesiology with an emphasis on healthcare science, while also receiving a minor in neuroscience. As an undergraduate, Tabitha was involved in a dietary reconstruction project using dental pathology of the Winnebago Phase Oneota, and also worked with The Tripolye International Archaeological Project at Verteba Cave, Ukraine.

 

Claire Gold is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Anthropology at The University of Massachusetts where she is studying the intersection of biology and culture in relation to human skeletal remains. Of particular interest: What can the skeleton reveal about infant, juvenile and adolescent diet, health and disease in historical and ancient human populations? She is working on the Italian Medieval Noli skeletal collection under the supervision of Dr. Brigitte Holt to develop more accurate methods of skeletal analysis and to understand the lives of these young people during a complex, historical period.   Claire received her MA in Biological Anthropology from the State University of New York, Binghamton, in 1998 and completed her undergraduate degree in Anthropology at The University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1995. She has taught as a lecturer in Biological and Forensic Anthropology since 2005 at several Universities and also enjoys teaching K-12 students about Anthropology and Archaeology. She has served as an archaeologist and site photographer on several archaeology projects in New England and Philadelphia, and most recently published a book: Moran, K.S. and Gold, C.L. (eds). (2019). Forensic Archaeology, Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. Claire is a member of the Society for American Archaeology, the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, and the American Investigative Society of Cold Cases.          

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Mariah Morse is a senior anthropology student who has worked in Dr. Holt’s lab for almost two years. She is currently working on a thesis project studying osteoarthritis in the shoulder and elbow of the Noli skeletal population. Mariah’s interests include  biological anthropology and bioarchaeology. After graduating this spring, she hopes to take a gap year or two before returning to school for graduate studies.  

 

 

Maddie Powers. I am a senior majoring in Biology on the PreMed track with a minor in Anthropology. For my
thesis project, I will be studying aging trends in the medieval population of Noli, Italy. Specifically, I will
be studying the femora of the Noli people; obtaining their cross-sections through the use of CT scanning
and comparing the data to that of modern people to see if the aging process is comparable. The Noli
people were a robust, active, coastal population and so, I hope to gain insight on if their mechanical load
played a role in how their limbs aged. This will allow for better insight into not only the Noli people but
also modern populations should differences arise. Working in this lab has provided me with knowledge that I hope to use after my time at UMass. I am interested in pursuing a career as a doctor in orthopedics. Working with Dr. Holt’s material has allowed me to become more familiar with human anatomy and the variances that can occur in
morphology and has taught me numerous methods of how to age and sex skeletal remains.

Past undergraduate students

Megan Savoy (BA 2019-Dept Anthropology)

Thesis title: Stature and Child Mortality in Medieval Italy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Henry Tager (BA 2019-Dept Anthropology)

Thesis title: The impact of net fishing on arm bone strength: a Medieval test case