Student Research
I believe students become active learners when they recognize the real-world value of their education and when they experience equilibrium between structure and autonomy while pursuing their own intellectual curiosities. Toward that end, my teaching and research goals align to facilitate independent study, faculty-student research, and collaborative publication efforts.
I take great pride in the instructional work outside of my regular teaching assignment. I work regularly with students seeking to become involved in research and have helped them to secure internal and external funding for investigative and community development projects. The student projects I supervise cover a range of topics, including deaf education in Cambodia and Khmer Sign Language; the reproductive care of bonobos in captivity; compassion fatigue among veterinary staff; Palestinian identity in the diaspora, parents of autistic children, women’s role in public perceptions of the environment, volunteer tourism in Costa Rica and internships at Jacksonville’s Museum of Science and History. I coach students to apply for UpStream grants, Fulbright Scholarships, Critical Language Studies Scholarships, internships, and graduate programs. My DIS students regularly present research findings at the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference, the UNF Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research & Scholarship, and the Sociology, Anthropology & Social Work Student Symposium.
Maria Encinosa
Maria Encinosa graduated UNF with degrees in Biology and International Studies in 2021 and is now studying medicine at Harvard Medical School. While at UNF, Maria conducted genetic research into muscular atrophy, facilitated discussions with the World Affairs Council of Jacksonville, and co-designed and taught a course on the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the Hicks Honors College. In her studies and practice, she looks for ways to contextualize healthcare as embedded in our social world.
She audited Dr. Pfister’s course Health, Illness and Culture in Spring 2020 and saw the potential for medical anthropology to provide insights into the COVID-19 pandemic. This pushed her to pursue research under Dr. Pfister’s mentorship. Her project “Embodied Injustices: COVID-19, Race, and Epigenetics” analyzes the potential for epigenetic research to operationalize the study of social determinants of the health and risk factors, like those that underscore the racial disparities in COVID-19 outcomes.
Kaitlynn Himmelreich
Kaitlynn Himmelreich graduated Summa Cum Laude from UNF in May of 2020. She earned two degrees – a Bachelor of Arts in Deaf Education and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, and was also an active member of Hick’s Honors College.
Kaitlynn and I worked together to study the development process of Cambodian Sign Language (CSL). In summer 2018, she conducted field research in Cambodia and used photovoice methodology to analyze the socio-linguistic implications of CSL and opportunities through specialized deaf education.
Kaitlynn presented her research findings at the Inaugural Conference of the Florida Digital Humanities Consortium and for her Honors Capstone thesis. Her research won her an Office of Undergraduate research grant and was recognized by an Outstanding Research Award in the International Studies Program at UNF.
Kaitlynn won a 2020-21 Fulbright U.S. Student Scholarship to continue her research among deaf students and educators in Cambodia.</p<
Tylyn Dagsaan
Tylyn Dagsaan graduated from UNF in May 2019 earning two degrees – a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She was the Outstanding Anthropology Graduate in 2019.
Tylyn’s research, investigating the socio-sexual behaviors of Bonobos at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, earned her an Office of Undergraduate Research grant and Honors in Anthropology. Her article “Birth Control Behind Bars: An Anthropological Perspective on the Care of Captive Bonobos” is published in Pandion: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas (Vol.1 No.1, 2020).
Julia Rivera-Whalen
Rising Nationalisms and the Migrant “Crisis” in the European Union (2019)
MOSH History and Natural Science Collection Internship (2017)
Student Research & Projects
2020-2021 Advisor, Embodied Injustices: COVID-19, Race, and Epigenetics
Maria Encinosa, two Directed Independent Studies, Honors Capstone Project, Honors Biology Project, 2021 Undergraduate Researcher of the Year; Publication: Pandion Fall 2021 Vol.2(1)
2020 Advisor, Capuchin Monkey Ecology: Maderas Rainforest Conservancy Scholarship
Courtney Shelton, Directed Independent Study
2018 – 2020 Advisor, Cambodian Sign Language: Development and Impact, Honors Capstone Project
Kaitlynn Himmelreich, Academic Distinction Award, OUR Grant winner, Outstanding Research Award in International Studies & 2020 Fulbright Student Scholar to Cambodia
2020 Advisor, Session Co-Organizer: Digital Methods in Undergraduate Anthropology at UNF
Collin Mullis (Co-Organizer), Shelby Foy, Monica Murray & Cheyenne Black, FL Digital Humanities Consortium Conference
2017 – 2019 Advisor, Birth Control Behind Bars: Anthropological Perspectives on Captive Bonobo Care
Tylyn Dagsaan, Honors in Anthropology, OUR Grant Winner, Outstanding Anthropology Graduate (2019)
2019 Advisor, Photovoice in Researching LGBTQ Issues – UNF Digital Humanities Showcase
Collin Mullis, Outstanding Anthropology Graduate (2020)
2019 Reader, Palestinian Identity in the Diaspora, Honors Thesis
Dominic Mitchell, Honors in Anthropology
2019 Advisor, Rising Nationalisms and the Migrant “Crisis” in the European Union, Honors Thesis
2017 Advisor, Museum of Science & History Collections Internship
Julia Rivera-Whalen, Honors in Anthropology
2018 Advisor, Volunteer Tourism – Who Benefits?
Claire Hoeschele, Directed Independent Study
2017 Reader, Project Brush Up
Tylyn Dagsaan, Winner United Way UpStream Grant ($10,000 award)
2017 Advisor, Elevating Refugee Peers
Julia Driscoll, Upstream United Way – People’s Choice Award
2017 Advisor, Jacksonville Historical Society Internship
Michalla D’Allessandro, Honors Capstone Project
2017 Advisor, Saving Fido’s Friends: Compassion Fatigue in Veterinary Support Staff
Wendy Jureski, Directed Independent Study
2017 Advisor, Autism: A Parent’s Access to Information
Sarah Stevens, Directed Independent Study
2016 Advisor, Museum of Science and History Collections Internship
Desiree Simpson, Directed Independent Study
