The MSUFAL is very pleased to feature PhD Candidate, Amber Plemons, for this edition of our student spotlight. Amber is currently working on her dissertation project, “The Interaction Between Genetics and Climate on Craniofacial Variation: Examining the Causative Forces of Macromorphoscopic Trait Expression”, which aims to understand the evolutionary and ecogeographical factors of human variation. Her research employs a mixed model approach to understand the influence of genetics and climate on human cranial morphological features. This topic has already inspired new and exciting projects centered around growth and development and the intersectionality of ancestry. Apart from contributing to anthropological and evolutionary biology literature, Amber will share her research results through public engagement. She aims to illuminate some of the nuances of social race and ancestry, and influence reporting systems of race for missing persons to better reflect population affinity rather than social constructs. Although much of her research focuses on ancestry and human variation, Amber is a Jill-of-all-trades (and arguably, a master of all of them too), with a love for anthropology and passion for research. Amber is involved in just about everything. Some of her many projects include but are not limited to: age estimation in juveniles; isotopic analysis; development of pedagogical tools; and collaborative projects in Campus Archaeology. Amber thoroughly enjoys working through the logistics in database development and will jump at the opportunity to create a database for any project. Where do we sign up?
Amber started undergrad as an Interior Design major, focusing on sustainable design at Texas State University; however, she quickly realized she lacked artistic abilities and the marketing skills needed for the job. She switched majors several times before comfortably settling into anthropology. Ever since she was a child, Amber had a keen interest in archaeology. She had drawers stuffed with different archaeology and National Geographic magazines that she would repeatedly read. Because of this, she focused on archaeology with the intention of doing field work in Greece. Her first anthropology classes were “Introduction to Archaeology” and “Introduction to Forensic Anthropology”. In the latter, Amber quickly discovered the diversity of forensic anthropology. She was particularly captivated by human rights cases and the unique ways in which forensic anthropologists worked alongside families to identify and repatriate victims of crimes. The following semester, Amber enrolled in “Forensic Osteology” and the rest is history. She was hooked. Anytime there was an open lab, Amber was there the moment the door opened to the moment it closed. Amber remembers, “Work became my hobby and that is when you know you are in the right place.”
Amber earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology with a minor in Geography from Texas State University (TXST). Among her many experiences, she interned with Gault Laboratory at TXST analyzing and cataloguing artifacts and, later, participated in field work at the Gault Site, a Paleoindian site in central Texas. Additionally, Amber volunteered at Grady Earl Forensic Anthropology Lab with Dr. Kate Spradley. Under Dr. Spradley’s mentorship, Amber decided to continue her education, enrolling in a masters program at Mississippi State University in Applied Anthropology. At Mississippi State, Amber focused on bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology, under the mentorship of Dr. Nicholas Herrmann. Amber was provided endless opportunities and treated like a colleague by Dr. Herrmann. This made all of the difference, as she said it allowed her to grow exponentially as a professional anthropologist. Amber managed the Mississippi State Forensic and Bioarchaeology (FAB) Laboratory for several years, where she curated a large fragmented, commingled skeletal collection, assisted in several forensic cases from across the state, and excavated, curated, and analyzed remains recovered from the historic Mississippi State Asylum (MSA). Amber’s master thesis focused on understanding differential treatment of MSA patients and the influence of differential life histories on patient survivability of the MSA conditions. While conducting her thesis research, Amber became particularly interested in understanding ancestry and human variation through examining health discrepancies and treatment of different populations represented in MSA sample. She knew she wanted to continue this avenue of research and set her sights on working with Dr. Joe Hefner, a leading biological anthropology researcher in human variation. As Dr. Hefner had recently started at Michigan State and was taking students, it was a ‘no-brainer’ for Amber to apply. She spoke with Dr. Hefner several times before applying and knew he would treat her respectfully as a colleague, solidifying her decision to enroll. At Michigan State, Amber has come into her own, publishing numerous papers, presenting her research at conferences, co-authoring grant winning proposals, creating websites, and developing open-source tools.
Throughout her academic career, Amber has taken advantage of the many opportunities to apply her abilities in the field. She loves fieldwork because it is fulfilling and reenergizing. On field projects, Amber can apply her skillset in a real-world setting, meet new people and expand her professional network, make fond memories with colleagues and friends, explore new cultures, and enjoy new foods. Amber’s first field school was with TXST, excavating a historic cemetery on an island in Belize, which was not a terrible way to start! Later, she had the opportunity travel to Greece with Dr. Nick Herrmann, analyzing human skeletal remains from a Bronze Age site where she met students and professionals from around the world. In 2016, Amber traveled to Thailand with Dr. Hefner and Kelly Kamnikar to collect macromorphoscopic (MMS) data, eat a lot of food, and drink way too much Thai tea. One memory from the trip that makes her laugh is when Amber cried because she ate a spicy pepper far beyond her heat tolerance level, in the middle of a professional dinner with colleagues from Khon Kaen University. She had to be excused as she could not see through her tears or breathe through her nose! Amber has also traveled solo to collect data. On one of these trips, she traveled to the Natural History Museum in London, England, where she met some of the incredible curators and saw some of Charles Darwin’s specimens. Apart from international travel, Amber appreciates participating in field recoveries of forensic casework, because it allows her to see the remains in context and gain a more comprehensive understanding of who the individual is and what happened to them in their final moments. When not traveling, Amber enjoys spending time in the lab and office with her peers talking about recent articles, collaborating on research, talking about non-work-related hobbies, and, most importantly, planning pranks on Dr. Hefner. She says she could not have asked for better group of peers, stating that they push her to be better and provide support.
Amber is incredibly grateful for the mentorship she has received throughout her education and feels incredibly fortunate to have crossed paths with amazing people. She advises students interested in forensic anthropology to seek out mentorship, as mentors make a world of difference in your education and career. She recognizes that graduate school can be incredibly trying and will often push you to your limits, advising students to lean on people who genuinely care about their personal and professional growth, and, as importantly, their well-being! Great mentors will let students explore their own personal interest while providing them with the necessary support. She emphasizes that students find these mentors early and do not be afraid to talk to them. Amber says, “I took me MONTHS to work up the courage to ask Dr. Spradley for guidance, so don’t feel you are alone in that fear! It is scary, but I promise it is worth it.” Amber’s second piece of advice is to get a Passion Planner (also a MSUFAL favorite). For her, coloring and planning her time is a wonderful stress relief. She emphasizes that everyone should make sure to plan time for themselves!
Outside of school, Amber likes spending time at home, the gym, a coffee shop, or food places. She loves the Power Oats at Mitten Raised and the beer garden with food trucks at Horrocks. Amber loves that, at Horrocks, she can have a nice meal and beverage and then shop for fancy coffees, olive oils, delicious popcorn, and cheese from an impressive selection. She likes to spend time outdoors on the River Trails around town, especially with her daughter at Hawk Island and Scott Woods. In fact, they enjoy spending so much time being active outdoors, they recently moved right next to Scott Woods. Amber says the best way to explore a new area is by eating and hiking. We at the MSUFAL, believe these are wise words to live by. We are so proud of Amber and cannot wait to see all that she will do!
Authored by: Kelly Kamnikar