Mindy Pitre, PhD

I am a Visiting Assistant Professor at St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY. As a bioarchaeologist, I use skeletal evidence to understand the dynamic interactions between human behaviour, biological variation, and patterns of health and disease in the past. I have excavated and studied human skeletons in Canada, the United Kingdom, Egypt, the Sudan, and Syria. I am interested in palaeopathology, histology, health in the past, taphonomy, and conservation.

I have over 10 years of teaching experience at colleges and universities across Canada and the United States. My approach to teaching is largely a function of these experiences. I like to introduce students to the field of biological anthropology by exposing them to the material and by providing them with opportunities to practice what they learn in an engaging classroom and laboratory. In my classes, students take part in hands on activities, discussion, and research, all of which stress the importance of critical thinking, writing, and speaking skills.

Courses taught at St. Lawrence University:

• ANTH 201 Human Origins

• ANTH 242 Dealing with the Dead

• ANTH 290 Bones of Contention

• ANTH 325 Evolution, Culture and Human Diversity

• ANTH 365 Forensic Anthropology

• ANTH 430 Human Evolution

My teaching in the news:

USA College Today
http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/ccp/more-colleges-jump-on-the-odd-course-bandwagon

Watertown Times
http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20120916/ADV01/709169962

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20120215/NEWS05/702159883

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20120212/NEWS05/702129901

North Country Now
http://northcountrynow.com/hometown-photos/canton/dealing-dead-canton

I am interested in the study of ancient diseases in the past. Specifically, I study developmental defects of the skeleton and what they can reveal about past populations. Detecting patterns of developmental defects within skeletal populations allows for interpretive projections of the occurrence of major defects, biological affinities, and both cultural and environmental conditions in the past. By putting each individual within the framework of a local population, my research has, and continues to, provide clues concerning the genetic and social structure of several past populations.

I have examined the skeletons of the Maritime Archaic Indians from Port au Choix, Newfoundland (4400-3300 B.P.) as well as the skeletons of parishioners from the St Augustine the Less church, Bristol (1240-1956 CE) and the Quaker burial ground, Kingston-upon Thames (1663-1814 CE) for developmental defects of the vertebral columns, ribs, and exoccipitals. I have recorded a variety of rare developmental defects such as block vertebrae and sacral agenesis/hemimetamere hypoplasia as well as several common developmental defects such as sacral cleft and sacralisation of the fifth lumbar vertebra. A portion of my results was published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology.

Stress load can be inferred from signs of skeletal change. This is made possible because of the complex relationship that exists between an individual and their environment, where stress compromises the balance between bone formation and destruction, ultimately leading to signs of stress on the skeleton. Skeletal indicators of stress have been shown to be closely related to shifts in subsistence, food availability, living conditions, and pathogen exposure, all of which are thought to be consequences of environmental and cultural change. My research, using skeletal indicators of stress, offers a unique perspective from which to study cultural and environmental factors influencing ancient populations.

Working under a bioarchaeological framework, I am examining skeletons from Tell Leilan (2200 - 1900 BCE), Syria for microscopic indicators of stress. Using stress indicators, I am investigating the physiological consequences of climatic change and societal collapse on inhabitants of the site around 2200 BCE. In doing so, I am exploring the internal social instability that may have allowed for the collapse of ancient Mesopotamia. With few historical documents dating to this time, my research is instrumental in determining the health of individuals at Tell Leilan around the time of the collapse of the Akkadian Empire. In the future I plan to examine skeletons of other contemporaneous Mesopotamian sites across Mesopotamia.

Bone is one of the most often recovered biological materials at an archaeological site. By studying the macroscopic, microscopic, and chemical properties of bone, information can be gleaned about ancient culture, demography, health, population movement, as well as the environment in which past populations lived. Microbial growth, however, can cause dramatic changes to the physical and chemical properties of bone leading to difficulties in isolating intact collagen and DNA as well as in obtaining unaltered trace element profiles, resulting in the loss of valuable information about past peoples and their environments. My research focuses on limiting microbial growth in archaeological bone so that in the future the loss of valuable information concerning past populations is minimised.

I have examined microbially-altered bone from Canada, Egypt, Syria, Sudan, and the United States using light and scanning electron microscopy, as well as microbial culture techniques and DNA sequencing. My research has led to the discovery of the first evidence of biofilm growth in archaeological bone as well as in the isolation of several contributing microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes). A portion of my research can be found in the Journal of Archaeological Science. I continue to focus on new techniques to examine microbially-altered archaeological bone as well as on new conservation protocols designed to limit the growth of biofilms in archaeological bone collections in the future. For more examples of my work visit microscopy @ SLU.

The Aswan-Kom Ombo Archaeological Project is directed by Dr. Maria Carmela Gatto and Dr. Antonio Curci. The project involves the rescue of several cemetery sites throughout the Aswan-Kom Ombo region including a Pan-Grave (ca. 1800 - 1600 BCE) and a Predynastic/A-Group (ca. 3700 - 3600 BCE) cemetery. A large amount of disarticulated skeletal material has been recovered. In 2007, excavations at the Pan-Grave cemetery revealed over 30 Pan-Graves. Although no complete burials were discovered, several funerary offerings such as ostrich-shell beads, animal bones, painted horn, and mother-of-pearl and plaque beads were recovered. The results of the 2007 season can be found in Bioarchaeology of the Near East.

Excavations at the Predynastic/A-Group (ca. 3700 - 3600 BCE) cemetery continued once more in 2010. Three new areas within the Predynastic/A-Group cemetery were excavated, mostly revealing disarticulated scattered skeletal material. Over 13,000 bone fragments were examined during the 2010 field season. Several intact rectangular graves, however, were found cutting into the alluvium. Skeletons placed in various positions were recovered; both males and females. Several burial inclusions (e.g., pottery, amulets, and so forth) were also found within the graves. Future work at the site involves continuing the excavation of the Predynastic/A-Group cemetery as well as analysing the skeletal material from previous seasons.