Jane Ellen Buikstra

1945-Present

            Jane Ellen Buikstra was born on November 2, 1945, in Evansville, Indiana.  Her background has included a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology from DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana, in 1967.  Her Master’s Degree and Ph. D. were both in Anthropology from the University of Chicago.  Her dissertation was entitled: “Hopewell in the lower Illinois River Valley.  A regional approach to the study of biological variability and mortuary activity”.  (Directory of Today’s Leaders) Ms. Buikstra’s present position is Professor in the Biological Anthropology Program at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.  She has been there approximately five years.  Her focus includes bioarchaeology, mortuary studies, and forensic anthropology; North & South America, Iberian Peninsula, Honduras.  There are approximately 24 students enrolled in the Biological Anthropology Program. This school offers training in forensic anthropology, human odontology, and related fields. (U of NM)

            Buikstra is currently a member of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, Inc.  For the year 1999-2000, she was on the Board of Directors.  This board has been in existence since 1977 and is a nonprofit organization in the District of Columbia.  The Forensic anthropologists work closely with forensic pathologists, odontologists, and homicide investigators to identify a decedent, discover evidence of foul play, and/or postmortem interval.  Their work can also establish age, sex, ancestry, stature, and unique features of a decedent from the skeleton.  The purpose of the Board is to regulate and enforce standards and promote standards of ethics, conduct, and professional practice in forensic anthropology. The Board is responsible for granting and issuing certificates and maintaining an updated list.  All applications are reviewed by this Board. (American Board of Forensic Anthropology, Inc. (ABFA)

            She has numerous accomplishments.  Her teaching credentials are endless and range from Teaching Assistant, Dept of Anthropology, University of Chicago to Research Associate, University of Florida, to her present position of Professor at the University of New Mexico.  Her field work has taken her from North American Midwest in 1966 to Honduras in 1995.   She is the author of numerous technical publications.  She is listed with Gender Archaeology: A Bibliography, which contains a list of women archaeologists and material on particular time periods, geographic areas, and material analyses.  She is listed under 1986 Fertility and the Development of Agriculture in the Prehistoric Midwest.  (U of NM, Anthropology Bibliography)

            She is also noted for her participation in Archaeology at Copan, Honduras, with twelve seasons of excavations completed. During the final seasons of excavation, the research efforts concentrated on completing the recording, conservation, and removal of materials from two Early Classic royal burials, known as Hunal and Margarita tombs.  During 1998-2000, Jane E. Buikstra did extensive, detailed bioanthropological studies on the Hunal bones and the Margarita bones as part of her investigation of human skeletal remains at Copan. (Copan)

References:

Biological Directory of Today’s leaders in physical, biological, and related sciences, by R R Bowker, New Providence, New Jersey, copyright, 1998.

Former link, http://www.unm.edu/~anthro/index.html MLR 9/25/00

Former link, http://www.upenn.edu/museum/News/copan.html  

http://www.csuchico.edu/anth/ABFA/

http://www.nau.edu/~wst/access/anth/biblio.htm

Written by: Linda Brown