Completed Master's Theses in Human Skeletal Biology

NYU Anthropology

Master's Theses on Record
Last Updated: December 2022

2022

Barrera, Ariel N. Anterior Teeth and the Mandibular Symphysis: A Morphometric Analysis of Correlation in Extant Hominoids.

Espinoza, Ashley. Testing the Accuracy of the Morphopasse Program on 3D Virtual Pelves Derived from Medical Computed Tomography (CT) Scans.

Köcher, Ginelle K. Aquatic Taphonomy: An Analysis of Human Decomposition in Natural Waterways of New York City.

Miyagi, Raelani R. A Comparative Analysis of Eastern and South African Middle Stone Age Lithic Technological Modes.

Olivares-Pérez, Franscheska. Establishing Age Estimation Methods from the Auricular Surface of the Ilium for Non-Human Primates: Adapting Buckberry and Chamberlain Scoring Method and Exploring the Use of Shape Characteristics for Age Predictions.

Simmons, Jeremy. Determination of the Highest DNA Yield from Different Bone Types through DNA Extraction from Porcine Remains.

Ugarte, Alexa. A Taphonomic Study on Preservation of Mammal Skeletal Remains of the Pelvis.

2021

Choo, Esther H. Political Unearthing: A Comparison of Post-Conflict Mass Grave Exhumations in Modern History.

Dunham, ChristiAna N. Occupation, Habitual Behavior, and the Lumbar Vertebral Column.

Konieczko, Marissa A. Phylogenetic Analysis of penA Allele Diversity in Neisseria gonorrhoeae Isolates from Global Sources.

Lozano, Julie. The Nasal Aperture and Ancestry in Subadults.

Matsuura, Michelle C. K. Oxygen Isotopes in NYC Tap Water: Implications for Estimating Geolocation of Unidentified Human Remains.

Mensah, Paul. Cusp Height and Intercusp Distance: The Patterning Cascade Model and its Capacity to Explain Cusp Size Variation in Three-Dimensional, Complex Primate Molars.

Yuwono, Pratiwi. Environmental Contexts of Early Oldowan Tool Makers: Stable Carbon Isotopes of Mammalian Tooth Enamel from the Lokalalei Archaeological Site in the Nachukui Formation, Northern Kenya.

2020

Aletta, Sofia Francesca. The Bioarchaeology of Structural Violence at the Erie Country Poorhouse from 1851-1913

Colby, Abigail Elise. Endocranial volume is variable and heritable but is not related to fitness in a free-ranging primate

Graves, Vanessa. Discrimination of Early Hominins using Lower Molar Cusp Areas in the Presence of Accessory Cusps.

Mann, Eva Maria. Dietary Isotopic (δ13C, δ15N) Values from Cayo Santiago Macaques Sample Before and After Hurricane Maria

2019

Auchter, Leah. Relating Histomorphometric Variables of Adult Human Fibulae to Age-at-Death.

Ceja, Ligia Elena. Differential Skeletal Cleaning Practices by Forensic Anthropologists and Resulting Oxygen Isotope of Bone Carbonate

Dorton, Ruth Lynn. A Comparison of Health and Labor Indications of a Cluniac and Cistercian Monastic Cemeteries from Medieval England.

Dwyer, Isis. Diversity within the Diaspora. An Analysis of Intrapopulation Variation in 20th Century Americans

Johnson, Sadé. A Comparative Analysis of Techniques for Sampling Dentin Powder for Mitochondrial DNA Testing.

Kasl, Colin. Trabecular Morphology of the Homo Naledi Talus and Its Inferred Functional Implications

2018

Alesbury, Helen. Incorporation of Dietary Isotopic Data (d15N AND d13C) in the Analysis of Forensic Skeletal Cases from the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner.

Hsu, Diana. Sex Estimation Using Sacral Measurements.

Loewen, Tisa. Analyses of the Fragmentary and Commingled Skeletal Remains from an Iron Age Necropolis in Nadin, Croatia.   

2017

Dudas, Madelynne. Comparative Trabecular Microarchitecture of the Navicular across Extant Primate Species. 

Goldstein, Justin. The Forensic Application of Skeletal Stress Indicators: A Correlation Study of Linear Enamel Hypoplasia, Harris Lines, Cortical Bone Loss, and Stature.  

Kalisher, Rachel. Beyond Diet: Using Dental Wear to Explore Iron Age IIA Philistine Lifestyle. 

Ryder, Christina. Trace Element Evidence for Trophic Level in Extant Mammals from Laikipia, Kenya: Implications for Eastern African Fossil Hominin Diet Reconstructions.   

Sherwood, Christina. Researching Ancient and Historic Tuberculosis: Osteological methods versus Ancient DNA.

2016
Ehrlich, Daniel. Population continuity or replacement in the lower susquehanna valley: a biodistance study using dental non-metric traits.

Lagan, Emma. You are what you eat: status and oral health in a medieval danish population with a comparison of common dental wear methods.

McGuire, Kaitlin. 3D geometric morphometric analysis of the tibial plateau: a study of sexual dimorphism and population specific variation.

Yim, An-Di. Evolution of genotype and phenotype of skeletal strength in primates.

2015
Bird, Evan Eugene . The Functional and Phylogenetic Implications of Nasoalveolar Clivus Length in the Anthropoid Primates.

Johnson, Amy. Analysis of Congruence and Asymmetry of the Atlanto-Occipital Joint.

Feldkamp, Sara. The Lost Remains of Dún Ailinne: Analysis of re-discovered faunal remains from the Irish Iron Age site.

Miranker, Molly. A Test of the Performance of Three Age Indicators of the Adult Human Pelvis and the Influence of Occupation on Morphology.

Norström, Lucia Elgerud. Craniometric Ancestry Analysis of a Modern Peruvian Sample: Assessing Ancestry Proportions & the Potential for Peruvian Subgroups in Ancestry Estimation Techniques.

Petrullo, Lauren. Effects of early life adversity on cortisol/salivary alpha-amylase asymmetry in free-ranging juvenile rhesus macaques.

Russel, C. Kinley. Size-related and Demographic Effects on the Morphology of the Lateral Meniscal Notch of the Proximal Tibia.

2014
Farber, Eleanor. Strontium and Oxygen Isotopic Evidence for Migration to 19th Century Grafton, Illinois.

Williams, LaShanda. Cross host Evolution and Relative Divergence Time of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Cornoavirus (MERS-CoV) Variants.

Lans, Aja. Tuberculosis in the American Museum of Natural History Medical Skeletal Collection: a comparison of an osteological dataset to historical records.

McCormick, Katelin. Examination of Age-Related Changes of the Auricular Surface Using Geopgraphic Information Systems Analysis.

2013
Beresheim, Amy. A histomorphometric analysis of intact, fragmentary and drifting osteons in the adult mid-shaft femur. 
 
Chmaj, Julia. Feature analysis of the pubic symphysis.

Darr, Maria. The bicondylar angel in modern humans and its relationship to stresses and locomotor economy.

DiMaggio, John, Charles, Jr. An analysis of zinc distribution in the cortical bone of the human femur.

Jennifer Spross, Assessing relatedness within and among groups of Bolivian tamarins (Saguinus spp.).

Karabowicz, Amy. Assessing evidence of weaning and climate extremes in incremental microsamples of human dentin collagen from Malawi: A stable isotope analysis.   
 
Miller, Alison. The effect of angle at impact and magnification level during analysis on the recognition of striation patterns on cut costal cartilage.

Stock, Michaela. A 3D geometric morphometric investigation of sexual dimorphism in juvenile human crania during ontogeny.
 
Volney Friedrich, The nature of interaction at La Sufricaya, Guatemala: Evidence from stable isotopic analysis of human tooth enamel.  

2012
Baxter-Stoltzfus, Amelia. Quantitative bone histomorphometry as a predictor of skeletal health.

Saine, M. Elle. Researched remains: The post-mortem lives of bodies in human rights investigations and anthropological research .

Sharplin, Allison M. Dirty pigs: Decomposition and taphonomy of clothed and nude non-human animal models in three microclimates in an arid environment with an emphasis on microbial community profiling.

2011
Domínguez, Victoria. The utility of osteon shape and circularity for differentiation human and non-human haversian bone.

Fluckiger, Megan. Analysis of population structure using the 13 core CODIS loci in four sample populations: U.S. Caucasian, African American, Hispanic and Jamaican.

Mallard, Angela Marie. Dental nonmetric analysis of Tecolote Pueblo: A study of biological distance.

Mavroudas, Sophia. A comparison of gross morphology and histomorphometry age-at-death estimation methods on a known forensic sample.

2010
Heinrich, Jarred. Tooth based sampling protocol for DNA extractions and human identification from highly fragmented and commingled skeletal assemblages.

Holowka, Nicholas. A comparative study of the anatomical mechanical advantage of the anthropoid elbow.

Minor, Stephanie. Variation in Osteocyte Lacuna Density Around the Human Mid-shaft Femoral Cortex as it Relates to Intraspecies Variation in Body Size.

Vannucci, Robert. MRI evaluation of brain size and shape in microcephaly: Implications for the LB 1 hominin.

2009
Battillo, Jenna. An investigation into the preservation of saw marks and cutmarks on burnt bone.

Macias, Marisa. Three-dimensional analysis of the scapular glenoid fossa: Neandertals and morphological adaptations to habitual behavior.

Oldershaw, Leigh. A preliminary study of the use of root dentine translucency aging in cremated dental remains.

2008
Chirchir, Habiba. Elbow morphology in humans in relation to activity and climate: Implications for Neandertals.

Cocca, Maggie. Using non-invasive molecular techniques to obtain population count of highly endangered Nigerian gorillas.

Hite, Emma. Morphological and molecular approaches to species identification in equid cheek teeth from Godin: Terminology, taxonomy and further implications.

Powanda, Allysha. A comparison of pelvic age-estimation methods on two modern Iberian populations: bioarchaeological and forensic implications.

Ridgely, Ariana. Macroscopic and Microscopic Characteristics of Hacking Trauma on Bone.

2007
Delaney, Anna. Scavenger variation in central New Jersey: Implications for forensic analysis.

Fridie, Jeannette. A restropective study on dismemberment in New York City, 1990-2006.

Ingvoldstad, Megan. Mass graves, skeletonization, and individuation: a controlled experiment of differential decomposition in mice burials.

Reinholdt, Heidi. Primate cranial morphogenetics and the role of repeat polymorphisms.

2006
Emera, Deena. Biological Affinity of a Prehistoric Cook Island Population: the Dental and Genetic Evidence.

Gaydosh, Laura. Gauging the deterioration of deoxyribonucleic acids during thermal alteration.

Garcia, Giselle. A Quantitative Analysis of the Distal Tibia of Homo habilis.

Rottenstein, Jessica. Experimental decomposition in the northeast in three different microenvironments.

Solomon, Ilana. Genetic Affinities of Cook Islanders: A Look at the Mitochondrial DNA of Ancient Mangaians.