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Rory Becker, Ph.D. Associate Professor of AnthropologyArea of Focus: ArchaeologyOffice: Ackerman Hall 101Office Phone: 541-962-3229rbecker@eou.edu
Dr. Rory Becker, Associate Professor of Anthropology, received degrees in anthropology from Montana State University (B.A.), Western Michigan University (M.A.), and the University of Wyoming (Ph.D.). Dr. Becker has been teaching anthropology since 2005 in both seated and distance education formats. He also has eight years’ experience working in the Cultural Resource Management industry (applied anthropology) for universities, private companies, state agencies, and federal agencies. Dr. Becker has established the Cultural Heritage & Archaeological Research Technologies lab (CHART) which provides EOU students with research and applied anthropology opportunities. His research interests currently focus on the use of remote sensing techniques in archaeology and historic archaeology sites, especially those dating to the fur trade and/or contact period.
Aaron Thornburg, Ph.D.Associate Professor of AnthropologyArea of Focus: Cultural & Linguistic AnthropologyOffice: Ackerman Hall 100Office Phone: 541-962-3349athornburg@eou.edu
Dr. Aaron Thornburg, Associate Professor of Anthropology, has received degrees from the University of Florida (B.A. in Anthropology), Trinity College Dublin (MPhil. in Linguistics), Brandeis University (M.A. in Anthropology), and Duke University (Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology with a graduate certificate in Education Policy Research). Dr. Thornburg has been teaching anthropology courses since 2007 and has additional relevant experience in academic publishing and human factors research. His research focuses on Irish-Gaelic-language (Gaeilge) use and the utilization of Gaeilge-language television media in compulsory second-level-education Gaeilge courses in the context of the Republic of Ireland’s continuing participation in the process of European Unionization. His research emphasis on digital media has led him to explore digital storytelling and its potential use in both teaching anthropology and ethnographic research. He has additional interests in social science research ethics and the ethnography of public policy.
David Leone, Ph.D.LecturerOnline instruction onlydleone@eou.edu
David Leone is a bio-cultural anthropologist with a strong four-field approach to Anthropology. While specializing on the interaction of culture and biology, he has not only focused on bridging gaps within Anthropology, but also extended his education to overlap with other disciplines including Sociology, Evolutionary Psychology, Biology, and Anatomy. His research foci are in evolutionary biology, human ecology, and evolutionary medicine. He is currently conducting a long-term longitudinal project concerning child growth and development in a rural Caribbean village on the developing island of Dominica. His research projects have primary applied anthropology components in public health, nutrition, education, child wellness, and community development. Dr. Leone has a passion for teaching and learning at all education levels and formats, however, his recent focus has been on developing new strategies for online education at the university level.
Shannen Robson, Ph.D.LecturerOnline instruction onlysrobson@eou.edu
Shannon Robson received her Ph.D. in 2011 from the University of Utah’s Department of Anthropology program in Evolutionary Ecology with a research focus in comparative primate life histories and demography. As an adjunct instructor at the University of Utah, and now EOU, she teaches courses in physical anthropology, primatology, and human evolutionary studies. She has been working in the Collections and Research Division at the Natural History Museum of Utah since 1996 where she is currently the Vertebrate Zoology Collections Manager. In this position she am responsible for overseeing the care of the fluid preserved, dry skins, and skeletal specimens within the herpetile, bird, and mammal collections. As a Museum researcher she collaborates on annual field surveys of small mammals throughout the Great Basin to better understand how these communities have responded to changes in climate over time. When not working or teaching, she enjoys hiking in the mountains, watching movies, and traveling to warm and sunny destinations.