By Jo Mikula, Opinion Editor
On Wednesday nights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in Dalton Hall, a group of Bryn Mawr and Haverford students assemble for the meeting of the Bi-Co BioAnthro Club. Started in the spring of 2018 by Tamsin Myers (HC ’19) and Rebecca Kelly-Bowditch (BMC ’20), the club provides a space for those interested in the subfield of biological anthropology, or “bio-anthro,” to exchange ideas and engage in discourse.
While Haverford only offers courses in cultural anthropology, Bryn Mawr anthropology is four field, offering courses in cultural, linguistic, biological, and archaeological anthropology. According to Myers, bio-anthro is a smaller field “often overlooked in popular culture”. Kelly-Bowditch echoed this sentiment, explaining that “a lot of undergraduate anthropology departments aren’t four field, and even those that are tend to have relatively small groups focused on bio-anthro.”
In light of the low-profile aspect of biological anthropology, Myers and Kelly-Bowditch wanted to create a community where those interested in the discipline could congregate and explore their interest. They also hoped their club would spread the word about bio-anthro to students who might not have heard of it before, even if they don’t ultimately decide to focus on the subject. Said club member Cam Cameron BMC ’20 “we are open to anyone with even a passing interest in bio-anthro! We’d love to welcome more members outside of the major.”
No two meetings of the BioAnthro Club are exactly the same. The group will often come together to discuss a particular article or blog post that someone found during the week, but they also often end up talking about the anthropology departments. More recently, the club has hosted movie nights, welcomed guest speakers to campus, and organized trips to local museums including the Penn Museum, a world-renowned archeology and anthropology museum in Philadelphia. Cameron made sure to note one activity that is particularly dear to the BioAnthro Club: “excavating the chocolate chips from Chips Ahoy!”
The club has found its footing quickly and its leaders are now looking towards the future. Myers and Kelly-Bowditch hope to “integrate the club into the biological anthropology community at large.” They have already begun making connections with bio-anthro students at the University of Pennsylvania in order to share resources and opportunities. This coming year, the club leaders hope to network with professionals in the field and even attend the annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, an organization for biological anthropologists.
Most importantly, the Bi-Co BioAnthro Club is about gathering people together who are passionate about a subject. Myers explained that “our goal is most importantly to share our excitement, being nerdy about bones and genomes and the strangeness which is humanity.”
Photo credit: Delran Builders
