Month: June 2026

Nick Passalacqua Makes No Bones about Anthropology’s Value

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Nick Passalacqua, associate professor of anthropology, discusses how anthropologists recover and analyze skeletal remains to build biological profiles including age, sex, stature, and ancestry. He contrasts real methods with those of TV dramas (such as Bones), noting the field relies on careful measurement and collaboration rather than flashy technology. Ethics remain central, guiding respectful treatment of the dead and their families. Ultimately, forensic anthropology serves a humanitarian mission: returning individuals to their communities. The program at Ohio State is expanding rapidly and training the next generation of professionals.

Steve MacEachern: Odds Were Always Good He’d Work in Statistics

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Steve MacEachern, distinguished professor of statistics, discusses his field, how he got into statistics, and what feature he has to have in his job.

MacEachern earned a doctorate at the University of Minnesota, researching Bayesian methods, a way to use probability to represent uncertainty via prior and posterior distributions informed by data.

He sees statistics as different from data science/analytics because statistics emphasizes modeling and inference, while data science adds large-scale data capture and wrangling, often from computer science.

MacEachern discusses modern statistics’ growing focus on prediction in platforms like search and e-commerce, contrasts hard-science versus human-centered data, and outlines current research challenges driven by AI and massive predictor sets.

Dale Gnidovec: Dinosaurs Are Like Measles

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“I’ve loved dinosaurs since I was a little kid. A lot of kids like dinosaurs. It’s sort of like measles: most kids get it, most kids get over it. I never got over it. I still love dinosaurs.”

Dale Gnidovec, collections manager and curator of the Orton Geological Museum, received the Ohio Department of Natural Resources 2025 Cardinal Award, which recognizes individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to conservation and environmental education in Ohio. This episode features Gnidovec giving David Staley a tour of the Orton Museum, something you can do in person almost any weekday or any time at all online.

Ryan Joyce: How Former Colonies Recover

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Ryan Joyce, assistant professor of French and Francophone Studies, researches decolonization, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic World. His scholarship foregrounds the study of creolization, gender and sexuality, diaspora and migration, performance, and marronage (slaves escaping captivity). Joyce is especially interested in decolonization, the ways former colonies reclaim their economic, political and cultural autonomy. Joyce argues for the contemporary relevance of this process in Ohio due to its continued influence on large Haitian communities in Springfield and Columbus. Joyce discusses his decolonization seminar that was supported by OSU Special Collections, his Engaged Scholars Academy experience, and his plans for an expanded free public Creole course and a marronage monograph.