And on the last day, she writes,  “The last night in Livingstone. Yesterday the Missouri State crew visited Victoria Falls. Today we spent the day in Chobe National Park with both land and river safaris. Great end to the program. Off to Lusaka tomorrow and home soon. As my dear colleague describes, it’s a wrap on Season Five – our fifth year working together on education abroad in Zambia.”

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Mary S. Willis

June 9 – Zambia

Children on their way to the MOH hospitals for fillings or extractions. Missouri State University student Fernando Lopez Rodriguez will spend the day shadowing medical personnel.

Many of the children have permanent teeth which cannot be saved. Dental care is not accessible and most cannot afford dental hygiene materials. So thank you to all who donated! If we save a few teeth and encourage whatever hygiene is possible, it has been a good day.

Mary S. Willis

June 14 – Chipata, Zambia

Our last day in Chipata. The Zambian crew with whom we worked gifted me the key chain/Christmas ornament. They had my name and a hippo carved too because they know how much I love hippos. I will treasure it forever.

We are officially done in Chipata and headed to Lusaka, en route to Livingstone. The final count for the 2 schools, and children processed, was 552. So many teeth, but so little time! Dental health is so neglected worldwide. But since Coke and Pepsi arrived in Africa, decay is rampant. Zambia had its first dental school open in 2013 and the faculty at Copperbelt University was not complete until 2017, so there is much to be done.

The Missouri State students learned so much, and our Zambian colleagues were great teachers. Dr. James Prosper Simukonda, Buthelezi, Mathias Myz, and all others, thank you for the productive visit!

Mary S. Willis

June 17 – Livingstone, Zambia

Workdays in Livingstone, including household visits, school assessments, crocodile bites, and driving. Just over a week left. More children to the dentist next week and our final school assessment.

The students from Missouri State that had this great adventure are, in alphabetical order:  Ahmed Amjed, Sarah Elliott, Reese Lawler, Dominique Lowe, McKennzee Newton, Fernando Rodriguez Lopez, Jacob Rosecrans, and Sarah Tuck.

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Dr. Elizabeth Sobel

Dr. Kyler Sherman-Wilkins

“Dr. Sobel was interviewed, and her work will be showcased for an upcoming OPT documentary “Generations: African American Experiences in Springfield and the Ozarks” premiering on OPT on the 15th, 18th, and Juneteenth! More information can be found here:  Ozarks Public Television to premiere African American history documentary  – Springfield Daily Citizen

Dr. Sherman-Wilkins, as the Board President of GLO, was noted in a KY3 report about the passage of a City Council cultural inclusion, and specifically LGBTQ inclusion and belonging, resolution. It passed 8-1 last night! The story can be found here: Springfield City Council passes resolution that improves culture of inclusion and belonging for LGBTQ+ community members”

Dr. Elizabeth Sobel is a professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Missouri State University. Her research interests include archaeology and ethnohistory of North America, with a focus on the Pacific Northwest and Ozarks regions, native peoples of North America, historical archaeology of Native Americans and African Americans, and anthropology of hunter-gatherers.

At MSU, Dr. Sobel teaches several courses, some of which she developed. Among them are Introduction to Archaeology, Anthropology of Hunters and Gatherers, Archaeology of Hunter-Gatherers, Material Culture and Research Design, and Writing in Anthropology. She has published more than 10 journal articles and book chapters.

Dr. Kyler James Sherman-Wilkins is an associate professor of sociology, a faculty affiliate in the gerontology program, and founder and director of the Health Equity Research Collective (HERC) at Missouri State University. A social demographer and life course sociologist by training, Sherman-Wilkins’ research centers around the social and structural determinants of health and health inequities, particularly as it pertains to cognitive health, across the life course. His work has appeared in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Geriatrics, and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Dr. Sherman Wilkins is a dedicated and award-winning teacher and advisor who focuses on empowering students to address challenges in their communities through activism and policy. Through HERC, he is committed to training the next generation of health equity researchers and he also frequently contributes to advisor training through MSU’s Academic Advising and Transfer Center’s advisor forums. In addition to teaching and research, Sherman-Wilkins is engaged in campus, professional, and community service, and sits on Missouri State’s Pre-Med Committee, the Provost’s Diversity Council, the Board of Trustees for PRB, a population research organization in Washington D.C., in office as Vice-President of the local NAACP, the Board of Directors for PROMO, Missouri’s Statewide LGBTQ+ Advocacy organization and the Board of Directors for the Missouri Foundation for Health. He is also a founding board member of the Missouri Council on Aging.

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology congratulates and admires all of our faculty, and is proud when they are above and beyond for their community!

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Leaving Kansas City yesterday, connecting in Chicago, they arrived in Qatar at the Hamad International Airport today and then will arrive in Zambia a few hours from now.  I will share their sights and insights as the photos come to America, such as the images of art below.

Untitled, By Swiss artist Urs Fischer 

The post Education Abroad: The Journey of Gilman Scholarship BEARS to Zambia! appeared first on Sociology and Anthropology Blog.

“I want to brag on our ROCK STAR colleagues and students – Kenzie Whitaker, Evie Tackett-Turner, and Sadie Hutchinson (not pictured) – who KILLED IT today at the Ozarks Studies Association Conference.  We are very proud!”

In other related news, please consider the following;  Are you working on something that you, or your students, might like to present? It’s a friendly crowd and they are interested in cultivating ties with us in the Social Sciences.  Please plan to attend, and/or present at The Ozarks Studies SYMPOSIUM happening in September on MSU’s West Plains Campus. (This is a distinct academic organization, separate from the Ozarks Studies ASSOCIATION – which held its conference on the Springfield campus.) The deadline for abstracts for the OSS is July 1, and they are VERY keen to include student research.   Are you working on something that you and your students might like to present? It’s a friendly crowd and they are interested in cultivating ties with us in the Social Sciences. Here’s the URL – https://ozarksymposium.wp.missouristate.edu/_Files/Ozarks-Studies-Symposium-16-Call-2023.pdf

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Congratulations Graduates!  We are so happy our paths crossed, and will remember you fondly!

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On May 6th, Anthropologist, Dr. Walker-Pacheco escorted Missouri State University students Zion Stevens, Masters of Public Administration, and the GA for Paws to the Polls, Liz Wertz, MSU Sociology Graduating Senior,  and Jackson Bassford, MSU Sociology student, to the Missouri League of Women Voters State Convention in Columbia, MO where they were awarded the Harriett Woods Award for Exemplary Community Service for their Paws to the Polls initiative.

Zion and Liz served as voting delegates. 

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Dr. K and HERC member present at the conference    HERC member points out important findings

Dr. Sherman Wilkins and the HERC cohort will host a Research Showcase on Wednesday, May 3^rd from 3:30PM-5:00PM in Strong 408, please plan to attend.

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On each trip to Jefferson City, all participants learn an incredible amount about the processes and proceedings, meet new legislators, and reconnect with previous contacts. The students do an amazing job of representing our campus, diplomatically relaying key information to the legislators.

The group went to support a variety of House bills, from both Democratic and Republican legislators, that would allow and restore greater access to voting for college and high school students, of voting age.  Advocating for those bills that permit people who have completed their prison sentence to vote while under community supervision (probation or parole) and make it more feasible for those in jail who are otherwise fully eligible to vote, to do so. It is very important to express concerns about other elections-related bills, which the students also did effectively.

A chance encounter with a friendly representative from Republic, met on a previous trip, led to an informative and fun tour that included climbing the many steps up to the outside of the dome to enjoy the beautiful scenery and weather.

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