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 B301 Laboratory Methods in Bioanthropology
B301 Instructor: Leslie Harlacker


 

     I'm a Ph. D. candidate in the palaeoanthropology program.  My main advisors, Kathy Schick and Nick Toth, are co-directors of CRAFT -- the Center for Research into the Anthropological Foundations of Technology -- a research center dedicated to understanding the origins and evolution of technology.

    My main research interest is the application of biomechanical approaches to problems in hominid evolution.  In my dissertation research, I am using three-dimensional cinematography to investigate the kinematics and kinetics of the upper limb during the making of Oldowan stone tools (hard-hammer freehand percussion).  The research will develop a biomechanical picture of what makes a successful stone toolmaker, investigate the differences between modern human and bonobo toolmakers, and explore variation in toolmaking biomechanics among human and bonobo knappers of different levels of skill and experience.  This knowledge can be used to develop hypotheses concerning the identity of the earliest stone toolmakers, from both fossil and archaeological evidence.  I plan to extend this research program in the future to include more advanced technological stages, as well as other potential hominid activities.  My other research interests include paleopathology and modern human origins, especially the biocultural transition between the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic in Europe and the Near East.  My most recent field experience was with the Gona Palaeoanthropological Research Project, directed by CRAFT researcher Dr. Sileshi Semaw; I have also done fieldwork in Kenya, Greece, and the United States.

     I arrived at Indiana University in the fall of 1997 from Boston University, where I earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Archaeology and Television Production. I'm originally from El Paso, Texas.