{"id":21549,"date":"2017-05-19T12:30:02","date_gmt":"2017-05-19T16:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sciencescosmaincms.cm.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=21549"},"modified":"2017-05-18T15:25:25","modified_gmt":"2017-05-18T19:25:25","slug":"ucf-anthropology-alumna-attracts-international-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-anthropology-alumna-attracts-international-attention\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Anthropology Alumna Attracts International Attention"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sammantha Holder is a University of Central Florida alumna whose academic research surrounding dietary analysis is being internationally recognized by mainstream media.<\/p>\n

Holder graduated from UCF in 2013 with a master\u2019s degree in anthropology where she conducted research that is now attracting considerable attention. The Guardian<\/a>, Archaeology Magazine<\/a> and National Radio Australia, which is similar to our NPR, have contacted Holder to cover her fascinating work.<\/p>\n

Holder\u2019s research was part of her MA thesis, which reconstructed the long-term diets of multi-ethnic soldiers and civilians connected with Napoleon\u2019s Grand Army, which was associated with the Russian Campaign of 1812.<\/p>\n

She reconstructed their diet through stable isotope analysis of femur bones, also known as biochemical analysis. Specifically, Holder uses a stable isotope analysis on the samples to determine what they ate.<\/p>\n

\"\"Holder and her collaborators conducted this analysis on 78 individuals recovered from a salvage excavation at the mass gravesite of \u0160iaur\u0117s miestelis in Vilnius, Lithuania. They discovered a significant degree of dietary variation compared to contemporary European and military populations.<\/p>\n

\u201cDietary variation in Napoleon\u2019s army is likely related to ethnic origins and social stratification among soldiers and civilians,\u201d Holder explained. \u201cThe individuals that made up the army came from all over Europe and represented a diverse array of socioeconomic statuses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Holder first became interested in bioarchaeology and stable isotope analysis during her final year of undergraduate studies. Studying skeletal remains and learning about the lives of people from the past is what sparked her passion.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy long-term interest in this field of research was solidified when I began working with Dr. Dupras,\u201d Holder expressed. \u201cHer mentorship has\u00a0provided me with numerous opportunities to gain experience in the lab and in the field, including my work with Napoleon\u2019s army.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Holder, there is a lot of historic research that focuses on Napoleon Bonaparte and his military campaigns but very little research focuses on individual soldiers. And the soldier accounts that do exist are usually from officers or soldiers who could read and write.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis research provides us insight into the lives of individuals who may not have left written records behind and are frequently overlooked in historic narratives,\u201d Holder said.\"\"<\/p>\n

Holder\u2019s research in the field will continue with exploring how starvation may have affected isotopic signatures in the skeleton. How inadequate diets, especially in regards to protein, impact the human skeleton is still hotly debated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope our future research will contribute to this debate and understanding of how protein malnutrition may or may not impact isotopic signatures in bone,\u201d Holder explained.<\/p>\n

Holder\u2019s MA research has raised many new questions regarding diet and nutritional stress in Napoleon\u2019s Army, which provided her with an opportunity to continue to work with this sample for her dissertation research.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will be reconstructing diet associated with military service and investigating nutritional stress by employing additional biochemical methods and analyzing different parts of the skeleton,\u201d Holder said.<\/p>\n

Holder is now attending University of Georgia where she\u2019s pursuing a doctoral degree in anthropology and an interdisciplinary certificate in university teaching. She plans to graduate in spring or fall of 2019 and her goal is to acquire a career in academia as an educator and researcher.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe anthropology program at UCF, in particular, prepared me for a career in academia through coursework, research opportunities and mentorship,\u201d Holder said.<\/p>\n

Holder will travel to Lithuania in the summer to collect additional skeletal material to begin the next steps in her dissertation research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sammantha Holder is a University of Central Florida alumna whose academic research surrounding dietary analysis is being internationally recognized by mainstream media. Holder graduated from UCF in 2013 with a master\u2019s degree in anthropology where she conducted research that is now attracting considerable attention. The Guardian, Archaeology Magazine and National Radio Australia, which is similar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":129,"featured_media":21550,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[32,38,40,13,23,29],"tags":[169,4672,4679,4678,4676,2374,4677,4675,4673,4674,4670,4671,3723],"class_list":["post-21549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anthropology","category-breaking-news","category-graduate-student-news","category-news","category-publications","category-ucf-news","tag-alumna","tag-archaeology-magazine","tag-dr-dupras","tag-dupras","tag-lithuania","tag-napoleon","tag-napoleons-army","tag-napoleons-grand-army","tag-national-radio-australia","tag-russian-campaign","tag-sammantha-holder","tag-the-guardian","tag-university-of-central-florida"],"yoast_head":"\nUCF Anthropology Alumna Attracts International Attention - College of Sciences News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-anthropology-alumna-attracts-international-attention\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UCF Anthropology Alumna Attracts International Attention - College of Sciences News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sammantha Holder is a University of Central Florida alumna whose academic research surrounding dietary analysis is being internationally recognized by mainstream media. 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