Celebrated anthropologist to present two Biology Department Wheeler Lectures on Thursday, Nov. 3
On Thursday, Nov. 3, Jennifer Raff, celebrated anthropologist and best-selling author, will make two presentations as part of UND Biology Department’s Wheeler Lecture Series.
The first, titled “Using Paleogenomics to Understand the Peopling of the Americas,” will provide a scientific overview of Raff’s research, which is more fully described in her 2022 book “Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas.” In the second lecture, titled “Ethical Considerations of Contemporary Paleogenomics Research,” Raff will share perspectives from her research about a contemporary approach that is far more respectful and inclusive than that used in years past.
Raff specializes in isolating and analyzing DNA from ancient remains of people who first settled the Americas. By comparing the DNA of these people to that of others, both ancient and modern, scientists can infer their ancestral lineages and histories.
While conducting her research, Raff has developed a keen awareness for the sensitive nature of her work. She voices the need to respect the cultural traditions and identity of the people whose history is being studied. Central to that goal is to collaborate effectively and meaningfully with the indigenous communities whose ancestors are being analyzed, as is the integration of the traditional oral histories of these communities into the conclusions reached by scientific analysis of ancestral DNA.
About the Wheeler Lecture Series
Named after former longtime Biology Department faculty member George Wheeler, the Wheeler Lecture Series features important scientists who speak about the newest findings in biological research to a general audience. As member of the faculty for 41 years and department head for 37 years, Wheeler shaped the minds of biology students longer than any other faculty member in the history of the department. Arriving in the fall of 1926 as Professor of Zoology and Head of the Biology Department, he led a two-member faculty and taught all the zoology courses. His keen interest in ants was a lifetime love, one that he shared with his students.
Jeanette Norris Wheeler also dedicated her career to the study of ants. She came to UND in 1935, where she met George Wheeler, her future husband, while she was a graduate student. Her first book, “The Ants of North Dakota,” was a product of her Ph.D. dissertation with George and received outstanding reviews from the scientific community. Jeanette taught in the Biology Department at UND until 1967.
After George’s retirement from UND in 1967, he and Jeanette moved to Reno, where both held appointments at the Desert Research Institute of the University of Nevada, and Jeanette taught in the Biology Department. In 1976, Jeanette was appointed a research associate in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. After retiring for the second time in the early 1980s, they settled in Silver Springs, Fla.
