May 2008 Newsletter

Congratulations to the spring anthropology graduates. Be sure to look at the NAPA web page where just in the past fifteen days, fifteen employers posted employment opportunities seeking anthropologists for positions in game analytics, consumer insights, historic preservation and even a user experience practitioner for a major US newspaper.

It is time to vote in AAA and NAPA elections and it is also the time for students to submit their papers for the NAPA Student Achievement Award.  This eNewsletter provides more information about these and other NAPA activities.

If you have an interest in taking an active part in NAPA then please let me know if you are interested in these important NAPA positions that are opening: eNewsletter Editor, Program Committee Chair, Publications Committee Member, Web Page Administrator. NAPA Mentors are always needed.

Dennis Wiedman, NAPA President

Intro of New Student Representative on NAPA Governing Council – Elizabeth Nanas.
In March, Student Representative Tracy Tessmann informed us that she would not be able to continue. At the Memphis Governing Council meeting Elizabeth Nanas received a positive vote to continue in the seat until November 2008 when the elected student will be installed. Elizabeth is a Ph.D. student at Case Western University with concentrations in medical and business anthropology.  Recent experiences include industrial engineering research on the development of a decision module for vehicles incorporating consumer insights.

Elizabeth’s active involvement at the Memphis Governing Council meeting added a strong student perspective to our discussions and decisions. We thank Tracy Tessmann for her year and a half of service and wish her well in her future endeavors. Elizabeth is now leading the Student Achievement Award process. Students interested in becoming active in NAPA can contact Elizabeth at ac6684@wayne.edu .

AAA and NAPA Elections – Vote Now!!!!
The AAA elections are being held online this year at: https://eballot3.votenet.com/aaa/login.cfm. Voting closes on May 31. Please vote, especially for NAPA positions.  Be prepared to provide your AAA ID, the number on your printed Anthropology Newsletter mailing label. Set aside about 30 minutes if you want to read the profiles and candidacy statements of all candidates.  It is worth the time–the statements are often interesting and will give you insight to what the leadership considers significant in the field of anthropology, and in some cases in the world.

It is important that the practitioner/applied perspective be an integral part of AAA Governance. Six of the 24 AAA positions have at least one person that NAPA supported with a nomination letter of support. The NAPA Nominations Committee, led by Mary Butler, is to be congratulated.

Student Achievement Award Deadline July 1, 2008
Attention !! Attention !! – students who wrote great papers this year. The NAPA Student Achievement Award recognizes student contributions in the area of practicing and applied anthropology. Papers are especially appropriate that examine community impacts, identify and improve local/service needs, or communicate anthropological theory and methods to non-anthropologists in collaborative research settings including non-profit agencies, communities, businesses and industrial organizations. Winning students receive cash prizes, publication of their papers, and a certificate of recognition awarded at the NAPA Business Meeting during the 2008 AAA meeting in San Francisco. Papers must be submitted by July 1 to the NAPA Student Representative at: studentrep@gmail.com.

For more information see the Student Achievement Award page.

Fourth Annual Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference (EPIC) Ken Anderson.
“Being Seen: Paradoxes and Practices of (In)Visibility” is the theme of EPIC 2008 this year. Considering  joining us in Copenhagen, Denmark from Oct. 15 – 18, 2008 for a rich program of talks, demos, conversation, debate and fun!

EPIC is the premier international forum bringing together artists, computer scientists, designers, social scientists, marketers, academics and advertisers to discuss recent developments and future advances around ethnographic praxis. For more information please go to www.epic2008.com

Employer Exposition.
Cathleen Crain, Chair, Organizational Relations Committee. Partners@ltgassociates.com

The NAPA Employer Exposition at the upcoming AAA annual meetings in San Francisco promises to be bigger and better than ever.  This third annual Employer Exposition will be in the Exhibit Hall on Friday, November 21st. The number and variety of employers represented will grow.  Some exciting new names are joining the Expo as well as some veteran groups returning.  This year there will be large and small corporations, non-profit organizations and, governmental agencies.  Considering the venue for the AAA meeting is in California, west coast organizations have been actively recruited. Each participating organization is anthropologically-friendly and knowledgeable, and all employ anthropologists.

The NAPA Organizational Relations Committee is nearing the full capacity of 21 booths. This is an increase from 12 last year. Congratulations go to the members of the Organizational Relations Committee for phoning, emailing and recruiting such a broad array of employers. This is the earliest yet for rounding out the committed organizations. It means that the organizations names can noted well before the Expo drawing attention to the event and the organizations.

This year‘s Expo will be on both sides of an aisle in the main exhibition hall making a clear NAPA presence. The welcome brunch before the Expo is being funded by the AAA Committee on Practicing, Applied and Public Interest Anthropology. The Council for Practicing and Applied Anthropology Programs is hosting a small reception at the end of the Expo. All of these events demonstrate to the wider AAA membership and Sections ways to recognize practitioner careers and occupations.

Anthropology News Seeking Contributions
Anthropology News is seeking contributions for an upcoming thematic issue on the anthropology student experience to be published in September 2008. We welcome the participation of students, educators and practitioners, and we encourage you to circulate the following call for proposals among your students and colleagues. Deadline is May 23.

Commentaries: Thematic In Focus commentary series will address (1) university-community partnerships and interactions and (2) the diverse character of anthropology graduate programs. Articles in the first series may address service learning programs, local internships and research, or the ethics of “doing anthropology at home.” Articles in the second series may examine the growth of new interdisciplinary programs and initiatives; multi-degree, masters and applied programs; limitations or innovations within existing programs; or funding concerns. Proposals for comparative pieces on anthropology education in the US and other countries and on other topics related to the two central themes are also welcome.

Additional Anthropology News Opportunities
AN also encourages proposals related to this general theme for articles in other sections of the publication – including Teaching Strategies and Field Notes – and for independent (non-series) commentaries and general news features. We welcome proposals in non-traditional article formats such as photo essays, infographics, op-ed cartoons, interviews and multi-authored discussions. Contributors interested in coediting article series or submitting a cover photo should also contact the AN editorial office.

Guidelines – To participate in this thematic issue email a 300 word proposal and 50-100 word author bio to AN Associate Managing Editor Dinah Winnick (dwinnick@aaanet.org). Proposals for photo essays should also include five high resolution photographs. Proposal deadline: May 23, 2008.