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Dr. Clark Larsen elected to National Academy of Sciences

May 6, 2016

Dr. Clark Larsen elected to National Academy of Sciences

Dr. Larsen

 Ohio State professor elected to National Academy of Sciences

Clark Spencer Larsen recognized for his anthropological research

By: Emily Caldwell

Published on May 05, 2016

COLUMBUS, Ohio – An Ohio State University anthropology professor has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the most prestigious honors an American scholar can receive.

Clark Spencer Larsen, distinguished professor of social and behavioral sciences and chair, Department of Anthropology, was named a member May 3. Larsen was among 84 new members and 21 foreign associates from 14 countries who were recognized for their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

“Professor Larsen has dedicated his career and scholarship to deepening our understanding of the human condition,” said Ohio State President Michael V. Drake. “I am thrilled that another Ohio State scientist will be sharing his expertise more broadly as a National Academy member.”

Larsen’s primary work is in the history of the human condition, viewed from the perspective of health, quality of life, adaptation and lifestyle during the last 10,000 years of human evolution.

He directs the La Florida Bioarchaeology Project, involving the collaboration of scientists from the United States and elsewhere. In collaboration with Richard Steckel, Kimberly Williams, and Charlotte Roberts, Larsen co-directs the Global History of Health Project, involving scientists from around the world, in the study of skeletons from Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

In addition, Larsen is co-director of the Field School in Medieval Archaeology and Bioarcheology at Badia Pozzeveri (Lucca, Italy), an academic program aimed at training students in archaeological and bioarchaeoloigcal field and lab methods.

Larsen is the author of Essentials of Physical Anthropology, one of the most widely used textbooks in the field.

Larsen received his B.A. in anthropology from Kansas State University; and an M.A. in anthropology and  Ph.D. in biological anthropology from the University of Michigan. He served as president of the American Associations of Physical Anthropologists and as editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.

Larsen joins 10 other Ohio State faculty who are members of the National Academy of Sciences.