Biological Anthropology Section

Dear Colleagues,

We are writing to you about a fundraising campaign for the W. W. Howells Prize. As we hope you are aware, the Howells Prize is awarded by the Biological Anthropology Section of the American Anthropological Association to recognize outstanding books in biological anthropology.

The W.W. Howells Prize was established in 1993 to honor William White Howells, then emeritus professor of anthropology at Harvard University. The prize is in recognition of the important contributions Professor Howells made to biological anthropology and anthropology in general. He served as President of the American Anthropological Association (1951) and as Editor of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology (1949-1954) and received the American Anthropological Association Distinguished Service Award (1978) and the American Association of Physical Anthropologists Darwin Award (1992). Professor Howells was an outstanding mentor to graduate and undergraduate students and a dedicated scholar who excelled at introducing the public to biological anthropology. One of the intents of the Howells Prize is to encourage a high standard of writing and scholarship as exemplified by Professsor Howells’ work; thus the award is presented to books that represent the highest standard of scholarship and readability and that inform a wider audience of the significance of biological anthropology.

To date the W. W. Howells Prize has been awarded to eighteen books. To our knowledge the Howells Prize is the only award that specifically honors books in biological anthropology. As such it is a unique opportunity to recognize the exceptional work of our colleagues.

The W.W. Howells Award is supported by income from an endowment to the American Anthropological Association for the purpose of this award. However, this income has been reduced by recent low interest rates which threaten the long-term viability of the award. The Biological Anthropology Section of the AAA is undertaking this fundraising drive to increase the Howells Endowment Fund so that we can better honor both the memory of an eminent biological anthropologist and the outstanding work that biological anthropologists are doing today. Our goal in this drive is to raise $10,000, all of which will be added to the fund, to increase the income it generates. Your generous donation will help us reach this goal. Checks for contributions should be made out to the American Anthropological Association with the notation Howells Fund in the memo line. Contributions should be sent to the Howells Award, American Anthropological Association, 2200 Wilson Blvd., Suite 600, Arlington, VA 22201.

Thank you for your help.

Best regards,

Sara Stinson,

Chair of the W.W. Howells Fund, on behalf of The Executive Committee of the Biological Anthropology Section of the American Anthropological Association

Please complete this form and include it with your contribution.

Thank you for your contribution to the W.W. Howells Award
The AAA is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization and your gift may be tax deductible according to law. Please consult your personal tax advisor for appropriate deductibility. FEIN 53-0246691



	Dear Colleagues, We are writing to you about a fundraising campaign for the W. W. Howells Prize. As we hope you are aware, the Howells Prize is awarded by the Biological Anthropology Section of the American Anthropological Association to recognize outstanding books in biological anthropology. The W.W. Howells Prize was established in 1993 to honor William White Howells, then emeritus professor of anthropology at Harvard University. The prize is in recognition of the important contributions Professor Howells made to biological anthropology and anthropology in general. He served as President of the American Anthropological Association (1951) and as Editor of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology (1949-1954) and received the American Anthropological Association Distinguished Service Award (1978) and the American Association of Physical Anthropologists Darwin Award (1992). Professor Howells was an outstanding mentor to graduate and undergraduate students and a dedicated scholar who excelled at introducing the public to biological anthropology. One of the intents of the Howells Prize is to encourage a high standard of writing and scholarship as exemplified by Professsor Howells’ work; thus the award is presented to books that represent the highest standard of scholarship and readability and that inform a wider audience of the significance of biological anthropology. To date the W. W. Howells Prize has been awarded to eighteen books. To our knowledge the Howells Prize is the only award that specifically honors books in biological anthropology. As such it is a unique opportunity to recognize the exceptional work of our colleagues. The W.W. Howells Award is supported by income from an endowment to the American Anthropological Association for the purpose of this award. However, this income has been reduced by recent low interest rates which threaten the long-term viability of the award. The Biological Anthropology Section of the AAA is undertaking this fundraising drive to increase the Howells Endowment Fund so that we can better honor both the memory of an eminent biological anthropologist and the outstanding work that biological anthropologists are doing today. Our goal in this drive is to raise $10,000, all of which will be added to the fund, to increase the income it generates. Your generous donation will help us reach this goal. Checks for contributions should be made out to the American Anthropological Association with the notation Howells Fund in the memo line. Contributions should be sent to the Howells Award, American Anthropological Association, 2200 Wilson Blvd., Suite 600, Arlington, VA 22201. Thank you for your help. Best regards, Sara Stinson, Chair of the W.W. Howells Fund, on behalf of The Executive Committee of the Biological Anthropology Section of the American Anthropological Association Please complete this form and include it with your contribution. Thank you for your contribution to the W.W. Howells Award The AAA is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization and your gift may be tax deductible according to law. Please consult your personal tax advisor for appropriate deductibility. FEIN 53-0246691 The Biological Anthropology Section (BAS) of the American Anthropological Association comprises a wide range of anthropologists and students whose interests converge on questions related to the evolution and biological development of humans from a comparative perspective. Specific areas of interest include the study of non- human primates as models for understanding the evolutionary and ecological processes that shaped the biology and behavior of humans and our ancestors, studies of the fossil record of humans and hominids that reveal patterns of evolutionary change, and studies of the biology and genetics of modern humans for insights into adaptation and variation. The BAS hosts a number of events at the annual meetings of the AAA, including sponsored oral and poster presentations and symposia and a Distinguished Lecture. We also select a Student Prize from among the student presentations, and we award the W.W. Howells Book Award during our business meeting. We welcome new nominations for the book award, as described on the book award page, and the participation of new and continuing members in the BAS.	News and Events 2012 BAS Student Prize Winner: Michaela Howells The 2012 BAS Student Prize went to the paper entitled: "You Just Have to Wait: The Impact of Marital Status on the Pregnancy Outcomes of Samoan Women" by lead author (and presenter) Michaela Howells (Univ. of Colorado, Boulder) and co-authors Richard Bender (Univ. of Colorado, Boulder), Darna L. Dufour (both from UCB), and John Ah Ching and Bethal Mua'sau (LBJ Tropical Medical Center). Howells et al. investigated the relationship between social capital, marital status and pregnancy outcomes in American Samoa. They coupled a thorough statistical analysis of the relationship between marital status and pregnancy outcomes, with a detailed grasp of the cultural practices that encourage some and deny others the ability to have a formal state-sanctioned marriage. BAS strives to increase student participation in AAA BAS Student Representative Sarah Livengood initiated an informative survey to investigate the barriers to student participation in AAA. Eighty percent of 113 respondents indicated that they had never attended a AAA meeting. In large part this is because students don’t feel they have anything to present, but the cost of membership and registration is also an important factor. Students also indicated that they would be very interested in mentorship programs and sessions on professionalization. BAS is committed to engaging biological anthropology students in the broader discipline of anthropology and in AAA activities in particular and this preliminary survey sets the stage for future action. BAS Executive Committee communication on AAA Mission Statement: Link to PDF BAS members are invited to submit pieces to the AAA Writers Circle. As explained at the link below, this is a project meant to encourage anthropologists to write op-eds and magazine articles, and to engage in other ways with public media: http://www.aaanet.org/resources/AAA-Writers-Circle.cfm This is an opportunity for biological anthropologists to convey the importance of our science to broad audiences. Please feel free to contact Dr. Barbara J. King about this at bjking@wm.edu.