Curiculum Vitae

Melissa J. Remis

Professor of Anthropology

Department of Anthropology

Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN  47907-2059

765-496-1514;remis@purdue.edu

Academic Record

PhD.        1994  (Anthropology) Yale University, New Haven, CT.  

                 Years attended: 1987-1994.

M. Phil.   1990 (Anthropology) Yale University, New Haven, CT.

B.A.        1986 (Anthropology) University of California, Santa Cruz.  

                  Years attended 1982-1986.  1987 limited status graduate student.

 

Academic Appointments

2008-          Professor, Department of Anthropology, Purdue University

2001-          Associate Professor, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Purdue 

                   University.

1996-2001  Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, 

                   Purdue University.

1995           Post-Doctoral Fellow, Yale University, New Haven, CT.

1994-95      Adjunct Lecturer, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.   

1988-1994 Teaching and Research Fellow, Yale University, New Haven, CT.

1986-87     Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA.

Awards and Honors

2006-11         Purdue University Faculty Scholar Award

2006              International Primatological Society Conservation Award

2002              Fulbright Scholar Finalist

1993-4           Mellon Fellowship

1991-2           Fulbright Fellowship

1987-1991     Graduate Fellowship, Yale University

1990              Honors on Qualifying Examination, Yale University

Languages and Computer Skills

Sango, excellent speaker, reading and writing very good

French, good speaker, reading and oral comprehension excellent, writing fair

Spanish, very good speaker, very good reading, writing and comprehension

Software: MSWord, Excel, Powerpoint, Access, SYSTAT, SPSS, WEBCT, PhotoShop, Distance

Field Research Experience

2007         Research on taste and food preferences among orangutans at the St. Louis

                 Zoo, May-August, 2007.

2005         Assessing Human Impacts on Large Mammals in the Dzanga-Sangha

                 Reserve, Central African Republic: Coupling Anthropological and

                 Ecological Approaches with a 20 year perspective, July-October 2005.

2002         Impacts of human disturbance on mammal populations in the Congo Basin,

                 Dzanga Sangha Reserve, January-May, 2002

1999-01    Research on digestion among gorillas at the San Francisco Zoo August,

                 1999-2001

1999-00    Research on food preferences, taste and digestion among apes at the San    

                 Francisco Zoo March 1999 & June-August 1999, 2000.

1998         Pilot Research on sympatric apes and the effects of humans on wildlife in

                 the Central African Republic, June-August 1998.

1997         Census research on gorilla populations in the Central African Republic

                  June-Aug 1997.

1995          Post-Doctoral research on sex differences in gorilla foraging ecology,

                  Central African Republic June-December, 1995.

1990-92     Doctoral Research on the feeding ecology and positional behavior of

                  gorillas, Central African Republic August, 1990-November, 1992.

1988          Pilot Research on gorilla ecology, Central African Republic September

                  December, 1988.

Publications

Refereed Articles

In press   Hardin, R. and M.J. Remis.  In press.  Towards Reflexive BioCultural Research in African Forest Conservation Hardin, R. and K. Clarke eds. “Testimonies and Transformations: Reflections on the making and using of Ethnographic Knowledge” edited by Rebecca Hardin and Kamari Clarke, Wisconsin University Press.

2007 Remis, M.J. and R. Hardin.   Assessment of forest use patterns and wildlife

abundance: coupling anthropological and ecological approaches. Hanna, K., Clark, D.

and S. Slocombe eds Protected Areas Management: Policy and Design; Spon Press,

Routledge UK.

2006 Hardin, R and Remis, M.J.  Biological and Cultural Anthropology of a Changing Tropical Forest: A Fruitful Collaboration Across Subfields American Anthropologist  v 108 (2) 273-285. HARDINREMISAA2006.pdf

2006 Remis, M.J.  The role of taste in food selection by African apes: implications for

niche separation and overlap in tropical forests.  Primates v. 47 no. 1: 56-64. Remis2006Primates.pdf

2004 Remis, M.J. and Dierenfeld, E.S.  Digesta Passage, Digestibility and Behavior in

Captive Gorillas Under Two Dietary Regimens.  International Journal of Primatology.

August 2004 23 (4): 825-845. RemisDierenfeld2004.pdf

2004  Rogers, M.E., Abernethy, K., Bermejo, M., Cipolletta, C., Doran, D., McFarland, K., Nishihara, T., Remis, M.J. and Tutin, C.E.G.  Western Gorilla Diet: A Synthesis from Six Sites.  American Journal of Primatology 64:173-192. Rogersetal2004.pdf

2003  Remis, M.J.  Are gorillas vacuum cleaners of the forest floor? Effects of body size, habitat and food preferences on variability in gorilla diet and nutrition. In: A.B. Taylor and M. Goldsmith (eds.), Revision of the Genus Gorilla, Cambridge

University Press, p 385-404. (Refereed edited volume. 2 editors and 3 external

anonymous reviewers)

2002  Remis M.J. Food preferences among captive western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes spp.): Relationship to feeding strategies. International Journal of Primatology  23(2): 231-249. Remis2002foodpreferences.pdf

2002  Remis, M.J. and M.E. Kerr.  Initial studies on taste responses to fructose and tannic acid among gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). International Journal of Primatology 23(2):251-261.  RemisandKerr2002.pdf

2001  Remis, M.J., Dierenfeld, E.S., Mowry, C.B., and R.W. Carroll.  Nutritional aspects of western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) diet during seasons of fruit scarcity at Bai Hokou, Central African Republic. International Journal of Primatology 22(5):807- 836  Remisetalnutrition.pdf

2000 Remis, M.J.  The contributions of body size and gastrointestinal passage times to dietary flexibility among gorillas. American Journal of Physical Anthropology,

112:171-180.  

2000 Remis, M.J.  2000.  Preliminary assessments of the impacts of human activities on  gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and other wildlife at Dzanga-Sangha Reserve,

Central African Republic. Oryx, 34(1): 56-64.

1999 Remis, M.J.  1999.  Tree structure and sex differences in arboreality among western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) at Bai Hokou, Central African Republic. Primates, 40(2): 383-396. Remis1999Primates.pdf

1998 Remis, M.J.  1998.  The gorilla paradox: Effects of habitat and body size on the

positional behavior of gorillas. In: E., Strasser, J. Fleagle, A. Rosenberger and H.

McHenry (eds.), Primate Locomotion, pp. 95-106, Plenum Press, New York.

(Refereed edited volume. 2 editors and 2 external anonymous reviewers)

  

1997 Remis, M.J.  1997.  Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) as seasonal

frugivores: Use of variable resources.   American Journal of Primatology, 43:87-109. Remis1997dietAJP.pdf

1997 Remis, M.J.  1997.  Ranging and grouping patterns of a lowland gorilla group

(Gorilla gorilla gorilla) at Bai Hokou, Central African Republic.  American Journal

of Primatology, 43:111-133. Remis1997ranging.pdf

1995 Remis, M.J.  1995.  Use of trees by lowland gorillas: The importance of body size and social context.   American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 97(4): 413-433.

1993  Remis, M.J.  1993.  Nesting behavior of lowland gorillas in the Central African

Republic: Implications for population estimates and understandings of group

dynamics. Tropics, 2(4): 45-55.                   

Other Publications

2007 Remis, M.J.  Craig Stanford: Apes of the Impenetrable Forest by Craig Stanford.  Book Review.  International Journal of Primatology, 28(5): 1175-1176.

2000 Remis, M.J. Gorilla letters: In the field.  Field report In: D. Falk. Primate Diversity, Norton Press, New York, pp. 306-307.

1998 Remis, M.J. and B. Mbassangao.  Gorilla research in the Central African Republic and preliminary results of impacts of human activities on Gorillas at the Dzanga- Sangha Reserve.  Gorilla Conservation News, 12:7-8.

1995 Remis, M.J.  Chimpanzee Cultures: A Review.  American Journal of Physical

Anthropology, 98(2): 236-238. (Book review).

Edited Conference Proceedings

1997     Hardin, R. and Remis, M. Sociological, Anthropological and ecological

             research in the Tri-National Sangha Region: Contributions to development.

             Proceedings of the Workshop for Scientific Research and Rural Development.     

             World Wildlife Fund-US/BSP.  Workshop for 60 ex-patriate and local

             researchers in the Central African Republic, Cameroon and the Congo.  Held

             in Bayanga, Central African Republic, July 31-August 2, 1997.  Co-organized

             with R.  Hardin, Department of Anthropology,Yale University.

Graduate Student Advisees at Purdue

Lesley, Daspit (PhD Candidate)

Brandi Wren (PhD student)

Carolyn Jost (MS 2007, PhD student)

Bonnie Katie Smith (MS 2008, PhD student)

Sabrina Adleman (MS 2006)

Kim Linsendbardt Brei (MS 2005)

Sarah Schraeder (MS 2003)

Jennifer Cooper (MS 2002)

Kelly McFarland (external committee member PHD CUNY 2006)

Maureen McClogin (committee member PHD Purdue 2006)

William Olupot (committee member PHD Purdue 2006)