Curriculum Vitae
Eric Schniterdownload a formatted version of this C.V. (Word Document)
Office:
HSSB 2060
Human Behavioral Ecology Lab
University of California
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-3210
HBE lab phone: 805-893-2202
PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION
2002- PhD student, bio-social anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara
2001 Master of Science, Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene. Thesis Topic: “The Evolution of Yawning: Why Do We Yawn and Why Is It Contagious?”
1998 Major: Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene; Minor: Spanish, University of Oregon, Eugene
INTERESTS
Focus is on the integration of biological, psychological, behavioral, and social sciences through the unifying principles of evolutionary theory. A Ph.D. in Anthropology with specialization in human behavioral ecology, human life history theory and evolutionary psychology is pursued. Specific research interests are cross-cultural gerontology, cultural transmission, human capital, and intuitive economics. Geographic and cultural foci are Amazonian societies, Bolivian Tsimane and Ecuadorian Shuar, Achuar, and Shiwiar.
SKILLS
-instruction, teaching-assistance, laboratory, research and field experience
-fluent spoken Spanish and Spanish/English translation
-cartography, geographic information systems (GIS), data base management and statistical analysis
-audio and video recording/editing, internet design experience
-international service and development (NGO) experience
-project management, mentor and teaching experience
PUBLICATIONS
2007. Gurven, M., Zanolini, A., Schniter, E., and Moye-Vilche, M. “Culture sometimes matters: intra-cultural variation in pro-social behavior among Tsimane’ Amerindians.” Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization
2008. Schniter, E. “Shuar” in Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture, 2nd ed. C. Scribner’s Sons: New York.
GRANTS AND AWARDS
2007 Graduate Opportunity Fellowship (UCSB Graduate Division)
2007 Spaulding / Service Fee Fellowship
2006 Spaulding / Service Fee Fellowship
2006 Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities FRAP Mentor award
2006 National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Information transfer, kin investment, and risk reduction among elderly Tsimane #0612903
2004 Graduate Mentorship Award
2003 Graduate Fellowship
2003 Department of Anthropology Pre-dissertation Field Site Visit Award
2003 Graduate Division Research Award
2002 The President’s Student Service Award
2001 Department of Anthropology Graduate Travel Fund Award
2001 Department of Anthropology Graduate Teaching Fellowship Award
2000 Department of Anthropology Graduate Teaching Fellowship Award
1998 Global Graduates Self-Designed Internship Grant
GUEST PRESENTATIONS
2008 Hokkaido-UCSB joint conference "Evolution and the Sociality of Mind": poster presentation of "Culture across the lifespan"
2008 Anthropology Brown-Bag Lecture Series "Culture that takes a lifetime"
2007 Social Development Lab, Psychology “The Human Cultural Knowledge System”
2007 Research Mentor Presentation of the Research Mentorship Program “Non-material Resource Transfers and Aging Among Elderly Tsimane”
2007 Guest speaker at the colloquium series of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Development
2007 Anthropology Brown-Bag Lecture Series “Non-material Resource Transfers and Aging Among Elderly Tsimane”
2006 Social Development Lab, Psychology “Information Transfer, Kin Investment, and Risk Reduction among Elderly Tsimane”
2005 Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History: “Age Matters: Skill, Knowledge, and Expertise in the Amazon”
2005 The Center for Evolutionary Psychology: “The Development of Skill and Expertise in the Amazon”
2004 Evolution Mind and Behavior Program – Joint UCLA-UCSB conference (5/8): “An Experimental Game in Cheater Detection Under Uncertainty”
2004 REMS (Developmental Psychology Graduate Student Research Group): “An Experimental Game in Cheater detection under uncertainty”
2003 Anthropology 5 (Fall) Intro. to Physical Anth.: “Evolutionary Psychology”
2003 The Center for Evolutionary Psychology: Results from Field Research- “Tests of Intuitive Statistics: Risk Sensitive Foraging and Bayesian Reasoning Decisions Among the Shuar.”
2003 Anthropology 5 (Spring) Intro. to Physical Anth.: “Evolutionary Psychology”
2001 Anthropology 310 Environmental Anthropology: “Indigenous Amazonians: Oil and the Amazon”
2001 Anthropology 173 Evolution of Human Sexuality: Primate Sperm Morphology and Competition
2001 Institute of Cognitive and Decision Sciences, Evolution of Cognition Group: “A Study of Why Yawning is Contagious”
2000 Anthropology 410 Indigenous Amazonians: “Indigenous Amazonians: Oil and the Amazon”FIELDWORK
2006-2007 Bolivia: Doctoral Dissertation Research Project; trained and led a team of 6 Tsimane Research Assistants
2004 Ecuador: independent research among Shiwiar, Achuar, and Shuar in the Pastaza province. Further development/ data collection/ primary health care with the Shuar Health Project.
2004 Bolivia: collaborative research among Tsimane in Beni province with Michael Gurven, Arianna Zanolini, and UNM researchers.
2003 Ecuador: independent research and research assistance to Clark Barret in Shuar centros in the provinces of Morona Santiago and Pastaza. Shuar Health Project development/ data collection/ primary health care.
2002 Dominican Republic: Amigos de las Americas, Project Director. I directed a project of 53 volunteers and 6 staff members over a half-year in the Dominican-Haitian border region of Dajabón.
1998-1999 Ecuador: Global Graduates Intern to “Asociación de Comunidades Shiwiar de Pastaza” (ACSHIP) and “Federación Interprovincional de Comunidades Shuar” (FICSH). cultural resource management, health data collection
1994 Oaxaca, Mexico: Amigos de las Americas Project Supervisor/Route Leader
1993 Costa Rica: Amigos de las Americas community sanitation volunteer
RESEARCH
Independent and Collaborative Research
2006-2007 “Non-material resource transfers and contributions of older Tsimane”: Doctoral Dissertation Research; interviews conducted among >500 Tsimane adults in 11 communities.
2004- “An inquiry into intra-cultural variation, social norms, and grouping: Private and Public Dictator Games and Guessing Games in 9 Tsimane Communities”, with Michael Gurven and Arianna Zanolini
2004- “Risk Sensitive Foraging in a Paid Choice Experiment: a Cross-cultural Analysis”
2003- “Tests of Intuitive Statistics: Risk Sensitive Foraging and Bayesian Reasoning Decisions Among the Shuar.”
1999- 2001 “The Evolution of Yawning: Why Do We Yawn and Why Is It Contagious?”, Master’s Thesis Topic
1999- “The Occupational Complexities of a Shuar Uwishin”
1998- 1999 “Health Care among the Shuar” in collaboration with the Sub-centro de Salud, Federacion Shuar, Sucua, Morona-Santiago, Ecuador Research Assistance
2003- “Functional Fixedness among the Shuar” (Clark Barrett, PI)– data collection, research assistant
2003- “Intuitive Ontology among the Shuar” (Clark Barrett, PI) – data collection, research assistant
2003- “Predator/ Prey distinctions and categories among the Shuar” (Clark Barrett, PI) – data collection, research assistant
1998- “Illness, Injury, and Disability Among Shiwiar” health-risk buffering research project; research assistant
1998- “Fluctuating Asymmetry and History of Sexual Activity research project; anthropometric data collection. Dr. Lawrence Sugiyama and Dr. Debbie Guatelli Steinberg Principal Investigators.
1998- “The Effects of Testosterone Levels on Spatial Abilities” (with Shiwiar) Lawrence Sugiyama, PI; research assistant: stimuli development, data collection, data input, statistical analysis.
LABORATORY WORK
2006-2007 Human Behavioral Ecology Laboratory: Directing 3 undergraduate research assistants in data entry tasks.
1997-1998 Greenhouse Technician and Research Assistant : Department of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Phone: 541-346-4550
TEACHING & MENTORSHIP
2007 Summer Sessions Research Mentorship Program, Mentor-Participant
2007 Anthropology 107: Psychological Anthropology (Instructor)
2006-2007 Graduate Mentor to UCSB undergraduates Rachel Galen, Katrina Gosen, Derek Ruhland
2005 Teaching Assistant: Fall Term Anthropology 2 Cultural Anthropology
2005 Teaching Assistant: Spring Term Anthropology 121 Human Evolution
2005 Teaching Assistant: Winter Term Anthropology 7 Intro. to Biological Anthropology
2004 Teaching Assistant: Spring Term Anthropology 153T Primate Behavior
2004 Teaching Assistant: Winter Term Anthropology 7 Intro. to Biological Anthropology
2003 Teaching Assistant: Fall Term Anthropology 5 Introduction to Physical Anthropology
2003 Teaching Assistant: Spring Term Anthropology 5 Introduction to Physical Anthropology
2003 Teaching Assistant: Winter Term Anthropology 3 Introduction to Archaeology
2002 Head Teaching Assistant (UCSB): Fall Term Anthropology 5 Introduction to Physical Anthropology
2001 Graduate Teaching Fellow (UO): Winter Term Anthropology 173 Evolution of Human Sexuality
2001 Graduate Teaching Fellow and Laboratory Instructor: Spring Term Anthropology 172 Human Biological Variation
2001 Graduate Teaching Fellow: Summer Term Anthropology 173 Evolution of Human Sexuality
2001 Graduate Teaching Fellow and Laboratory Instructor: Fall Term Anthropology 171 Monkeys and Apes
2000 Graduate Teaching Fellow: Fall Term Anthropology 110 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
COURSES WILLING TO TEACH
I am willing to teach Introductory Physical and Cultural Anthropology courses as well as Courses on the Evolution of Human Sexuality, Human Behavior, Human Biological Variation, Cognitive Foundations of Culture, Evolutionary Psychology, Behavioral Ecology, Environmental Anthropology, Contemporary Indigenous Amazonian Issues, Amazonian Society, and Hunting and Gathering Lifestyles.
AFFILIATIONS
2007 The Gerontological Society of America
2004-Present The UNM-UCSB Tsimane Project
2002-Present Center for Evolutionary Psychology, University of California Santa Barbara
2002-Present Human Behavioral Ecology Lab, University of California Santa Barbara
2001-Present Current Human Behavior and Evolution Society Member
2000-2001 Association of Anthropology Graduate Students (University of Oregon) Elected Officer: Secretary
2000-2002 University of Oregon Institute of Cognitive and Decision Sciences: Graduate Affiliate and member
2000-2002 American Anthropological AssociationVOLUNTEER AND SERVICE CONTRIBUTIONS
2004- Shiwiar Health Project delivering primary health care to Shiwiar communities in collaboration with ONSHIPAE and MAP international
2003- Shuar Health Project, co-directed with Clark Barrett, delivering primary health care to Shuar centros in collaboration with Direct Relief International and MAP international
2002 Project Director in Dajabón, Dominican Republic, May-August working for Amigos de Las Americas in close affiliation with FUDECO and World Vision. In charge of a seven week project of 60 volunteers over 22 villages.
1998-99 Global Graduate intern with ACSHIP (Asociacion de Comunidades Shiwiar de Pastaza) and FICSH (Federacion Interprovincional de Comunidades Shuar) Sucua, Morona Santiago, working as a Cultural Resource Manager, Health Data Collector, and Health Promoter.
1994 Field Supervisor/Route Leader in Oaxaca Mexico three months, working for Amigos de Las Americas working in close affiliation with La Secretaria de Salubridad y Asistencia, and La Cruz Roja Mexicana.
1993-94 Assistant Training Director, Amigos de Las Americas Chicago Chapter. Facilitated instructional meetings and training for 30 volunteers planning on being health workers in foreign countries.
1993 Community Health Work Volunteer for Amigos de Las Americas (a non-profit, international health organization) central offices: 5618 Star Lane Houston, TX 77057 Phone: 800-231-7796 Community sanitation volunteer working in close affiliation with El Ministerio de Salud y Educacion de Costa Rica.