Academic Appetizer Hour with Green College Leading Scholars

Investigating the Past through a Multispecies Lens: Archaeology, Animals and World Making
Aleksa Alaica, Assistant Professor, Anthropology

My work examines human-animal relationships in the Andean past. As an anthropological archaeologist, I investigate the way that multispecies worlds are co-constructed through the affordances and constraints of animal lives. My key interests involve understanding how the management of animals, such as llamas, alpacas, guinea pigs and dogs, in the south-central Andes provides opportunities for the influence of sociopolitical networks, economic exchange and ideological genesis. My research program investigates how animal resources were involved in sustaining food security, and also how the care of animals reflects embedded worldviews about the natural and non-human world. 

Bioinspired Nanotechnology to Treat Disease
Joel Finbloom, Assistant Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences

My research is at the intersection of chemical biology, nanomedicine and microbiology. By taking inspiration from dynamic biological systems such as viruses and bacteria, my lab creates synthetic nanoscale materials that interact with microbial communities to advance human health. We are leveraging this bioinspired approach to better study and treat antibiotic resistant bacterial infections with nanoparticle drug carriers. In a separate project, we are working to improve the encapsulation, oral delivery and microbiome integration of probiotics to treat gastrointestinal disorders.