Gina Alfaro, M.A. in Progress
Gina Alfaro is a graduate student at Cal State LA, where she also earned her BA degree in Anthropology. She has experience organizing, identifying, and cataloging Marine invertebrate collections for California State Parks and in the Coastal Archaeology Lab on campus. She has presented at the CSU student symposium on Historic-era Alcohol bottles. Her thesis project will focus on what historic ceramic dishware can tell us about people’s household, community, and socioeconomic dynamics.
Heidi J Buratti, M.A. in Progress
Heidi is a first-year anthropology graduate student at Cal State LA. She recently obtained my bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from UC Berkeley in May 2024, after transferring from LA Pierce College with associate degrees in Anthropology and Social/Behavioral Science. While at UC Berkeley, she was an Undergraduate Researcher at Bear Bones Lab focusing on zooarchaeology, remote-sensing, and community-accountable/collaborative archaeology. She has participated in archaeological fieldwork in Northern California, Northern Channel Islands, Southern Coastal California, and archaeological analysis in Baja California Sur.
Research Interests:
Coastal and Island Archaeology, Zooarchaeology, Human/Animal Relationships, Historical and Behavioral Ecology, Remote-Sensing, Foodways, and Subsistence Strategies.
Hannah Calistri, M.A. Candidate
Hannah has her B.A. in Anthropology from NYU where she worked as a research assistant in the African Paleosciences Lab. She continues her focus in archaeology at CSULA and has done fieldwork at California State Parks, Channel Islands National Park, and Ireland. For her thesis project, she is investigating how P-XRF can aid in the repatriation process.
Research Interests:
Portable X-ray fluorescence technology, lithic sourcing, pigment analysis and sourcing, pesticide analysis, repatriation, experimental archaeology, coastal archaeology, Early Medieval and Iron Age archaeology in Ireland
Jennifer Leiva, M.A. Candidate
Jennifer C. Leiva is a 2025-2026 CSU Sally Casanova Scholar and M.A. candidate. She has archaeological, ethnographic, and documentary field experience in Baja California, Oaxaca, California, Utah, and France. Her thesis analyzes rock art in northern Baja California through portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and photogrammetry and is supported by grants from the Bennyhoff Committee and the Charles E. Rozaire Committee of the Society for California Archaeology, as well as from the American Rock Art Research Association. She is particularly interested in rock art and how visual expressions are connected to cultural, social, and environmental contexts. Beyond her research, she is the founder and president of the Anthropology Film Club at CSULA. She holds a B.A. in Photo-Communications from St. Edward’s University and certifications in Archaeological Field Work and GIS.
Research Interests:
Coastal archaeology, cultural landscape, GIS, biodiversity hotspots, human-nonhuman interactions, pigment analysis and sourcing, paleoethnobotany, Mesoamerica, and the Pacific Rim
Jennifer's Profile at Cal State LA's Borderlands Center
University Newsroom Article on Jennifer's Rock Art Research in Baja California
Matthew B. Lowry, M.A. Candidate
Matt is a graduate student of anthropology at Cal State LA. He looks at archaeology in riverine, wetland, and coastal environments, and is an educator in biological anthropology who works as a TA for lab classes.
Research Interests:
"I am currently working on my proposal for my Master’s degree that focuses on mapping the Zanjas system in the greater LA region from the Spanish colonial period through the Mexican and Anglo-American periods. I have on-site experience on the Pacific North American Coast, Northwestern Ireland, and Bulgaria. I am also proficient in R and GIS mapping. I am interested in learning more about human interaction with waterways both natural and anthropogenic throughout history."
Kathryn E.S. Lucas, M.A. in Progress
Research Interests:
Ryn's research interests include post-disaster Cultural Resources Recovery and artifact conservation. "As a child of the Gulf Coast, I am heavily influenced by my experience and observations of the hurricane recovery process for cultural material and living heritage. I hope one day to help communities affected by disaster in rebuilding and conservation efforts. I am also working to develop a methodology of sourcing patterns commercially produced in China on damaged ceramics using AI to recreate incomplete designs."
Stephanie Kough Renaud, M.A. Candidate
Stephanie completed her BA in Anthropology at UC Santa Cruz and worked as a State Parks Interpreter before becoming a CRM archaeologist. She has field experience across California and Arizona and am passionate about connecting communities with their local cultural and archaeological resources. Her thesis work centers around the process of nominating Crystal Cove State Park as a District to the National Register of Historic Places conducting archival research, pedestrian survey and site updates. Additionally, Stephanie is the president and founder of CSULA's Experimental Archaeology Club, where students are connected with opportunities for hands-on learning about technologies found in the archaeological record.
Research Interests:
Experimental archaeology, bioarchaeology, subterranean archaeology, non-destructive survey techniques, remote sensing technologies, pre-contact archaeology and public archaeology.
Sandra Rivas, M.A. in Progress
Sandra received her BA Degree from Cal State LA in Anthropology with Honors (Cum Laude) and a Minor in History. She has participated in field work at archeological sites in western Belize, and paleontological sites in Piura, Peru, and has assisted with archaeological surveys at Crystal Cove State Park, California. Sandra was a recipient of the Vera Campbell Scholarship in 2024 and is a volunteer at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, where she assists as a preparator. Her thesis project is not yet defined but will focus on Historical Los Angeles.
IFR First-Generation Student Spotlight
IFR Vera Campbell CSULA Scholarship Awardee Website