Stephanie Calce
Position
Status
Not accepting students
Contact
Credentials
PhD University of Victoria
Area of expertise
Biological anthropology, skeletal biology, forensic anthropology, paleopathology, aging & osteoarthritis, taphonomy, zooarchaeology & faunal analysis
Not accepting co-supervision of students at this time
I am a biological and forensic anthropologist and I study age variation in the human skeleton. My research looks at factors that affect the rate of bone remodeling in adults, such as osteoarthritis at varied skeletal joint locations, which I study in both living humans and archaeological populations through 3D imaging and traditional osteological approaches. This research improves our ability to estimate age-at-death from bone's physical appearance and investigates the process of skeletal aging in both the past and present.
I am a member of PhASE, the Phenotypic Adaptability and Skeletal Evolution research group at UVic, and I am also a Let’s Talk Science Program Contributor delivering hands-on STEM activities for classrooms and communities. I am a recipient of the Gilian Sherwin Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching.
As the Senior Lab Instructor, I co-teach ANTH 240 Archaeology and ANTH 250 Biological Anthropology in the Fall and Spring Terms. I also manage the department’s Zooarchaeology Research Collection; faculty, students and visiting researchers may contact me directly to arrange for access.
Interests
- Biological Anthropology
- Skeletal Biology
- Forensic Anthropology
- Bioarchaeology
- Paleopathology
- Aging & Osteoarthritis
- Taphonomy
- Zooarchaeology & Faunal Analysis
Courses
Fall 2023/Spring 2024
- ANTH 240 Archeology (Labs)
- ANTH 250 Biological Anthropology (Labs)
Current Projects
The Bone-Former Study
The purpose of this study is to better understand the complicated process of bone remodelling and to clearly identify age-related differences in peak bone amount that will ultimately improve our ability to estimate age-at-death from skeletal remains. This is a collaborative project with UBC (Anthropology), the Musculoskeletal Imaging Research Group (Radiology), and the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility. We are examining differences in individual ability either to form bone, or to lose bone in response to stress, considering the effect of in-vivo behaviours on the rate of bone remodelling, progression of osteoarthritis, bone loss, and bone mineral content in a skeletal series from a collection of CT scans and hospital records. This research is funded by a SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2021).
Zooarchaeology Laboratory
Together with Dr. Iain McKechnie we curate and manage access to UVic’s Zooarchaeology Research Collection, the most complete collection of animal bones in the Pacific Northwest. Our goals are to assist in the management of space, as well as to maintain the integrity of the collection, and vibrancy of scholarship for research centered on dietary analyses, environmental reconstruction, and animal behaviour in archaeological, paleontological, and modern contexts. We are currently working to increase visibility, inclusivity, and transparency of research through digitization and data management on open science platforms. Contact anthlab@uvic.ca to schedule a tour, or to arrange for on-campus access.
Publications
Peer Reviewed Articles
Calce SE, Kurki HK, Weston DA, Gould L. (2018). Effects of Osteoarthritis on Age-at-Death Estimates from the Human Pelvis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 167: 3-19. DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23595
Calce SE, Kurki HK, Weston DA, Gould L. (2018). The Relationship of Age, Activity, and Body Size on Osteoarthritis in Weight-bearing Skeletal Regions. International Journal of Paleopathology, 22: 45-53. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2018.04.001
Calce SE, Kurki HK, Weston DA, Gould L. (2017). Principal Component Analysis in the Evaluation of Osteoarthritis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 162(3): 476-490. DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23130
Calce SE. (2012). A new method to estimate adult age-at-death using the acetabulum. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 148(1), 11–23. DOI: 10.1002/ajpa22026
Calce SE, Rogers TL. (2011). Evaluation of age estimation technique: testing traits of the acetabulum to estimate age at death in adult males. Journal of Forensic Sciences. 56(2):302-11. DOI: 10/1111//j.1556-4029.2011.01700.x