@NMSU
Chaiken joins NMSU faculty as anthropology, sociology department head
At least one New Mexico State University faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences is glad to have gotten away from the snowy weather and cold temperatures of the U.S. and found her place back in a warmer climate.
"I'm pleased to return to my southwestern roots after 20 years of exile in the cold northwest, and I'm looking forward to trying every chile New Mexico has to offer," Miriam Chaiken said. Chaiken is the new department head for sociology and anthropology and new to campus this semester.
In addition to encouraging students within the department to pursue every opportunity for fieldwork no matter their area of focus, Chaiken has done her own work, studies and research in Southeast Asia and will continue to pursue her most recent research and service in East Africa. Prior to becoming an educator, she worked for UNICEF.
She has worked with various international and United Nations organizations to help design programs for health care and education in the Third World, and has developed training materials for non-governmental organizations (NGO) staff. Her interests include the changing status of women in developing countries, participatory development, resettlement, and rural health, nutrition and food security.
Chaiken describes her work with UNICEF as "culturally sensitive." She studies how to engage communities in developmental planning to bridge the NGO activities and local communities as well as facilitates the development of training materials for staff.
She is an applied cultural anthropologist who received her Ph.D. from University of California. Chaiken brings previous department head experience from when she taught at Indiana University of Pennsylvania before joining NMSU. Her research focuses on issues of economic development in Africa and Southeast Asia, especially on strategies to provide culturally sensitive health care and emergency aid.
"I hope to be able to facilitate all the really talented people in this department," Chaiken said. "We really have a deep pool of talent at NMSU, and I want to do what I can to help them excel in research and teaching."
Written by Daniella De Luca.