Dr. Shimelis Beyene
Ph.D., Washington University St. Louis 1998
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Office: 930 Oldfather Hall
Phone: (402) 472-9422
Fax: (402) 472-9642
Major Research Interests:
Human and wildlife conflict, pastoralism, community-based natural resource management, community development and livelihood changes, food security.
2013-2016 CO-PI National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), "Predicting Climatic/Hydrologic Extremes in the Greater Horn of Africa under Evolving Climate Conditions to Support Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies". With Tesegaye Tadesse of University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Benjamin Zaitchik of John Hopkins University, Shahid Habib of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Chris Funk of Climate Hazard Group, University Of California, Santa Barbara, Gabriel Senay of U.S. Geological Survey, Earth Resources and Observation Science Center, Tufa Dinku of International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), Columbia University, Paul Block of Drexel University ($1,403,151)
2011-2014 Lead PI National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), International Science and Education (ISE) Competitive Grants Program. "It’s all about TEF: Internationalizing Teaching, Extension and Farming Research in Ethiopia" , with Mary Willis, Martha Mamo, Raymond Hames, Teshome Regassa and Tsegaye Tedessa ($150,000).
2011-1213 Co-PI Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute, “A Holistic Approach to sustainable food security through adaptive Ecoregion-based Watershed Management in Ethiopia”. With Raymond Hames, Martha Mamo, Teshome Regassa, Tsegaye Tedessa and Mary Willis ($100,000)
2010 Co-PI Seed Grant, UNL College of Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences, "Farming, Food, and Fitness: 'A Holistic Approach to Agricultural Productivity, Food Security, & Nutrition", with Martha Mamo, Raymond Hames, Teshome Regassa, Tsegaye Tedessa and Mary Willis ($60,000).
Cafer, A., Willis, M., Beyene, S., Mamo, M. (2013). Growing Healthy Families: A Survey of Household Production, Food Security, and Well-Being in South Wollo, Ethiopia. Culture, Agriculture, Food and Environment (Under review)
Beyene, S (2012). Livelihood diversification patterns among pastoral and agropastoral groups in Upper Awash Valley, Ethiopia. Journal of Human Ecology 39: 241-253.
Beyene, S. and Gudina, D. (2009) Reviving the Traditional Pasture Management System in Fentale, Ethiopia. Journal of Ecological Anthropology 13:57-71
Beyene, S. (2007) Preliminary Observation of a Newly Discovered Baboon Hybrid Zone in North Shoa, Ethiopia. SINET: Ethiopian Journal of Science 30:143-148.
Beyene, S. (2006) The Awash National Park, Ethiopia: A Clash of Cows and Cultures. Practicing Anthropology 28:17-21.
Recent Conference Presentations:
Willis, M.S., Beyene, S., Legesse, B., Mamo, M., Regassa, T., Tadesse, T. Woldehawariat, Y. 2013 Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology, Denver, Colorado. “Grin and Bare It: Dental Reflections of Health and Wellbeing in Northern Highlands of Ethiopia”. Oral presentation
Beyene, S., Hames, R., Mamo, M., Regassa, T., Tadesse, T, Willis, M. 2011 Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology, Seattle, Washington. “‘Water washes away not only dirt but also poverty’: Access to water improves farmers’ livelihoods in Dammota, Eastern Ethiopia”. Oral presentation
Willis, M.S., Beyene, S., Hames, R., Mamo, M., Regassa, T., Tadesse, T. 2011 "Creating a Holistic Food Security Project: Lessons from Ethiopia". Oral presentation
Beyene, S. 2010 Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology, Merida, Mexico. “Global Processes Push Pastoralists to the Edge in Upper Awash Valley, Ethiopia”. Oral presentation March 27, 2010.
Beyene, S. 2009 Annual Meeting of American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Chicago, IL. Female behavior and the one-male unit social structure among the Gola baboons. Poster presentation.
Osborne, D.L., Willis, M.S. and Beyene, S. 2009 Annual Meeting of American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Chicago, IL. Evaluating the race concept in the classroom and community: insight from student research. Poster presentation.
Beyene, S. 2007 Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology, Tampa, FL. Variation in Livelihood Diversification among Pastoral Groups in the Middle Awash Valley, Ethiopia. Oral presentation.
Beyene, S. 2006 Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology, Vancouver, BC. Reviving Traditional Pasture Management in Fentale, Ethiopia. Oral presentation.
Beyene, S. 2005 Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Incremental Approaches in the Development of Participatory Park Management Plan: The Case of Awash National Park in Ethiopia. Oral presentation.
Biological Society of Ethiopia
Ethiopian Wildlife Association
Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society
The Society for Applied Anthropology (USA)
American Association of Physical Anthropologists (USA)
ANTH 110 Introduction to Anthropology
ANTH 242 Introduction to Physical Anthropology
ANTH 362 Peoples and Cultures of Africa
ANTH 374 Primate Behavior and Ecology
ANTH 429A Food Security: A Global Perspective
ANTH 442/842 Human Variation
ANTH 473/873 Ecological Anthropology
ANTH 474/874 Applied and Development Anthropology
ANTH 485/885 Human Evolution
ANTH 486/886 Community-Based Research & Natural Resource Management
ANTH 498/898 Behavioral ecology of Primates
ANTH 496 Special Reading in Anthropology (Independent Study)
ANTH 996 Research other than thesis