Marcel Harmon (mjharmon)

While everyone's background is unique, I think I have an unusual one that combines anthropology and engineering. I have a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico and a B.S. in Architectural Engineering from Kansas State University. I'm also a licensed engineer with about fifteen years of consulting engineering experience in the building/construction industry. As an anthropologist I've worked on international archaeological research projects in a variety of positions, including co‐principal investigator. My dissertation involved applying phylogenetic analysis and seriation to obtain an understanding of the cultural transmission of regional ballcourt traits within the Casas Grandes region of Northern Mexico in order to better understand the region's ballgame tradition. And when studying aspects of human behavior, I make interpretations within an evolutionary multi-level selection theoritical framework.

I'm a former partner in Human Inquiry, an anthropological consulting firm that specialized in the evaluation of the built environment from a human factors perspective. I'm now developing a similar set of services for an engineering and sustainability consulting firm (M.E. Group), with a focus on ensuring the long term success of sustainable design. I've written for academic, professional, and popular venues, on a variety of issues from an anthropological perspective, and often speak on the need to better understand the reciprocal relationships between people and the built environment. Throughout our history we have adapted to our surroundings by "mimicking" the behavior of other species in a variety of ways with varying degrees of success, including the construction of our built environment. This forum provides a great place for collectively evaluating past and existing strategies, and coming up with new ones.