Profile
Dana Burton is听Assistant Professor of Anthropology听and Design at 麻豆传媒色情片 for Social Research.
She is an anthropologist who sits at the intersection of the anthropology of outer space, feminist science and technology studies, and multispecies studies. Diving into the world of astrobiology, Dana followed scientists from the Atacama Desert, Chile to NASA centers around the US, to (models of) planetary bodies across the solar system to explore the efforts to comprehend and materialize life beyond Earth. Burton teaches classes on anthropology and design, sensory-based methods, and the critical and creative potential of the planetary. She is also engaged in artistic practices and draws on her background in dance, painting, mixed-media, and poetry across her research and teaching endeavors.
Degrees Held
2023 PhD in Anthropology, George Washington University
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Recent Publications
2024 Essay. 鈥淭he Blue Planet Event.鈥 Co-author: Valerie Olson. In Future Histories. Berggruen Institute.听https://futurehistories.berggruen.org
2023 Chapter. 鈥淎strobiology and the Immanence of Life amidst Uncertainty.鈥 In Handbook for Social Studies of Outer Space. Eds., Juan Francisco Salazar Sutil and Alice Gorman.听Routledge/CRCPress.
2022 Chapter. 鈥淐hapter 10: Planetary Protection and Astrobiology: History, Science,听 and Considerations for the Future.鈥 In Astrobiology Primer 3.0. Vol eds. M. Schaible and N.听 Szeinbaum. Co-Authors: Tristan Caro, Jordan McKaig, Frank Tavares, Monica Vidaurri.听
2021. Article. Burton, Dana, Sarah E. Raskin, Leyla Safta-Zecheria, and Paul Stubbs. 鈥淎nti-Racism for an Anthropology of Policy Otherwise.鈥 Anthropology News website, November 16, 2021.
2021 Essay. 鈥淚s there life in outer space?: The Antaeus Report and sample return in the 1970s.鈥 AHA听Perspectives Daily. February 18.听听
2020 White Paper. 鈥淓thical Exploration and the Role of Planetary Protection in Disrupting Colonial Practices.鈥 arVix website, October 15. Tavares, Frank et al. arXiv:2010.08344
2019 Essay. 鈥淓ncounters with Lunar Dust.鈥 Anthropology News website, July 12, 2019.听
2017 Book Review. Bell, J. and E. Hasinoff, ed. The Anthropology of Expeditions: Travel, Visualities, Afterlives. New York: Bard Graduate Center, 2015. Anthropology Quarterly, Vol 90 (4).
2017 Essay. 鈥淎sking for the Interview.鈥 Fieldworking website, March 18, 2017.听
2016 Essay. 鈥淭he Written World: Using Fantasy Literature to Understand Culture.鈥 The Geek Anthropologist website.听听
Performances and Appearances
2024 鈥淩ethinking Extremes with Microbes in the Atacama Desert, Chile鈥 | Big Question Faculty Talks | New York University听
2024 鈥淥n the Edges of Evidence鈥 | Astrobiology Series |Colorado Boulder Geobiology Department
2023 鈥淩oadmaps: Futures, Futurities, and Seedings鈥 | Talk | American Philosophical Society
2023 鈥淐rafting the Science Goal鈥 | Anthropology Colloquium Series | University of Pennsylvania
2022 鈥淲hat鈥檚 in a Mission?鈥 | Ames Research Center | NASA听
2021 鈥淢aterializing an Interplanetary Biology鈥 | Brown-bag Seminar | Applied Physics听 Laboratory-Johns Hopkins University听
2021 鈥淩esearch Reflections鈥 | Residency Q&A | LandArt Agency听
2021 鈥淭hinking Anthropologically about Astrobiology鈥 | Planetary Seminars | Georgia Tech
2021 鈥淭hinking Anthropologically about Astrobiology鈥 | Early Career Council Meeting | Network听 for Life Detection, NASA听
2020 鈥淎ndromeda Strain Inspired Conversations鈥 | Interplanetary Festival | Santa Fe Institute听
2020 鈥淧lanetary Encounters鈥 | Brown-bag Seminar | NASA Headquarters
2019 鈥淩eflections on Ethics of Space Exploration鈥 | Whole Earth Dialogue Conference |听 Breakthrough Institute听
2018 鈥淢ars on Earth鈥 | Becoming Interplanetary Event | Library of Congress
2018 鈥淗uman Bodies in Space鈥 | Decolonizing Mars Unconference | Library of Congress听听
Research Interests
outer space, multispecies, infrastructure, planetary/planetarity
Awards And Honors
2023-2024 Chrysalis: Care through Collaboration | Global Initiative Grant | Wenner-Gren Foundation
2022-2023 Excellence through Diversity Fellowship | University of Pennsylvania
2022 Summer Short-term Resident Research Fellow | American Philosophical Society
2020 Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society Member | George Washington University Chapter
2020 Doctoral Dissertation Fieldwork Grant | Wenner-Gren Foundation
2020 Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | National Science Foundation
2019-2020 Society for the History of Technology-NASA Fellowship | NASA Historical Division
2015, 2018 Lewis R. Cotlow Grant | George Washington University