Professor of Anthropology, Kansas State University

A native of the northern Great Plains, Lauren W. Ritterbush has always had a love for the prairies and the people who have inhabited them.  Transplanted to the northern Flint Hills, she has thrived as a researcher and teacher at Kansas State University where she is Professor of Anthropology with a specialization in Archaeology.  Through her research, she strives to understand the lifeways of the many generations of Native peoples who called this area home.  She has completed archaeological and ethnohistoric research in various parts of the Great Plains and neighboring parts of the Midwest with special emphasis on northeastern and north-central Kansas.  She also has archaeological experience in the American Southwest and Austria.  Beyond learning about those who came before us, Dr. Ritterbush enjoys helping others learn about our shared humanity through public outreach, university classes, and guiding students in their own explorations of the past and themselves.