KU News Release

KU graduate student earns distinguished thesis award

LAWRENCE — Mark Zlojutro, a graduate student in anthropology at the University of Kansas, has been named one of two Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award recipients, given by the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools. Zlojutro received the award, which includes a $500 honorarium, at an April 11 awards banquet during the association’s 63rd annual meeting in Indianapolis, Ind.

Zlojutro received his master’s degree in anthropology from KU in spring 2006. His winning master’s thesis, “Mitochondrial DNA Variation in Yakutia: The Genetic Structure of an Expanding Population,” characterized the mitochondrial DNA structure of the Yakuts, a Turkic-speaking population living in northeastern Siberia.

“His work is a highly original analysis that showed how demographic processes and historical effects are reflected by DNA variation,” said Michael Crawford, KU professor of anthropology and Zlojutro’s master’s program adviser. “Out of 51 universities that submitted entries, his was one of two that got this award. He’s an exceptional student with tremendous potential.”

Zlojutro is a KU doctoral student in anthropological genetics focused on analyzing the genetic structure of the Aleut population using mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome markers and investigating their origins through simulation modeling.

“What attracted me to the field of molecular anthropology is my dual interest in human genetics and history,” Zlojutro said. “Molecular anthropology is a historical science that aims to reconstruct humankind’s evolutionary past using genetic data of contemporary populations.”

Zlojutro is the son of Bob and Susan Zlojutro of Goderich, Ontario, Canada. He graduated from high school at the Goderich District Collegiate Institute and received a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in history from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

The Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools, a regional affiliate of the Council of Graduate Schools, sponsors the thesis awards to recognize and reward distinguished scholarship and research at the master’s level.

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