RESEARCH
My current research project is looking at the deleterious effect of malnutrition on bone structure during childhood and adolescence growth and development. I’m passionate about using various digital imaging techniques to study the human skeleton, particularly to better understand the socioeconomic determinants of health in past and modern populations.
I have used these digital imaging techniques to complete my past project, examining how multi-resolution 3D scans impact our ability to study mummified animals from ancient Egypt. Stay tuned for the results!
Recent Refereed Articles
A 3D micro-computed tomography study comparing embryonic skeletal development in layer versus broiler strains of the domestic chicken
We examined how selective breeding for traits like fast growth or high egg production in chickens impacts embryonic skeletal development. While initial differences in skeletal mineralization were observed between broiler and layer strains, both strains reached similar levels of prenatal skeletal maturity by the end of incubation, suggesting robust regulation of skeletal development across divergent breeds.
Exploring radiogrammetry beyond the second metacarpal: Using the third, fourth, and fifth metacarpals to quantify cortical bone
In this study we explored whether the third, fourth, or fifth metacarpals could serve as substitutes for the second metacarpal in assessing bone health when the second metacarpal is unavailable. The findings suggest that all three alternatives are significantly correlated with the second metacarpal, with the third metacarpal being the best substitute for measuring cortical bone loss.
Conference Presentations
2025 Schneider, M., Kassem, D., Hertz, M., James-Cavan, B., Andersen, H., Hardy, M., McKenna, R., McLachlan-Dickinson, S., Mosallai, R., & Ramzi, R. Learning to Teach. Teaching to Learn. Reflections on Teaching Archaeology Beyond the Classroom. (podium). Presentation for session entitled, Teaching/Transforming Archaeology, chaired by, Lisa Hodgetts. 57th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Archaeological Association (May), St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada.
2024 Schneider, M., Reznikov, N., & Nelson, A. “Optimizing Resolution in 3D Imaging: A comparative study of clinical and micro-CT imaging for visualizing small skeletal elements.” (podium). 51st Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Biological Anthropology/l’Association canadienne d’anthropolgie biologique (October), London, Ontario, Canada.
2024 Schneider, M., Jia, S., Brika, S., Brailovski, V., Reznikov, N., & Nelson, A. "Unveiling the Secrets of Pseudo Mummies: MicroCT Scanning Reveals Insights into Two Ibis Mummies from Ancient Egypt.” (podium). 56th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Archaeological Association (May), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
2023 Schneider, M., Nelson, A., Jia, S., & Reznikov, N. “Digital Dissections: Deep Learning Image Segmentation of MicroCT Scans of Ancient Hands.” (poster). 50th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association of Biological Anthropology/l’Association canadienne d’anthropolgie biologique (October), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. View here
2023 Reznikov, N., Rehault-Godbert, S., Halgrain, M., Jia, S., Schneider, M., McKee, M., & Buss, D. “A pseudo-4D study of embryonic skeletal development in the domestic chicken, and new insights into the 3D structure of the avian eggshell membrane.” (podium). X-Ray Microscopy in Life Science Hybrid Meeting (October), London, United Kingdom.
2023 Schneider, M., & Nelson, A. “Animals in the ancient ritual landscape: A case study of species identification of an ancient Egyptian bird mummy, using stitched micro-Computed Tomography scans.” (poster). 7th Microscopy Characterization of Organic-Inorganic Interfaces (June), Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. View here
2022 Schneider, M., & Gilmour, R.J. “Continued cortical bone appositional growth after metacarpal fusion: A longitudinal comparison of adolescent and young adult hand-wrist radiographs,” (poster). 49th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association of Biological Anthropology/l’Association canadienne d’anthropolgie biologique (October), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. View here
Theses
M.A. Thesis: Birds of the ancient Nile: Species Identification in Egyptian Animal Mummies using Multi-Resolution Computed Tomography Scans and Deep Learning Image Segmentation. Western University, Supervisor: Dr. Andrew Nelson. Read here
HB.A. Thesis: Addressing issues of archaeological skeletal preservation for cortical bone thickness analyses: Using the metacarpal array to investigate bone loss. Mount Royal University, Supervisor: Dr. Rebecca Gilmour.
