Priscilla Reining facts for kids

Priscilla Alden Copeland Reining (March 11, 1923 – July 19, 2007) was an American anthropologist. Anthropologists study human societies and cultures. Priscilla Reining was best known for her important work on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, especially in Africa.

She earned three degrees in anthropology from the University of Chicago. Reining focused her studies mainly on sub-Saharan Africa. In 1955, during an uprising in Sudan, she and her family had to leave the country. She helped lead a group of people to safety. For several years in the early 1950s, she worked with the Haya people in Tanzania. She became a leading expert on village life in sub-Saharan Africa. Reining also helped introduce Landsat satellite technology to the field of anthropology. Her work on how HIV spread in Africa brought her the most recognition.

Using Satellite Technology in Research

Priscilla Reining was a pioneer in using satellite imagery for social science research. In 1973, she showed how Landsat images could be used. She combined these images with information gathered from villages. This helped her estimate population sizes and how many people an area could support. She used this method in the Sahel, a dry region in Africa.

At first, some researchers were worried that satellites might replace them. But over time, this technology became widely used. It was adopted in anthropology, archaeology, and other social sciences. Today, this method is still used to study village patterns. It also makes finding and mapping ancient archaeological sites much easier. Reining herself used this technique to map where HIV/AIDS cases were happening in the areas she studied.

Later Life and Passing

Priscilla Reining wrote or co-wrote more than fifty publications. She passed away at her home on July 19, 2007. She was 84 years old. Her death was due to problems from lung cancer.