Over the past 40 years, genetic approaches have infused nearly every aspect of research in our discipline; from nonhuman primate biology and behavior, to human adaptability and disease ecology, forensic analysis, and human evolutionary genetics. Such research approaches utilize genetic data from both contemporary and past populations to elucidate the origin and nature of human biological diversity.  The unquestioned leader in the growth and influence of anthropological genetics is Michael H. Crawford, of the University of Kansas.  From his early graduate research in primate genetics, to the early and seminal co-edited volume on Methods and Theories in Anthropological Genetics, through a series of additional volumes on Current Developments in Anthropological Genetics, to contemporary textbooks in the field, Michael Crawford has defined the anthropological genetics landscape for three generations of colleagues, collaborators, and students.  Through his numerous field projects among indigenous and migrant populations around the world, Mike Crawford has charted the development and growth of genetic and population analyses of human variation in a myriad of social and ecological settings.  He has also remained current on emerging trends in both laboratory and statistical analyses, adopting these new methods to refine the testing of anthropological hypothesis in his own research, and in his training of students and post-doctoral fellows.   The presentations in this symposium reflect both the tremendous influence that Mike Crawford has had in developing and shaping anthropological genetics, and the breadth of his contributions to human population biology and biological anthropology.