I was super fortunate this year to be part of event put on
by a PhD student at the University of Victoria and
Let’s Talk Science:
Forensic Anthropology Day! The day was basically a chance for high school students to come
out and experience some of the things a real forensic anthropologist encounters
in his/her job. It is a great opportunity for these students to gets some hands
on learning experience about a potential career field that might interest them.
As someone who didn’t discover the amazing world of osteology until late in my
university career, I wholeheartedly support this kind of event that allows
students to explore career options in a fun but realistic manner (ie. Real forensic
anthropology is not like CSI or Bones).
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| Team 'Never Lose' |
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| Processing the scene |
The students started the day with a case briefing in which
they had to record pertinent details of the fabricated case. They then worked
as a team to determine where the best place to search for the missing
individual was based on this information. Once a search plan had been made we
got them suited up in Tyvek and duct tape (they loved this part) before heading
out to process a crime scene.
At the scene they worked as a group to gather evidence while
ensuring all the appropriate protocols were being observed. The group also had
to learn to communicate effectively with police, civilians and our faunal and
ballistics experts on the scene. Once the evidence bagged and tagged we headed
indoors to do a taphonomy activity and a grave mapping activity. We ended the
day with a debrief explaining how the evidence they collected assisted the
police in solving the case.
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| Taphonomy |
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| Grave Mapping |
Overall it was an exhausting but highly satisfying day! Forensic Anthropology Day proved to be a valuable learning experience for the participants and the
leaders alike. I would like to say a huge thank you to Stephanie Calce and Let’s Talk
Science for putting the event together. I definitely want to put on an Osteoarchaeology
Day sometime, obviously I will need to come up with a better name for it first :).
All photos courtesy of Stephanie Calce
