Huddersfield Ahoy!

Hello there readers! Greeting from sunny (well, a bit drizzly, actually) Huddersfield! I am now properly ensconced in my new office (it has a kettle and everything), and am officially Senior Lecturer in Forensic Science in the department of Applied Sciences. You can find out all about the Forensic Science courses here, and follow what's going on via Twitter (@Huddersfielduni, @HudSAS and @HudForensics). I am enjoying the environment here - the university is very lively and busy. There is a 'proper' campus feel to it, and it has great facilities like a bookshop, bar, big cafeteria and it feels bustling and animated. The people I've met so far have been very friendly, engaging and interesting, and the students are keen! I'm already getting excited about all the projects we could do here, from 3D microscopy to hydro-taphonomy!
Here's my first view of the university - quite a refreshing change to have a canal cutting through campus!

Raised by monkeys?

I was recently asked for my opinion about the curious case of Marina Chapman, a lady from rural Columbia, now living in Bradford, who claims to have spent many formative years in the company of capuchin monkeys. You may have seen this article from the Guardian earlier this year, or even read her autobiography, 'The Girl with No Name'. I was asked if there was any evidence on Marina's bones that might corroborate her claims. I was given access to a couple of radiographs of her knee to look at. Now, I need to make it clear that I am not able to confirm or deny whether Marina was 'brought up by monkeys' per se; but I was able to identify some Harris lines on the x-rays of her tibia and femur, which can be an indication that she suffered a couple of short episodes of malnutrition in her childhood. I would have liked to have seen photos of her dentition (or a chance to examine them)to look for enamel hypoplasia, which may also indicate periods of vitamin deficiency or malnutrition during early years. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether you think this skeletal evidence means that she was raised by monkeys or not... Look out for the documentary from Blink Films coming soon to the Discovery Channel to help you make up your mind!

Top Forensic Anthropology website - yay!

Hi there loyal readers. I am feeling particularly rosy today, as I have just been informed that my humble blog has been selected as one of the Top Ten Forensic Anthropology websites by the lovely people at Forensics Colleges. I am really pleased, as the site is an excellent resource for students and graduates looking for information about university and college programs in the USA, UK and further afield, and for career hints and tips. I am honoured! If you would like advice about getting into the discipline, or about education and qualifications required, don't hesitate to ask!

Exciting news!

My dear readers, I have some exciting news...after exactly nine years at Cranfield University, I am moving on. From the first of October, I will be taking up a position as Senior Lecturer in Forensic Science at The University of Huddersfield, in the Forensic and Analytical Science Group in the School of Applied Sciences. I am particularly excited because I will be continuing my forensic taphonomy research with a new, improved decomposition facility (please submit name suggestions if you have any), and will be introducing new Forensic Anthropology courses there. I am also looking forward to living in the beautiful Peak District! More updates to come soon...

'Ultimate Tutankhamun'

Those of you lucky enough to have access to Sky TV, and in particular the National Geographic Channel, might like to keep an eye out this Saturday evening (13th July, 8pm, in the UK) for a new documentary on the life and death of Egypt's most famous Pharaoh, King Tutankhamun, called 'Ultimate Tutankhamun'. The documentary is hosted by Chris Naunton, Director of the Egyptian Exploration Society. It revisits some of the long-held debates surrounding the mystery of King Tut's death, and uses modern forensic techniques (some done by yours truly!) to investigate possible scenarios that could explain the evidence found on his body. The investigation (or at least the part I was involved in), used a state of the art anatomy imaging system, the Anatomage table, to visualise the damage to his skeleton. The investigation was a joint effort between archaeologists, Egyptologists, historians, forensic pathologists and anthropologists, biomechanics experts and accident investigators, working together to examine King Tut's remains as thoroughly as possible using the latest tools. Chris has written on his blog about his experience making the documentary.
You can watch the trailer here. I've spotted myself in the lower right hand corner of the screen in this shot!

Another busman's holiday!

I am sorry that there's been a lack of activity on my blog for a while - I have been away on holiday. While away, although I tried my best to forget about work, my obsession with Forensic Anthropology haunted me. In Las Vegas, I had to try the CSI Experience.

It was extremely well designed, and a great interactive experience, which I am relieved to say we aced! I did pick up on a few tiny mistakes in their anthropology-based scene, but I let them slide!

I also couldn't help myself wondering about the sort of sharp force and blunt force trauma that could be inflicted by an aligator bite when we saw them in the Everglades. Perhaps not by one this tiny though..

School trip!

Just wanted to share a lovely experience I had recently with you... The other day, Cranfield Forensic Institute hosted a group of 12 year olds from a local public school (a private school to those abroad) for a day celebrating STEM subjects. The students were the brightest in their class, and had especially chosen to visit us because they were particularly interested in forensic science. We gave them lectures and hands-on exercises to help them learn about forensic biomechanics, forensic anthropology and even ballistics. I talked to them about the sort of questions a Forensic Anthropologist can answer when presented with unknown bones, and we discussed the differences between male and female skeletons; how to tell how old someone was when s/he died; how to distinguish human bones from animal bones; as well as looking at some skeletal diseases and signs of trauma. The children were so attentive and enthusiastic, and full of lots of really insightful questions. It gave me real pleasure to see the excitement and interest in their eyes and to be part of their learning experience. I do hope some of them become the Forensic Anthropologists of the future!