This one-week intensive workshop covers most aspects in the analysis of human skeletal remains as they relate to forensic anthropology and forensic medicine. Students will receive classroom and laboratory training utilizing a broad array of learning materials including contemporary skeletons in the Department of Anatomy, John A. Burns School of Medicine of the University of Hawai‘i.
The award-winning workshop is divided into two components:
1) Human Osteology and Forensic Anthropology (4 days)
2) Field Recovery of Human Remains (1 day)
Working individually and in small teams, students will analyze a known-identity human skeleton and compile a biological profile consisting of the individual’s age at death, sex, ancestry, stature, bone disease, and trauma. Students will be provided instruction in the following areas and topics:
- Handling, preserving, and curating remains. Identifying and siding human bones
- Methods for estimating age at death, sex, ancestry/race, stature, and personal identity
- Bone disease and healing; Skeletal trauma
- Non-metric traits and anatomical variants of the human skeleton
- Archaeological methods for recovering buried and surface scattered remains
- Plastination and preservation of human remains
- 3D photogrammetry and Augmented Virtual Reality of human bones
- Introduction to functional and musculoskeletal anatomy
- Osteometrics
This is a non-credit educational activity and certificates will be provided to each student upon successful completion of the course.