when I mention forensic science you
making the popular TV shows that at the
last minute get a break through and win
against all odds in the courtroom
well that may be hollywood's version a
forensic science but
what's the real deal we're about to find
out things event error as associate
professor
a biological archaeology and the
Department of Anthropology math
Amherst and the PhD student who
withdraws them Heidi
our clap she joins him say thank you so
much for both
coming on board to talk to us about this
what is
forensic science because like I
mentioned it could be a very
a glamorize virginity on TV what is it
in
it's your ETA well forensic the word
friends except
simply means pertaining to a court of
law criminal or civil
simple as that so anybody who's
providing
evidence are two other one of those
courts
is in essence doing forensic something
forensic science
is sciences role love supporting
the court arm so it could be arm
toxicology arm though
pathology others there's different types
of Sciences that are doing this but
it's basically just helping the court
are
come to a conclusion and Heidi we're
talking off-camera about
how when people see something on TV gave
a much different picture in our heads
then when it actually happens in the
courtroom
and they're seeing forensic science
happening right before their eyes have a
big difference
its it's much slower paced the results
don't come back nearly as quickly
the work tends to be much more TDS
there's more paperwork than those
shows 10+2 at depict everything happened
in an hour in this show
right now obviously things are happening
in one hour when it comes to friends
science exact never feels cool that you
had a bet you math emerged with the
students what before we get into the
details of what they do the field school
distance gonna have a different
perspective in mind what they think
forensic sciences maybe from the TV
shows and movies a scene in which really
is in real life
here absolutely those shows really are
the bane of my existence I just struggle
against them constantly
and students come in with this
preconceived notion that they need to
study
anything with the title forensic in it
and what that really need to do
is study the discipline that they want
to work in and apply that to the court's
and that's really difficult thing for
students to
to begin to understand because you know
they're they're they're out there
looking for
anything with that word forensics and
they're so that they can get their foot
in the door
and tryin and try and do this for a
living so once a student has kinda
gotten past decade where they know what
they're getting into their not
kind of distracted by the glamour NIS
other talk about the field school that
both have you are a part of
where the students really get hands on
literally sometimes
in the dirt as their getting into
friends fine
well the field school is no
really something very special and unique
are I'd
started the field when I was a graduate
student U-mass
and we didn't have any place to do it we
actually rented out my professors
backyard
and up from there I was fortunate enough
to get
hired Obama Department and the
University graciously gave
some land us so that we could
formalizing create
this this field school and yet
gives the students an opportunity as
Heidi says to slow things down
but more importantly it allows them the
opportunity to make mistakes
because we construct the the the burial
we construct the pseudo crime scene in
real life you would have an opportunity
to make those mistakes
and so they could to ask the questions
and take it to
decide what they are going to excavate
what the parkin excavate
and at the end they produce a product
and how does a wonderful job taking them
through that process and it's not just
sitting in the classroom looking at a
text book actually
out there in the dirt in the field rain
or shine a matter what the weather is
what is what have been some interesting
I am stories that you've had from
students being out in the field
that's something that happened that it
kinda like oh it is a good one parted
what we try to do with this course is to
give students a very realistic sense of
what it's like to work in the field
there's bugs there's probably not gonna
be a a bathroom facility things like
that when you're out
in the field on a daily basis what are
the things that you need to be sure that
you're okay with
and the weather is a big part of that
this past summer
we were on the field with the stings for
14 days and it rained for at least 12
those days and so we had three days
straight where the students were taking
paper cups
and bailing 18 inches worth of water out
of there
excavation units and then frantically
digging taking notes as quickly as they
could as the water gradually seeped back
and
and things started float away so it gave
them a very realistic sense
out that challenges that you face when
you do this work
in it also gives them a sense really
quickly about whether or not they love
this work
enough to face those challenges and
overcome them
and help them see this is really what it
is is it was way back when I've been
seeing on TV
or the movie now tackle the difference
Binger between forensic science in
forensic
anthropology well the
anthropology falls under the the
umbrella forensic science
so anthropology is a science and
specifically
what arm forensic anthropology does
the the discipline as a whole is apply
itself
again to helping the court come to a
decision on a particular case
were there it's a criminal case or a
civil case
so they're different types of of
forensic anthropology
arm group what we primarily due is
are is is biological anthropology so
we're looking at
skill to material and I'm trying to
ascertain
how that person died and whether or not
are a crime was involved and you've
written a lot about this
topic as well talk about that well yeah
I
one other things that my research looks
at
in a personal and institutional forms of
violence or the mechanisms that allow
violence to take place
and I work with both text and
populations living people
our recently deceased and a
archaeological material
so some other work that I do is into
that war is looking a cartel violence
and no a former violence that I refer to
as performance mods
these are individuals that have been
dismembered to be headed
a lot of my students that that must be
for rent anthropology the church doing
and it's not it's simply the study on
violence because
on not helping law enforcement
build a case against the cartels on the
other hand
Rd and I were both involved in an
international repatriation between the
American Museum of Natural History in
New York
in the hockey nation our tribe in Mexico
and in the United States tribes the
border
this is one of the first international
repatriations even though this was an
archaeological site
even though the massacre took place in
1902 because I was an expert witness
that technically is a forensics case and
that really starts to blow my students
minds cuz
there my point know that just
archaeology
I'll great mentor Heidi thank you so
much for
getting his information thank you
thanks a lot
