UA Little Rock Student Completes Forensic Anthropology Field Methods Program
A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student participated in a specialized summer field program that focuses on forensic archaeology and anthropology, surface skeletal recovery, and burial recovery.
Paige Blair, a junior anthropology major from Heber Springs, attended the Forensic Anthropology Field Methods program at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville’s Forensic Anthropology Center from May 30 to June 2.
“The University of Tennessee at Knoxville has a body farm and is well known in the field of forensic anthropology,” Blair said. “I thought it would be a great field program for me since I hadn’t been to one involving the recovery of actual bones. I’ve previously been to a field school in Arkansas that involved the excavation and recovery of pottery and Native American art.”
The Forensic Anthropology Field Methods program is an intensive course designed to enhance knowledge in forensic recovery techniques. Participants work in teams and are responsible for the recovery of scattered and buried human remains at the anthropology research facility.
“The most interesting part for me was the digging,” Blair said. “As I have done archeological field work before, it was a little bit familiar. It does vary when you have bones come into play. It was interesting seeing what the differences are. When a lot of people think of doing archeology or forensic anthropology, they don’t see all the paperwork or the work that goes into it. It’s still rewarding in the end because of your discovery.”
Once the team finished with the burial recovery, they buried a new donor body, which will eventually be uncovered by a future summer program team.
“As we were burying a new donor body, a mouse jumped out of the tarp,” Blair recalled. “I work for a funeral home, so I’m used to seeing strange things, but I was not prepared for a mouse to suddenly appear. That was a new one for me.”
Blair said she also found it interesting to meet other people in her field of study from all over the country and the world.
“It was interesting to get to know people from different universities to see where they are in their education and careers,” she said. “It was nice to hang out with some bio-archeologists and upcoming forensic anthropologists.”
Blair’s completion of the Forensic Anthropology Field Methods program was funded by the UA Little Rock Department of Anthropology. She was the winner of the Mark Hartman Anthropology Student Fellowship, which provides funding for a student to participate in a field work program.
Blair will graduate from UA Little Rock in the fall 2024 semester. Afterwards, she will pursue a master’s degree in anthropology and plans to work in bio-archaeology or forensic anthropology.
