Hannah Herche

Forensic Identification / Forensic Anthropology

Submitted to Dr. Jennifer Fain-Thornton for Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 (BIOL-210)

Summary:

My project is about research on forensic anthropology, as well as forensic identification. This touches on the stages of decomposition, the field of work regarding forensic anthropology, the study of bones and how they form, and bone identification of the deceased. Additionally, there is a reflective component that talks about another field of forensics called forensic odontology, as well as my thoughts and contributions about forensics.

General Education Connections

• Communicate ideas in written, oral and other modes as appropriate to a situation and audience
• Apply quantitative and scientific reasoning skills relevant to a field of study
• Employ various thinking strategies to develop well-reasoned judgments
• Evaluate sources of information for accuracy, relevance and reliability
• Use technology tools to manage, integrate and evaluate digital information
• Explore issues through creative, interdisciplinary and innovative approaches 

Research is a big component in developing new knowledge on an important array of topics. This signature assignment allowed me to better translate information from sources into written ideas in my paper. In order to do this, evaluating sources for accuracy, relevance and reliability is a skill I developed. I achieved this by using databases and diving into peer-reviewed forensic journals, as well as websites that ended in .org or .edu. I also used sources that were published within the last ten years maximum. This project also enhanced my skills with writing sources, using Microsoft and databases, which assisted in improving my skills with tools that managed and evaluated information.

Challenges

This assignment wasn’t based on scientific reasoning; instead, it existed as an assignment about the use a scientific reasoning. This was challenging because I wasn’t prepared to think from a multidisciplinary and collaborative frame of mind. I was prepared for scientific reasoning that included quantitative data. However, the more immersed I became in learning about evolution-based policies and law and its potential barriers and A big challenge that came up while completing this assignment was finding reliable sources. As there are endless sources on the internet and on databases, it is a more tedious process to root out the most reliable and most relevant for my topic. Another challenge I faced was formatting my word choices to flow more efficiently throughout the paper. Since this paper is a more formal and research-based format, it was important for me to use language that fits this criteria.

Application

Forensics relates to my field of study because I am looking to study physical therapy. Like forensics, physical therapy relies on extensive knowledge on the makeup, location and function of bones in the human body. It also relates to the Anatomy and Physiology class because they both are about the human body. Forensics is important to my life because understanding how to identify bones and the structures of bone can be useful for research development. In the work of physical therapy, bone identification is important, so this will be useful in my future career.