Student, Faculty, and Alumni News

• Second-year students, Amelia Blanton, Rachel Chaney, Ellen Dooley, Jessica Daniels, and Savannah Mills, presented their preliminary thesis research at the Bioarchaeologists’ Northeast Regional Dialog in Camden, NJ on November 2, 2019.

• Several students and faculty attended and presented their research studies at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD.
• Grace Kilroy (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2019) has been accepted into the Ph.D. Program in Anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville! Congratulations Grace!
• Madelyn Green (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2019) has been accepted into the Ph.D. Program in Anthropology at Ohio State University! Congratulations Madelyn!
• Aubrie Sanchez (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2019) has been accepted into the multidisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at Ohio State University for the Fall 2019 semester. Congratulations Aubrie!!
• Michelle Herrera, Grace Kilroy and Aubrie Sanchez presented their thesis research at the Bioarchaeologists’ Northeast Regional Dialogue in Syracuse, NY on October 13th, 2018. Congratulations on your presentations!

• Aubrie Sanchez (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2019) received a scholarship from the County Treasurers’ Association of Texas. Congratulations Aubrie!
• Four students presented with Dr. Tallman at the American Association of Physical Anthropologists annual meeting in Austin, TX in April. Click here to see the list of posters.
• Several students, faculty, and alumni will be presenting their research at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA Feb 19-24th, 2018. Click HERE for a list of the presentations from the Program in Forensic Anthropology.
• Two of our recent graduates, Christopher Eck and Jacqueline Berger have been accepted to the PhD program in Anthropology at the University of South Florida! Congratulations to Chris and Jackie!
• Several students, faculty, and alumni will be presenting their research at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA February 13-18th, 2017. Click here for a list of the presentations from the Program in Forensic Anthropology.
• Four of our students, Katie Faillace, Jackie Berger, Nora Heidel and Mary Studebaker-Reed, won the William S. Pollitzer Student Travel Award from the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. The prize help to defray the costs of attending the AAPA annual meeting. Students submitted a short essay reviewed and scored by the AAPA Student Prize Committee. Congratulations!
• Several recent graduates and alumni from our program had their work with Dr. Pokines accepted for publication. Please click here for our list of student and faculty publications.
• Several students from our program will be presenting the results from their thesis research in February at the 2016 Annual Meeting for the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in Las Vegas, NV.

Dr. Pokines received a grant award for the 2022 National Institute of Justice FY22 Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes. His grant is entitled “Gull (Laridae) Taphonomy at Shoals Marine Laboratory, Maine, USA”. The proposed research will examine the dispersal and feeding damage caused on large vertebrate remains by seasonally nesting herring gulls and great black backed gulls. It is hypothesized that these Laridae species will disperse bone at greater distances than inland avian species due to their aggressive flocking behavior and vocal signaling of other birds upon the discovery of food sources. These results will be used to formulate best search and recovery practices for dispersed human remains in coastal environments.

In 2018, Dr. Tallman found the remains of Lieutenant William McGowan, a relative of Questrom School of Business professor Timothy Simcoe who was shot down on D-Day, June 6, 1944. In July, following years of delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Simcoe and his family will travel to Normandy to inter McGowan in the US cemetery there. Read more.

Four students presented with Dr. Tallman at the American Association of Physical Anthropologists annual meeting in Austin, TX in April. Click here to see the list of posters.

Several students, faculty, and alumni will be presenting their research at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA Feb 19-24th, 2018. Click HERE for a list of the presentations from the Program in Forensic Anthropology.

Agent Reinecke:

• is a co-investigator on a two newly funded grant awards from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Justice to investigate the use of a contactless, three dimensional scanner for collecting latent fingerprints from various surfaces and collecting postmortem fingerprints from unidentified human remains. Congratulations!
• has been promoted to Assistant Professor in Anatomy and Neurobiology! Congratulations Agent Reinecke!
• recently published findings from a NIJ grant with his collaborators at the University of Texas, San Antonio and FlashScan3D.
• was named the Program Assistant Director of the Forensic Anthropology Program. Gary joined our faculty in 2011 after retiring from the FBI after 24 years of service. Learn more about his fascinating career and role in our program. Congratulations Gary!

Dr. Pokines: Read the latest news story about Dr. Pokines’ newest publication! Read the story. Dr. Pokines has been promoted to Associate Professor in Anatomy and Neurobiology!

Dr. Tallman has received a second appointment as an Assistant Professor in the department of Anthropology on the Boston University Charles River Campus.

To date, more than 75 students have graduated from this program. Our graduates have excelled at their course work and have produced impressive research projects.

Several alumni have presented their research at professional association meetings, including the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Many are in the process of applying to PhD programs in Anthropology and Anatomy and several are applying to the FBI Academy, State Police Academies and other Federal Law Enforcement and Government Agencies. Below are a few examples of alumni from our program:

• Alexis Muschal (GMS, Forensic Anthropology, 2021) is beginning a new position as a bioarchaeologist/osteologist at TerraXplorations in Alabama! Congratulations, Alexis!
• Makala Udoni (GMS, Forensic Anthropology, 2018) will be starting law school at Michigan State University in Fall 2021. While in the Forensic Anthropology program, Makala completed her thesis research that involved studying Black Bear and Grizzly Bear tooth marks and gnawing damage on bone. Wishing her great success in her next endeavor!
• Savannah Mills (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2020) is working as a forensic investigator for the District 23 Medical Examiner’s Office in Saint Augustine, Florida! Congratulations, Savannah!
• Carrington Schneider (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2019) has been hired as a Property, Evidence and Crime Scene Technician at the Montebello Police Department in Montebello, California. Congratulations, Carrington!
• Jennifer Kroll (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2018) is working as an Assistant at the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Congratulations, Jennifer!
• Nicollette Appel (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2017) was accepted into a PhD program in Anthropology at the University of New Mexico! While at BUSM, Nikki’s thesis research involved investigating the effect of long-term cocaine use on bone morphology. Congratulations, Nikki!
• Corey Pollock (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2017) is now a Crime Scene Technician at Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department, Charlotte, North Carolina. Congratulations, Corey!
• Megan Gough (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2017)  is employed as a Secretary for Regional Security Office (RSO) at U.S. Consulate General Naples in Italy. Congratulations, Megan!
• Nicollette Appel (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2017) is a Forensic Scientist Trainee at Nassau County Office of the Medical Examiner in East Meadow, NY. Congratulations, Nicollette!
• Claira Ralston (GMS Forensic Anthropology ,2017) is a PhD Graduate Student/Teaching Assistant at University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Congratulations, Claira!
• Christopher Eck (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2017) is a PhD student at the University of South Florida. Congratulations, Christopher!
• Jacqueline Berger (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2017) is a PhD student at the University of South Florida. Congratulations, Jacqueline!
• Claira Ralston (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2017) is a PhD student at the  University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Congratulations, Claira!
• Alyssa Downs (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2016) has been accepted to the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Congratulations, Alyssa!
• Deborah Graham (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2015) has published her thesis research in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. Congratulations, Deborah! Click HERE to see the PDF.
• Annette Rodriguez (GMS Forensic Anthropology,  2015) is a Law Student and Social Justice Fellow at the University of Akron School of Law in Akron, OH. Congratulations, Annette!
• Donovan Adams (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2015) is a PhD student at the University of Reno. Congratulations, Donovan!
• Karen St. George (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2015) is a PhD Student at the Boston University School of Medicine. Congratulations, Karen!
• Ashley Brenneman (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2014) was accepted into a PhD program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee! While at BUSM, Ashley’s thesis research involved using bacterial DNA from dental calculus to characterize the oral microbiome of individuals excavated from the Milwaukee County Poor Farm Cemetery (c. 1882-1925). Congratulations, Ashley!
• Meaghan Jones-Rush (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2014), is now employed as Death Investigation Specialist at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Medical Examiner’s Office. Congratulations, Meaghan!
• Emily Peschel (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2014), has been accepted in to the Ph.D program in the department of Anthropology at the University of Calgary.  Emily will be working Dr. Anne Katzenberg in Calgary starting in the Fall 2015. While at BUSM, Emily received The Malmberg Scholarship from the American Swedish Institute for Scholars for her thesis project involving the investigation the origins of Ridanäs Vikings buried at a port of trade in Gotland, Sweden. Congratulations, Emily!
• Elizabeth Mcleod (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2015) was accepted to the University of Vermont College of Medicine.  Congratulations, Liz!
• Karen St. George (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2014) was accepted into the PhD program in the department of Anatomy and Neurobiology (Anatomy Track) for the Fall 2015! Karen’s Master’s thesis involved a study to examine the degree of accuracy in estimating human body mass using a suite of traits, including documented biomechanical analysis of obese individuals involving gait and sit-to-stand (STS) movements.
• Tyler Dunn (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2014) was recently accepted into the PhD program in the department of Anthropology at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He will be working with Dr. Laura Shackelford and his research will focus on the evolution of genus Homo and modern human anatomical variation with an emphasis on the post-crania. He will also continue studying many of the topics that were highlighted in our MS program in Forensic Anthropology at BUSM,  including taphonomy, estimation of elements of the biological profile and utilization of 3D imaging methods. The program at UIUC includes a large student population and faculty specializing in several areas within the broad field of biological anthropology.
• Carissa Fu (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2014) earned a spot on the US National Collegiate Taekwondo Team after winning her event at the National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships hosted at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. She will be representing the US at an upcoming training camp in Korea where various world-ranking international athletes will be in attendance. This is her fifth consecutive year representing the US at an international event. Currently, Carissa is preparing for her summer trip to South Africa to conduct thesis research using the Raymond A. Dart and Pretoria Skeletal Collections at the University of Witwatersrand  Johannesburg, and University of Pretoria, respectively. She will be utilizing geometric morphometrics to understand secular change and the impact environmental and genetic factors have on the cranium. Specifically, she will be analyzing the male European subpopulation through digitizing the cranium and conducting quantitative analyses to discern changes in size and shape.
• Emily Peschel (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2014), a graduate from McGill University in Montreal, received The Malmberg Scholarship from the American Swedish Institute for Scholars.The Malmberg Scholarship for Study in Sweden is awarded yearly for scholars or students whose research can be enhanced by conducting data collection in Sweden. Emily’s thesis project involves investigating the origins of Ridanäs Vikings buried at a port of trade in Gotland, Sweden.  She will be traveling to Sweden in July 2013 to complete her data collection. Congratulations, Emily!
• Brianne Charles (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2014) became a PhD student at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Congratulations, Brianne!
• Emily Peschel (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2014) became a PhD student at the University of Calgary. Congratulations, Emily!
• Tyler Dunn (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2014) became a PhD student at the University of Illinois-Urbana. Congratulations, Tyler!
• Alexandria Wink (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2012) became a PhD student at the Boston University School of Medicine. Congratulations, Alexandria!
• Sara Arias (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2012) became a PhD student at the University of South Florida. Congratulations, Sara!
• Sandra Koch (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2012) became a PhD student at the Pennsylvania State University. Congratulations, Sandra!
• Sarah Peacock (GMS Forensic Anthropology, 2011) became a PhD student at the University of Missouri. Congratulations, Sarah!