my colleagues from Mercyhurst,” she said. “Not all graduate programs foster that type of relationship and collegiality. My experiences at Mercyhurst have defnitely shaped how I run my own research lab today and how I interact with my students as well as encourage them to interact with one another.” Last year, another Mercyhurst grad, Erin Chapman ’10, was the subject of a feature in The Bufalo News , about her unique role as a forensic anthropologist in the Erie County (New York) Medical Examiner’s Ofce, and the many interesting cases she is called upon to evaluate, from bodies pulled from the lake and rivers around Bufalo to the remains of murder victims discovered in the woods. “Chapman is one of a small number of anthropologists in the nation who works in a medical examiner’s ofce,” the Buf News noted. “Most medical examiners employ forensic pathologists who examine organs, soft tissues and bodily fuids to determine a cause of death. By contrast, forensic anthropologists study skeletal remains.” Unlike colleagues who have built careers in academia, Chapman derives satisfaction from being an asset to law enforcement, largely driven by her Mercyhurst experience where she said the opportunity to assist with active
forensic casework is unmatched by any other institution. In fact, she was introduced to the staf of her current employer nearly 15 years ago through cases on which Dirkmaat’s department had lent assistance. Clearly, the nature of her work gives many people pause, and she’s used to their bewilderment. “Each person has a role to fulfll and, although mine may not seem appealing to everyone, there are a number of careers that I am not emotionally equipped to perform,” she said. “Learning to focus on the science helps me to remain as unbiased as possible and emotionally detached at some level. To best serve a deceased individual and their family, one must put feelings aside and focus on answering the important questions in order to bring a family the justice or answers they seek.” When it comes to niche academic programs at Mercyhurst, forensic anthropology gets its nod time and again for the volume of real cases students work on while attending college. Dirkmaat often refects upon the year he welcomed a group of new grad students to the frst day of class. He hadn’t even learned their names when he told them to “pack up, we’re going down state to process the scene of a plane crash.” And so it began … and so it continues.
- The master’s degree program represented the frst in the country focused primarily on providing students with a comprehensive basic training regimen in the feld. To this day, Dirkmaat and his team of faculty and graduate students are regularly called upon by law enforcement, coroners, and medical examiners across the tri-state area to evaluate cases from human death scenes, spanning crimes to natural disasters. Over the summer Dirkmaat welcomed back some of those trailblazers as part of his “All-Stars Forensic Anthropology Short Course.”Thirteen students were enrolled in the two week course, hoping to glean knowledge, improve their skills, and even snag career advice from nine of the earliest students in Dirkmaat’s program who have gone on to achieve success in the feld. The visiting alumni presenters included: • Dr. Joseph Hefner ’99, Dirkmaat’s frst graduate student, currently an Assistant Professor of Anthropology and director of the Forensic Anthropology Laboratory at Michigan State University • Dr. Kyra Stull ’08, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of Nevada, Reno • Dr. Heather Garvin ’07, Assistant Professor of Anatomy at Des Moines University Medical School, Des Moines, Iowa • Dr. Nicholas Passalacqua ’07, Assistant Professor and Forensic Anthropology Program Coordinator at Western Carolina University, Culhowee, North Carolina • Dr. Alex Klales ’09, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas • Dr. Erin Chapman ’06, forensic anthropologist for the Erie County, New York, Medical Examiner’s Ofce in Bufalo • Dr. Sara Getz ’11, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Idaho State, Pocatello, Idaho • Mercyhurst rolls out red carpet for forensic anthropology all-stars When Dr. Dennis Dirkmaat began the graduate program in forensic anthropology at Mercyhurst University 15 years ago, he had high hopes that the students trained under his watch would go on to top-flight doctoral programs and the careers of their dreams. Diana Messer ’13M, Forensic Anthropologist for SNA International in support of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) in Hawaii • Christopher Rainwater ’06M, Forensic Anthropologist in the Ofce of the Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York. Four of the alumni (Hefner, Passalacqua, Klales and Stull) have also already attained board certifcation within the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the highest status in the field of forensic anthropology. “When our students graduate, our primary goal is that they have a signifcant impact and become leaders in their chosen disciplines,” said Mercyhurst Provost Dr. Leanne Roberts. “Having alumni return to campus to share their expertise and wisdom gained from time spent in the profession after graduation is truly a privilege.” 11
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