Bio anthro extra credit

Robert Dudley
Biological Anthropology
4/24/15
Extra Credit Paper
Dr. Thomas A. Crist is a professor from Utica College. He has his Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology, but does most of his work is done with anatomy. He works with students and studies donated specimens with them to learn how the body is supposed to work, and what part goes where. He also works with DMORT. This is a federal agency that works with human remains and a mortuary and studies bodies and returns them to their families. He worked with World Trade Center Victims. His favorite field however is the study of historical, anthropological sites.
Forensic Anthropology is a cross between Biological Anthropology and anatomy, and archaeology. There are many questions that are involved with these branches of anthropology. What was the person's name? How did he or she die? What happened to the body after death? And many more questions that must be answered. Archaeology is the study of material things from the past. It studies things used, lost, and thrown away, as well as places people have changed. This comes into play with Forensic Anthropology because without the data and specimens, no conclusions could be met, and no field of study would exist without the ability to properly excavate and collect these items.
Bioarcheology is the study of human remains from archaeological sites. Intersection between culture and biology, and give a better depiction of the past.
He spoke of many different aspects of how to treat sites, the definition of his job, and the results of searches. The most interesting thing to me was the incredible attention that was paid to detail. They would first flag the site, and then begin searching and digging. They would use many different tools used. They would use metal tools for digging, and wooden tools for smaller searching as to not damage the bone. When specifically discussing a specimen they need to look at male or female, how old was the subject, and many more questions. The very extreme attention to detail is praise worthy, as many professions can be excused from this very involved aspect.
The other thing that interested me was the wide spread involvement of different branches of study. Dr. Crist's profession involves Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, Anatomy, and Bioarcheology. Without a very broad and intensive understanding of all of these aspects of study, Dr. Crist would not be able to be successful. This demonstrates how involved and how intensively he studied and dedicated himself to his profession. From his talk, he demonstrated his very good understanding of his many qualifications of his field.
Lastly, Dr. Crist demonstrated his passion for his field. He didn't only speak to us because he had to, and he didn't take this profession on because it paid well. Dr. Crist loves his career and loves to teach about it. His passionate involvement in his field of study is praise-worthy and is not a common occurrence in our very turbulent jobs climate. I enjoyed Dr. Crist's speech and it was an interesting to see a real world application of our Bio. Anth. Studies.