Life as Forensic Anthropology Grad Student with Rhian Dunn

On this episode I chat with Rhian Dunn, a UCSB Alumni who is currently pursuing her PhD in Physical Anthropology with a specialization in Forensic Anthropology at Michigan State University. Prior to that she received her MS in Forensic Anthropology at Mercyhurst in Erie Pennsylvania, studying vertebral elements for ancestry estimation. She emphasizes the importance of the training she received in methods and learning how to improve the replicability of testing.
Rhian explains her passion for forensics, saying how the focus on the individual identification and applying her skills to accomplish this, can really have an impact of forensics on the community level. She had the opportunity to travel to Puerto Rico and assist the ME and board certified Forensic Anthropologists in identifying human remains from backlogged cases. She reflects on her time at UCSB, what she’s learned along her journey, and how she still hopes to one day participate in a field school!
We breakdown what the lab and programs are like at MSU and what an average day is like for her in the Forensic Lab! Rhian pushes herself to search out other perspectives and methods that will improve her skills, including being involved in the Campus Archaeology Program at Michigan State.
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Brought to you in collaboration with the American Anthropological Association check out their podcast library here https://www.americananthro.org/StayInformed/Content.aspx?ItemNumber=1629