And forensic anthropology is applied science in a real life setting. We come down out of the ivory tower every day to work on cases that are important and relevant to individual families as well as the public sphere. The Pound Lab is primarily a service laboratory, and the graduate students studying forensic anthropology at UF have a unique opportunity to train in such a setting. Michael Warren, a professor of anthropology who was trained by Bill Maples and now teaches in the department and works at the Pound Lab, says that students graduate from the program with more experience than a board certified forensic anthropologist. It is an apprentice-type situation.
Students have a hands-on learning experience as they work on their assigned case.
They take it from beginning to end, and then they go over their findings with a professor. Heather Walsh-Haney is a graduate student in forensic anthropology who has worked extensively in the lab. She was drawn to the field when Bill Maples lectured in her biological anthropology class. Dr. Maples was talking about being held accountable for his conclusions in court. I hope to encourage women to get involved in this profession.