MSUFAL is fortunate to have so many engaged and interactive undergraduates in our forensic program. This week, we shine the spotlight on two of our exceptional undergraduates: Savannah Holcombe and Carolynn Sauter! MSU hosts an annual University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF) where undergraduates have an opportunity to showcase their research. The Anthropology Department always has a great turnout at the event and Savannah and Carolynn were our two forensic representatives this year!
Savannah Holcombe is currently a senior at MSU majoring in Anthropology and minoring in African and African American Studies. She was awarded a Dean’s Assistant position and has been working closely with Dr. Hefner to catalogue and curate donated anatomical specimens to MSUFAL which will be used for teaching. Savannah became interested in forensic anthropology in her junior year of high school when she participated in an elective forensic science course. She instantly fell in love with forensic anthropology and jumped in with both feet (and we are glad she did)!
Savannah’s UURAF poster presentation, entitled Quanifying Sexual Dimorphism in Scapular Morphology, aimed to quantifying sexual dimorphism in scapular morphology. She compared two methods of measurement (traditional linear methods & geometric morphometric methods) to determine which had the lowest error rates for sex estimation of the human scapula. Under the direction of Dr. Hefner and PhD student Micayla Spiros, Savannah obtained and analyzed these data from 106 individuals from the William M. Bass Collection and 1,252 individuals from the Forensic Anthropological Databank. She found that linear measurements correctly identified sex with 93% accuracy, while geometric morphometrics only correctly classified approximately 70%, arguing that size drives sexual dimorphism rather than shape.
Beyond her work with MSUFAL, Savannah says some of her best experiences at MSU were in her coursework for her minor. She says, “It has been remarkable seeing my own intellectual, ethical, and emotional growth due to these anthropological courses. It is incredibly valuable to have the opportunity to break down racial, socioeconomical, and gendered barriers that are unfortunately placed up around all of us, whether we know it or not. What I’ve learned through this department at MSU has changed me as a person and this knowledge and skillset will stick with me for the rest of my life”. Savannah advises undergraduates interested in forensic anthropology to seek out any and every opportunity to network and gain experience! She encourages them to reach out to professors, PhD, and Masters’ students in their department, get to know them, and ask for direction.
When she is not busy with her impressive workload at school, she enjoys stopping in at Momo Tea on Hagadorn road for a bubble tea, then heading to Hawk Island County Park to walk her dog, have a picnic, or just to enjoy the fresh air!
Carolynn Sauter is a senior in the Anthropology program. She has been working with Dr. Hefner for the past two years on his National Institute of Justice grant which aims to improve age estimations for children using their dental development. Carolynn’s interest in forensic anthropology began when she was a sophomore in high school when her sister was taking a forensic anthropology course in college. She became very inquisitive and got a jump start on her career by setting up meetings with forensic anthropology professors, who later became her research advisor.
Carolynn gave an oral presentation at UURAF entitled The Impact of Sex and Ancestry on Dental Development which aimed to examine differences in timing of dental development among juvenile males and females from different populations. Working with Dr. Hefner and PhD student Kelly Kamnikar, Carolynn collected dental development scores of all present teeth collected from radiographic images of individuals from New Mexico orthodontic office before treatment. The samples consisted of 95 females and 94 males from American Black, American Indian, American White, Asian, and Hispanic samples. Preliminary results suggest the females have more advanced dental development than males across all populations examined.
Some of Carolynn’s favorite moments at MSU were going to the basketball games with her friends and sitting in the IZZONE. She says that she loves the energetic environment and being in space where students can come together and have a great time. Her advice for undergraduates is to make connections and ask questions. She says, “If you have any questions about the profession or about the field, ask a professor or send them an email, they are more than willing to answer them. You shouldn’t be afraid to take chances, you never know what doors will open because of that or what opportunities will come about”.
Carolynn enjoys spending her free time hiking around Woldumar Nature Center’s beautiful trails. She loves being able to get some fresh air and take a break from her computer…a tip I think we could all use during these times!
We could not be prouder of Savannah and Carolynn for the work they have done with MSUFAL and the budding scholars they are becoming. We are excited to see where they go in the future and are pleased to have them as peers.
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