This week, we are excited to feature our current fifth-year PhD student, Elena Watson! Elena is a jack-of-all-trades who has previously been the MSUFAL Lab Manager, a Research Assistant, a Teaching Assistant in human osteology, and the department Graduate Assistant. Currently, Elena is loving her job as a Teaching Assistant in the Division of Human Anatomy at MSU!
Elena first became interested in forensic anthropology while in high school, when she learned about identification efforts in human rights cases. After learning more, she was drawn to how forensic anthropology contributes to identifying decedents and restoring their identity. In particular, she learned about the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency (DPAA) and their work resonated with her. Elena’s grandfathers were military service members overseas during World War II and fortunately came home—so many, however, did not and still remain unaccounted for.
Given this interest in forensic anthropology, Elena attended Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, where she majored in Anthropology and Biology with a minor in German. She really enjoyed her coursework for both majors (and German!) and appreciated their intersection in the field of Biological Anthropology. Additionally, Elena took an “Introduction to Forensic Anthropology” course during her first term and a “Human Variation” class and was fascinated by the information that can be gleaned from the skeleton. Elena appreciated the diverse and dynamic nature of the skeleton and she found studying osteology to be fun! Further, she connected with the contributions of forensic anthropology in helping people and providing some sense of closure to the family and friends of decedents.
During the summer before Elena’s last year of undergrad, she received a grant to attend the University of Tennessee’s short course on trauma and pathology. She became extremely interested in the real cases of trauma and pathology she saw and how these were reflected in the skeleton. In addition, Elena was fascinated by how we can “read” the skeleton while simultaneously respecting what we do not know and assessing through research what we may be able to ascertain.
In 2015, Elena applied and was accepted into the Michigan State University Masters program in Forensic Science (through the School of Criminal Justice) with a concentration in Forensic Anthropology. Elena was drawn to the breadth of opportunities here at MSU, including involvement in casework from start to finish, engaging in research, and developing a broad skill set with Drs. Fenton and Hefner (and now Dr. Isaac as well!). She also notes that she truly appreciated the lab camaraderie and supportive friendships here at MSU!
When it came time to consider PhD programs, Elena chose to bless us with her presence for a few more years, and accepted an offer to attend MSU with Dr. Fenton as her advisor! Elena has been a consistent ray of sunshine throughout her tenure here, and her lab mates are so grateful she chose to stay!
Currently, Elena is in the throes of dissertation preparation. She successfully defended her dissertation proposal, entitled “A Paleopathological Investigation on the Presence of Malaria in Medieval Nubia and its Skeletal Manifestation.” Her dissertation will include a bioarchaeological investigation on malaria in medieval Nubia and the potential influence of human activity on malarial risk during the medieval period (~500–1500 CE). Elena will also explore a lesion known as femoral cribra, its variation visible from the external surface, and the trabecular bone microarchitecture underlying the lesion using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) methods.
Although Elena’s current focus lies in pathology, she has also been enthralled by the bioarchaeological research and fieldwork conducted by Dr. Fenton and our colleagues in Italy. Additionally, she has been involved with research at the MSUFAL regarding blunt force cranial trauma, as well as radiographic identification. Elena notes, however, that her most fulfilling experience in the field of forensic anthropology has been casework here at MSUFAL. To Elena, each case represents a unique, personal, and difficult situation for the family and friends of the deceased, and being able to help the local community through our contribution to medicolegal and identification efforts has been rewarding. She has also appreciated the teaching opportunities she has had at MSU, noting that these experiences have been particularly formative.
Although Elena has been keeping quite busy with her schoolwork, she enjoys taking breaks and spending time outside taking photos and rowing. She also finds joy in visiting her family at home in Ohio and pampering her family’s weird and perfect dog! We can’t imagine the MSUFAL without Elena’s calm, witty, clever, and kind presence! Thank you for all you do, Elena!!
Authored by: Alex Goots
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