“Day (two) done and my initial thoughts are that it feels like the first day of summer camp. There is a whole new group of people to meet and get to know better, and the list of interesting and exciting activities is just calling out to me to explore and learn more. My enthusiasm for the upcoming weeks is certainly stronger than ever. I like the way the class is structured with some initial guidance, and then further training as we get more in-depth and hands on. Additionally, I’m looking forward to meeting and interacting with professionals from the various outlets of forensic anthropology. I’m sure they will each have some invaluable information and advice for us. I know personally, I am also always really intrigued to find out why and how people have come into their field of expertise, so that will something I hope to discover throughout the course.
The compass activity took some time to get the hang of, but it’s something I’m really glad we learned because it will not only be a useful technique in our forensics work, but it’s also a fairly basic life skill that’s good to have. I also really enjoyed making the concept map. The map was a great visual representation of how all the different aspects of forensic anthropology interplay with one another. For someone who likes to find the connection between things and see more of the big picture, it was a great exercise.”
Taylor W. – Participant
“The (second) day of the field school was fantastic and raised the bar for my expectations for the field school in its entirety. I was nervous going into the school this morning but the icebreakers truly lived up to their name. They “broke the ice” showing me that all of the people in the school are interesting and I am looking forward to continuing to work with them throughout the month. I am also really excited to play the role of a forensic pathologist in the mock forensic case since that is what I would like to do as a profession. I am now certain this will show me if I want to do this later on in my life.
Until today, I had never been taught how to properly use a compass. It was actually pretty confusing at first but after Sarah L. and I practiced using the coordinates a few times we finally got the hang of it. On the second one we actually ended up in the exact same spot that we started. Even though it is just one seemingly simple skill I am happy that I now have it in my toolkit. Overall it was a great day and I am excited to come back tomorrow and to see what the rest of the month brings.”
Jake L. – Participant