Forensic Anthropology Qualification Survey

We are reaching out to you because we're interested in better understanding the state of qualifications within forensic anthropology. That is, what makes someone qualified to practice forensic anthropology?

As such, we have put together a short survey in order to collect data regarding experiences and opinions about qualification for the practice of forensic anthropology. If you have performed forensic anthropology casework or consider yourself qualified to perform forensic anthropology casework, we would really appreciate your input and participation!

It is our hope that the results of this survey will be disseminated to members of the discipline via conference presentations and research papers, and that the information obtained from this survey will ultimately assist in the development of standards for education and training in forensic anthropology.

We expect this survey to take around 15-20 minutes to complete.

We understand that everyone’s time is very valuable and that the only compensation for your participation can be our gratitude and your contribution to the advancement of the discipline. None-the-less, we humbly ask you to take a few minutes out of your busy day to fill out this questionnaire and to pass it along to anyone whom it may be applicable.

All identifying information is double-blinded by the software, and your answers will be aggregated; thus your participation is meant to be anonymous and will be kept confidential. You may choose to complete all, part, or none of this survey. You have the right to withdraw from this study at any time, for any reason, without penalty.

NOTE: No minors (individuals aged under 18 years) or any other at-risk populations are eligible to participate in this survey.

We will likely be re-sending this survey request as a reminder; please only complete this survey once.

The link to the survey is provided below:

https://wcu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0N8vlwjcgSMcX3v
By clicking the above link to the survey, you are providing your consent to be involved in this study.

If you have any questions, concerns, etc., regarding this project, feel free to contact Dr. Nicholas V. Passalacqua or Dr. Marin A. Pilloud (contact info below).

This study has been approved by the IRB offices of both Western Carolina University and University of Nevada Reno. If you have any questions or concerns about your treatment as a participant in this study, you can reach the Chair of the Western Carolina University Institutional Review Board through WCU’s Office of Research Administration at 828-227-7212.

Thanks so much for your time!
Nicholas V. Passalacqua, PhD, D-ABFA
Anthropology and Sociology Dept
Western Carolina University
nvpassalecqua@wcu.edu

Marin A. Pilloud, PhD D-ABFA
Anthropology Dept
University of Nevada-Reno
mpilloud@unr.edu

Student Prize Winners, 2018

Congratulations...

...to all of our student prize winners! Every year, the Dental Anthropology Association supports student research presented at the American Association of Physical Anthropology meetings.  Below are the winners from the two competitions: 

The Albert A. Dahlberg Paper Competition

• Donovan Adams and Rebecca George (pictured below) for their paper on "Fuzzy Logic as an Approach for Assessing Regional Population Relatedness and Phenotypic Variation"

G.G. Turner II/Cambridge University Press (CUP) Poster Competition

• Emma Lagan (prizewinner), with co-authors D.E. Ehrlich, S.S. Pesce, "Dentine Without Borders: An Improved Dental Macrowear Scoring Method with Cross-Cultural Adaptation"
• Jessica Droke (prizewinner), with co-authors C.W. Schmidt, F. L'Engle-Williams, W.M. Karriger, F.H. Smith, G. Becam, M. de Lumley: "Regional Variability in Diet Between Northern and Mediterranean Neandertals: Evidence from Dental Microwear Texture Analysis"
• Keegan Selig (prizewinner), with co-authors S. Lopez-Torres, A. Hartstone-Rose, A.M. Burrows, and M.T. Silcox: "Differential Enamel Thickness in the Anterior Dentition as a Signal for Gouging Behavior"

200 Exciting Things to See in Austin!

The Dental Anthropology Association is thrilled to announce that there are 200 papers at the American Association of Physical Anthropology Meeting this year related to dental anthropology!! Check them out via the link below.

We're looking forward to seeing you all at our Annual Business Meeting on Friday, April 13th at 8:30pm in the Texas V/VI Rooms (Hyatt Regency Austin). Have fun in Austin!

For an organized view of the papers, please papers, click here

DAA Business Meeting

The Dental Anthropology Association (DAA) annual business meeting will take place at the AAPAs on Friday, April 13 at 8:30pm in rooms Texas V/VI (at the Hyatt Regency Austin).

Agenda items will include:
- Voting on proposed constitutional edits
- Electing a new Executive Member

We welcome all new and active members. 

Annual CUP Poster Competition

To enter this year's student poster competition, please click here. Applications must include your abstract, poster session number, day, and time. The deadline for submission is APRIL 10, 2018.

Proposed Constitution Edits

Dear Dental Anthropology Association Membership,

Last year we continued the excellent work that began under Scott Burnett to revise our association’s constitution. This year, a subcommittee of the executive board, including Marin Pilloud, Mackie O’Hara, and myself, has drafted a major overhaul of the constitution. I am indebted to Dr. Pilloud and Ms. O’Hara for their heroic efforts.

The goals of our proposed changes are to 1) bring the constitution in line with others of similar organizations, 2) build in ways to make the leadership of the DAA more inclusive, and 3) modernize the organization to take advantage of new technologies for information sharing.

I ask you to please take a look at the three documents attached. One is an unmarked draft of the proposed constitution, one is the current constitution, and one tracks the differences between the two. The current constitution requires that changes to the constitution be sent to the membership at least 30 days before the annual business meeting, and that votes to approve or disapprove be conducted at that meeting. Please note that the draft constitution will allow us to have such votes electronically in the future, allowing a greater number of members to vote.

Please review these documents and come prepared to discuss them at the meeting. Please also feel free to contact me before the meeting with any comments or questions.

Thank you for taking part in the Dental Anthropology Association. The executive board and I value your membership.

Sincerely,

Heather Edgar, Ph.D.

President, Dental Anthropology Association

Proposed  

Current

Tracked Changes

Call for Nominations

The Dental Anthropology Association (DAA) is seeking nominations for an Executive Board Member (3 year term). This member will be responsible for being a meeting facilitator. Responsibilities include coordinating with the American Association of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA) and the local hotel to make arrangements for workshops, special events, and the DAA Business meeting. 

Please submit nominations to Christine Lee (christinelee70@gmail.com), the head of our Nominations/Elections Committee, by APRIL 1. You may nominate yourself or another member. Please include the email address of the nominee in your submission email. 

Nominations will be announced during the Dental Anthropology Association Business Meeting (Friday April 13, 8:30-9:30pm, Room Texas V/VI) for a vote. 

DAA 2018 Workshop Announced!

Attending this year's American Association of Physical Anthropologists meeting? Interested in dental anthropology? Sign up for this hands on workshop with Dr. Simon Hillson and learn how to record and interpret evidence of dental plaque-related diseases in archaeological samples. 

Sign up here.

Research Competition Announced!

Are you a student attending this years AAPAs? Are you presenting a paper related to dental anthropology? Apply for the Albert A. Dahlberg Prize! 

Register for "Let's Do Lunch" at the AAPAs!

The Dental Anthropology Association presents Let's Do Lunch! The goal of this gathering is to match students with professors for one-on-one conversations about dental anthropology at the AAPA meetings. Traditionally, professors and professionals sponsor the lunch of up to 3 students.

The time will be announced as soon as the AAPA Meeting Program Schedule has been posted (it will fall during the lunch break of Friday, April 13).

We have room for ~30 people and spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Fill out this form if you're interested in joining us!! Note, there are multiple pages

http://bit.ly/2C6oD9F