News
Anthropology students assist at crash site
-
Print -
Comments
-
“You realize this was a real person; this was a person with a life and an identity. And you can no longer be clinical about that.”
Theirs was difficult work, but done with humility, dignity and, especially, compassion for others.
Eleven students in the Ph.D. physical anthropology program under the direction of Joyce Sirianni, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Anthropology, volunteered at the site in Clarence Center where Continental Flight 3407 crashed on Feb. 12, as well as at the Erie County Medical Examiner’s (ME) Office. Five students worked at the crash site, while others helped out at the morgue. Their work in the field is now completed.
“All these students are physical anthropologists—this is important,” says Sirianni, who was present at the crash site and the ME’s office when not called to her teaching duties. “All are trained in anatomy—they have comparative anatomy, primate anatomy, gross anatomy, dental anatomy. They have had forensic anthropology, which concentrates on identifying calcified tissue, i.e., bones and teeth. This is very important because in the field they need to be able to recognize that it’s a bone, not a stone or a stick.
“Furthermore, they are trained to identify individual bone fragments.”
The students themselves launched this volunteer effort to serve so directly in the aftermath of the tragedy, Sirianni says. One student in particular, Jennifer Byrnes, sparked the effort and initially coordinated getting all of the volunteers to the ME’s office. Soon the UB team was working side by side with a similar team from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., aiding and assisting forensic investigators as members of SMART—specialized medical assistance response team.
The UB team also included Tracy Martin, an officer with the Amherst Police Department, who lectures in Sirianni’s forensic anthropology class, and Rene Lisjak, who is teaching a forensic anthropology class this summer at UB. Another member of Sirianni’s program, Cara Fraser, helped coordinate efforts with the ME’s office.
Physical anthropologists are needed in these investigations, says Sirianni, explaining how their work complements that of medical forensic experts.
“We deal with bones and teeth, and we have this detailing. We read them. We know how to reconstruct from that—who the person was, what they were like in life, whether they were male or female, adults or children, their approximate age.”
Despite the magnitude of the disaster, the students were able to harness their emotions and serve others, says Sirianni. “Because they went out knowing they had the skills, they were confident that they could help. They had a sense of dignity they had learned. They know to respect the human body. They know how to respect privacy. They are also very humble. They knew they had a role to play.
“When I was out at the site, the FBI people and the ME’s people made a point to come up to me to say how much they appreciated the students—their professional attitude, their seriousness, their thoroughness. At the end of the day, they were absolutely drained. They would call me at night because they needed to talk to someone about what they had seen.”
And while the students’ composure and sensitivity were no surprise to Sirianni, their performance in such difficult circumstances nonetheless stirred feelings of amazement and pride. “They looked at me and said, ‘we are so glad that you taught us. We used it. We stood there and used our knowledge.’ You hear that and you go, ‘wow.’”
Asked what was the most difficult part of the forensic work, Sirianni offers a heartbreaking detail. “I think it was our seeing the personal effects—to see a piece of clothing or a ring. You realize this was a real person; this was a person with a life and an identity. And you can no longer be clinical about that.”
Reader Comments