I interned for the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State (FACTS) at the Grady Early Forensic Anthropology Research Laboratory (GEFARL) as the database intern. My tasks as an intern included entering data into our two primary Paradox databases “TxSt Donated” and “GeoHist”. Also, I was committed to other activities primarily associated with the body donation program.
Background
FACTS is a multi-facility research, teaching, and outdoor center for the university composing of a body donation program, Outdoor Forensic Anthropology Research Facility (FARF), the Osteological Research and Processing Lab (ORPL), and the Grady Early Forensic Anthropology Research Laboratory (GEFARL). FACTS faculty and staff’s daily tasks throughout the facility are relative to the forensic research of human skeletal and non-skeletal remains. Other tasks include the study of the decomposition process, human variations, and osteological methods. All facilities are open to outside researchers that wish to conduct research of their own with help from our databases, body donations, or human skeletal collection. Workshops, short courses, and training are offered at the Freeman Ranch and other facilities such as GEFARL and ORPL to better the forensic knowledge of both students and professionals. The faculty at FACTS also provides osteological consulting and forensic anthropological case services to law enforcement, archeologist, culture resource management, government agencies, and private entities.
Background of GEFARL and Body Donation Program
GEFARL houses the TXSTDSC, and is the primary location for the body donation program. The facility itself is equipped for tasks such as 3D imaging and printing, histomorphometry, and osteometry. The body donation program is where individuals are able to willingly donate their body after death before they have passed (living donor), or the body of a deceased loved one (Next of KIN donation) intended for educational research, training, and professional education. Studies are done on the bodies donated to the program such as reconstructing postmortem intervals, biological profiling, identification, human skeletal variation, pathology and trauma interpretation reports, and the histological and chemical analyzes of bones. If interested in being a donor or donating a body prospective donor can contact FACTS for further details.
My tasks as the database intern at GEFARL included entering data into our two primary Paradox databases “TxSt Donated” and “GeoHist”. I also scan and upload photos of the individuals throughout their lifetime onto a large USB that holds all the photos of the individuals that will donate or that already have donated. When completing the entry of data and photo scanning the folders of the individuals are then placed in a large filing cabinet that is organized according to year, name, and type of donation. When I am not doing the above task, I am organizing, curating, taking photos and inventory of skeletal collections that need to be added to the inventory database. The inventories consisted of taking count of cranial and postcranial elements, dental count, the condition of the remains, and photos once the remains are laid out in an anatomical position. As an intern at GEFARL, I have become aware of the importance of the strenuous paperwork and filing procedure for the many donations. Everyone glorifies the work of Forensic Anthropologist and the task they do such as retrieving, processing and assessing the cause of death for the deceased. Experiencing the behind the scenes work is so crucial to anyone wanting to appreciate the work that forensic centers do.
The backbone of FACTS is the body donation program and the entirety of the data and paperwork that comes along with it. When beginning at GEFARL I was unaware of how crucial this program benefits not only FACTS but Texas State University. We are nationally and perhaps even internationally known for our large body farm which is the second largest in Texas. There are so many beneficial characteristics of those that work behind the scenes. When appreciating the value of the body donation program it is common to wonder what would have been without the program? Without the proper documentation being stored and filed, we would not be able to keep track of the bodies in our farm or the skeletal collections at GEFARL.
Conclusion
There is so much history and knowledge stored, collected, and handled at GEFARL and I am lucky enough to have handled these precious files, skeletal materials, and photos all semester. If we just accepted bodies and kept no record whatsoever either in a database or filing cabinet what message would we be sending to those wanting to donate and the academia that wish to visit and do research? This internship taught me that there is. I have come to appreciate the tasks I am given because I know the donors and families of their loved ones would want their history and stories to be accounted for and whether that is through photos or their confidential information in our records but that duty was mine and I was more than happy to do so. The importance of keep order in our database and procedures is to be able to provide efficient and accessible information for our body and skeletal donations for not only our staff and faculty to use for research and educational purposes but also for the benefit of outside researchers.