Anthropology majors Kelsey Carpenter, Mari Isa, and Kyla Cools recently received honors for their research presentations at the annual MSU University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF), held at the MSU Student Union on April 4, 2014. Kelsey, Mari, and Kyla received First Place Awards in their respective sections within the Social Sciences division. Approximately 660 students presented at this year’s forum.
Kelsey’s presentation, entitled Cranial Fracture Patterns in Pediatric Deaths: Homicides and Accidents (abstract on page 134) focused on differentiating between inflicted and accidental injuries in cases of infant deaths involving head trauma. Mari’s presentation, Fracture Initiation and Propagation in Pediatric Blunt Cranial Trauma (abstract on page 145), focused on the interpretation of cranial fractures in cases of suspected child abuse. Dr. Todd Fenton advised both Kelsey and Mari as they completed their projects in the MSU Forensic Anthropology Laboratory.
Kyla’s presentation, entitled Ceramics at the Aztalan Site: Results of the 2013 MSU Excavations (abstract on page 143), compared ceramics found during the 2013 field season to collections previously excavated at Aztalan. Dr. Lynne Goldstein, director of the MSU Archaeology Field School at Aztalan, advised Kyla on her project.