Title of presentation: Body Farm, FSU: Advancing Forensic Anthropology Research at FSU PC Through Establishing a Body Farm in the Florida Panhandle
Presenter: Sydney Pellerin
Advisor: Charla S. Perdue, MS, MFS
Abstract:
As part of the Crime Scene Investigation curriculum at Florida State University Panama City, I have received approval for a Capstone Project proposal designed to complete research needed to further forensic anthropology research through the establishment of a Body Farm (an extension of various anthropology research centers), likely in the Florida Panhandle. This student-led project is intended to help advance Florida State University's presence in the fields of forensic anthropology and forensic death investigation. My research will seek to determine what steps are needed to help pursue the possibility of establishing a Forensic Anthropology Research Facility in the Florida Panhandle. This facility, otherwise known as a Body Farm, will help advance FSU's prominence in this field. This study will investigate the possibility of establishing a Forensic Anthropology Research Facility, known as a Body Farm, in the Florida Panhandle. It acknowledges and proactively responds to challenges (such as geographical distance between current body farms, the indication of a desire for expansion and contribution based on Florida's progressive property market and tourism appeal, and a growing need for a currently nonexistent, communicative forensic anthropology public forum) by addressing the logistics of utilizing a central, subtropic location, as well as equipping law enforcement and individuals with experience/ potential interest in the field with knowledge transferring tools necessary for harnessing research, revealing relevant and distinctive messages within postmortem, criminal studies, and changing the course of death investigation and forensic anthropological investigation management.