Final year University of Greenwich Forensic Science students took part in a mock dig to discover imitation bones and bits of clothing from a field. Forensic Science lecturers buried the bones in the soil on the university’s Avery Hill campus earlier in the week for the students to find.
As part of a new module open to students for the first time – Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology – the students’ goal was to find the site, and then excavate large graves to locate the bones and bring them out safely.
“The day gave a real insight into how difficult the job can be – it was definitely an eye opener,” said Maisie Orange, a student who participated in the dig.
The group will now be using the imitation remains they have excavated to put together a skeletal biological profile. This will involve coming to conclusions about the sex, stature, age, ancestry as well as associated pathologies and traumas to potentially identify who the remains belong to.
Another practical project this particular group were involved in this term was a mock scattered remains dig, which was assessed. Dressed in their PPE, they needed to secure an area on Medway’s Pembroke lawn and then search for scattered evidence. The area was treated as a real crime scene, with anyone entering it being stopped and documented.
Staff are hoping to bury the bones for next year’s remains dig very soon. This would allow grass to grow back over the site, which would give their students an even more realistic scene to work with and gain experience from.
