The Conclusion of the Facial Reconstruction

This weekend at Rancho Cucamonga's Forensic Science Academy Club between 11:00-14:30 I finally completed and presented on the skull which I performed a cranial reconstruction. A job well done! Here are the three main points I have covered when I completed the reconstruction:

Frontal view of the finished skull that can actually be placed together with  an abundance of glue!

Adolescent Caucasian female within the age of 12-14 year of age based on the dental structure the cranium shows. Cause of death was the frontal lobe blunt-force trauma caused by the steel wrench, which is extremely sensitive and caused an immediate death due to the brain damage and trauma. The individual was not reported missing so I was unable to create an accurate estimate of who the identity belongs to.

• Determining if the skeletal remains are in fact of forensic significance based on the presence of trauma.

Yes, the skeletal remains, of the little portion that we have, are in fact of forensic importance! First off it is rather clear the this individual was a victim of a crime specifically because the posterior ossipetal bone area of the skull appears to be shattered. I initially thought that it was a gunshot entrance wound, but the evidence suggests that it was something much more effective in terms of the entire back being absent. Then I came into another conclusion, the individual may have fallen face backwards in the way that they were given a slight push. This can be derived as evidence since part of the mandible is still stuck to the skull in the way that a strong force of pressure actually made it stay. Usually the mandible is the first thing that falls out of the skull since it is connected with tendons and flesh, but in this case, part of the mandible stayed which suggests that the fall did occur. That's not the end of the story. Post-mortem, which means after death, the criminal wanted to confirm that this individual was dead so they beat them in the most sensitive part of the skull region, known as the anterior fontanelle, with a tool-like blunt force weapon. How was I able to tell that? Near the regions of what I call "the three rivers meet" that appear in the top center of the cranium, this particular individual had continued to have more striations in the bone and cracks to continue in the frontal lobe of the skull. It is extremely certain that this skull was of forensic importance! If I were barely identifying the skull, I would ensure a full investigation would take place.

• Determining the horizontal excavation layer in which the remains were found in order to determine the possible time of death

I was unfortunate enough to not be presented with soil samples or a basic archaeological principle of the forensic anthropology aspect, so I am to assume ( aww :( ) that the individual was left exposed on top of the Earth, rather than buried. There was no evidence of any soil or dirt to be present so this factor cannot be determined further.

• Matching a weapon or natural component that was left as a striation of the remains because of the fact that DNA or lethal vectors need to match to an object used to succeed in the cause of death and match trauma-mortem.

The weapon of death appeared to be a steel tool, a particular tool that had two open ridges and a narrow handle which allowed for a maximum range of blunt-force trauma. After long hours of trying to uncover the pattern and possible goemetric factors, I have finally came to the conclusion that it was a a wrench! It took me what I thought was forever to unravel this particular mystery! When I placed a wrench near the skull it was a perfect match; so happy! ...Not for the result of the victim, of course! The blunt force trauma that showed large cracks and opening within the skull pin-pointed the exact locomotion of a wrench! There was no DNA found, since it was professional cleaned from the basic decomposition oils and dirt, so no match can be made from something.

The murderer is not yet found. 

Blog 27: Self Reflection

1. Positive Statement

• What are you most proud of in your 2-Hour Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

The part that I am most proud of in my 2-hour presentation was how I made my audience engaged with my senior project especially since it has a negative, gross perspective within the media. By making the students really excited for my senior project to continue going on and providing them with hands-on tools, 3D models of human skeletal systems, as well as animal bones to be able to have the application of the sciences that a Forensic Anthropologist is accounted for makes me really proud. Not only that, but because many students were so into my project that the passage of time for a break suggested how the interest of the students was extremely high and I was provided with a lot of positive body language feedback and I have suggested that they all had a fun and amazing educational experience. The fact that my sisters told me that they were jealous of my presentation because I did better than them is so hear-warming considering they excelled within the project.

 On the other hand, on my senior project I was mostly proud of my entire second independent component working with the cranial reconstruction and 3D-ID software programs to recreate the vision and simulation and:

• Determine if the skeletal remains are in fact of forensic significance based on the presence of trauma. 
• Determine the horizontal excavation layer in which the remains were found in order to determine the possible time of death 
• Match a weapon or natural component that was left as a striation of the remains because of the fact that DNA or lethal vectors need to match to an object used to succeed in the cause of death and match trauma-mortem.

Refer to http://jaimeseniorproject.blogspot.com/2012/04/blog-24-independent-component-2.html for a novel-length detailed analysis.

2. Questions to Consider

• A. What assessment would you give yourself on your 2-Hour Presentation (self-assessment)? Why?

The assessment I would give myself on my 2-hour presentation would be an AE because I not only met the requirements, but I also included extra things into my presentation like changing into a clothes to make it seem like a professional explaining the answers throughout the presentation, show real life examples of my answers, directly apply the pedagogy of what I have explained in my presentation, and a side guessing game to encourage the students to use their sensory details to determine if they can figure out if a bone is of forensic importance based on the presence of trauma and if it is human, and show that I put a lot of effort into my presentation by knowing exactly what the topic of Forensic Anthropology was truly about.

• B. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)? Why?

The assessment I would give myself on my overall senior project would be an AE because I have been documenting my senior project with evidence that I have actually been able to directly apply my experience to directly answer my essential question. I have shown a high educational-based senior project topic that has backed me up with export source analysis from professors, Ph.D. credentialed practicing Forensic Anthropologist, and have been able to create the ideal senior project that I-Poly has been waiting for.

3. What worked for you in your senior project?

• I have found service learning at the Forensic Science Academy Club by contacting an alumni who did their project on Forensic Pathology.
• I stayed with .edu/.gov/and .com factual information sites for expert analysis
• I have found high-end credentialed individuals to interview for my senior project
• I have completed and was able to directly apply knowledge from my Intro to Archaeology and Prehistory Independent Component 1 and the 3D-ID Cranial Reconstruction Project for the FSAC.
• I have done exceptionally well in my 5-minute and 20-minute presentations
• I have been a finalist at the I-Poly Science Fair and an Honorable Mention at the LA County Fair in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Documenting everything in my digital portfolio known as a blog by including pictures

4. What didn't work for you in your senior project?
Nothing didn't work for me, I was able to find a solution and was able to be an effective citizen in technology and any opportunities that was able to ensure that my senior project was up-to-date and complete.

5. Finding Value

• How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.

The senior project has been helpful to me in my future endeavors in the way that I have finalized that I will be  obtaining a master's degree in Anthropology with a concentration in biological variation of humans based on geographical location at the University of La Verne. Being more highly competitive and a stellar student in the field of science I will be able to obtain internships and job opportunities that will have expertise that require the establishment and completion of cranial/facial reconstructions, archaeological skeletal remains excavation, as well as hands-on field work experience which I obtained from my education opportunity in Cal Poly Pomona Young Scholar's courses and in the Forensic Science Academy Club Technology Advancement in Forensic Anthropology Workshop.

Blog 26: 2-Hour Presentation

My 2-hour lesson plan using the correct template: Forensic Anthropology 2-Hour Lesson Plan