School trip!

Just wanted to share a lovely experience I had recently with you... The other day, Cranfield Forensic Institute hosted a group of 12 year olds from a local public school (a private school to those abroad) for a day celebrating STEM subjects. The students were the brightest in their class, and had especially chosen to visit us because they were particularly interested in forensic science. We gave them lectures and hands-on exercises to help them learn about forensic biomechanics, forensic anthropology and even ballistics. I talked to them about the sort of questions a Forensic Anthropologist can answer when presented with unknown bones, and we discussed the differences between male and female skeletons; how to tell how old someone was when s/he died; how to distinguish human bones from animal bones; as well as looking at some skeletal diseases and signs of trauma. The children were so attentive and enthusiastic, and full of lots of really insightful questions. It gave me real pleasure to see the excitement and interest in their eyes and to be part of their learning experience. I do hope some of them become the Forensic Anthropologists of the future!