Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State

Congratulations to our PhD graduate, ChristiAna Dunham, for recently defending her dissertation, "The Effects of Activity Level and Obesity on Bone Microstructural Properties and Their Utilization in Forensic Identification."

Using x-ray computed tomography, ChristiAna's dissertation investigated the effects of activity level, age-related decreased loading, and obesity on bone properties in a contemporary donated skeletal collection, providing foundational knowledge for future methods. To assess the accessibility and utility of these future methods, her dissertation also explores how low-resolution imaging, such as medical computed tomography, performs in collecting accurate bone property data.

We are so proud of your hard work and dedication. Way to go, ChristiAna!👏🏼


Texas State University Texas State Department of Anthropology TXST Liberal Arts The Graduate College at Texas State University

Congratulations to the Texas Equusearch group who completed a human versus nonhuman bone identification workshop at our forensic anthropology research facility this week!

Texas Equusearch is a nonprofit group that provides searches and recoveries for those in need. We have enjoyed your time and appreciate the important work Texas Equusearch does for families and law enforcement.

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Our next Thesis Spotlight is second-year master's student, Daniela Martinez-Herrera!
Daniela's thesis is titled "Challenges of Postmortem Fingerprinting in Eagle Pass, Texas."

Daniela successfully defended her thesis on April 2nd and is continuing her education in the University of Arizona's doctoral program! She has also received the University Fellows Award. This is a prestigious fellowship only offered to the University of Arizona's highest-ranked incoming graduate students.

A huge congratulations to you, Daniela! We cannot wait to see what you accomplish next!👏🏼🐾



Texas State University TXST Liberal Arts The Graduate College at Texas State University Operation Identification Texas State Department of Anthropology The University of Arizona

Congratulations to first-year master’s student, Morgan McGuire, on receiving THREE scholarships!

Morgan has received the American School of Research Scholarship from the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA). The AIA is the oldest and largest archaeological organization in North America, dedicated to promoting archaeological research and education. This highly competitive award supports students attending field schools at Eastern Hemisphere sites occupied before the mid–first millennium BCE. Morgan was also awarded the Texas State Graduate College Scholarship, a merit-based award designed to help students complete their graduate degree. Lastly, she received the John Michael Kilby Memorial Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Anthropology. This is awarded to students in Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, and Cultural Anthropology at Texas State to support student research, including analysis, equipment, materials, and travel.

Morgan says, “I am beyond thankful for each of these awards and to those who have supported me thus far. This funding will help make my dreams a reality by advancing the travel and research for my thesis, ‘A Biomechanical Study of Femora from the Ancient Eastern Mediterranean.’ My work examines how skeletal remains from Greece and Cyprus reflect large-scale cultural, economic, and political transformations across the Late Bronze Age through the Early Christian period. I am truly grateful for the opportunities that make this work possible”.

A huge round of applause to you, Morgan! We cannot wait to see where your research takes you! 👏🏼🎉



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Congratulations to all our Anthropology graduates! We're sad to see you all go, but cannot wait to see where your journey takes you next. FACTS is proud of you all. Go Bobcats! 🎓🎉

Texas State University TXST Liberal Arts Texas State Department of Anthropology The Graduate College at Texas State University Operation Identification

Congratulations to the first and second-year master's students! Most of the first-year students have successfully defended their thesis proposals, while the second-year students are on their way to walk the stage!
We are so proud of each and every one of you🎉


Texas State University Texas State Department of Anthropology TXST Liberal Arts The Graduate College at Texas State University

Please join us in congratulating FACTS’ graduate students Madison Glenwinkel and Bec Krolczyk who were awarded the winner and the runner-up, respectively, for the Department of Anthropology’s Outstanding Master’s Student!
Here they are pictured next to their advisors, Drs. Elaine Chu and Daniel Wescott. Keep being outstanding!👏🏼

Texas State Department of Anthropology Texas State University TXST Liberal Arts The Graduate College at Texas State University

Dr. Sophia Mavroudas recently published a powerful study on forensic casework in Greece and how migration is reshaping the medicolegal landscape. Her paper, "An evaluation of forensic casework in Greece: The impact of migration on the medicolegal system and a call for systematic decedent accounting for case resolution," calls for stronger identification protocols and systematic decedent accounting to transform case resolution for unidentified individuals.

This research is an ongoing collaborative effort between Dr. Mavroudas, FACTS, and the University of Crete Forensic Medicine Unit.

We encourage you to read this important work. 📚Click this link to read!🔗
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00414-026-03787-0


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FACTS was pleased to recently welcome visiting research Kate Bender. Kate is a master’s student in anthropology at Wichita State University. She is examining s*xual dimorphism in the ulna, specifically in ages 39-59 to reduce bias due to osteoarthritis. Her goal is to determine if measurements of the ulna are useful in s*x estimation in unknown decedents.

Kate is happy to be here at FACTS working with the TXSTDSC. She appreciates the large collection and its excellent records about each donor. She is also thrilled to be introduced to FACTS’ favorite Pita Shop!🥙

Best of luck on your research, Kate. Come back and visit us anytime.


Texas State University Texas State Department of Anthropology The Pita Shop Wichita State University

📚NEW WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITY!📚

Dr. Elaine Chu is offering a three-day workshop designed for students and professionals interested in learning how to use R programming software.
In this workshop, you'll cover R language, data organization, research design, automating analyses, reproducible results, and shareable derivatives.
Whether you're working on a project or just curious about statistics, this course is a perfect fit.

Sign up now! August 10-12, 2026.

https://www.txst.edu/anthropology/facts/workshops/appbiostatsr.html