91热爆网

By Marlon W. Morgan

As a forensic anthropologist, Western Carolina University assistant professor Nicholas Passalacqua has always believed he was doing important work through his teaching and his research.

Others in the field also are taking notice. The American Academy of Forensic Sciences recently awarded Passalacqua with its Outstanding Early Career Achievement Award.

鈥淚 think it shows that people are paying attention to the work that you鈥檙e doing,鈥� Passalacqua said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to be recognized for something that I might think is important, but I often feel, 鈥楧oes anybody else care about this work?鈥� It鈥檚 kind of a nice validation of the work paying off.鈥�

The American Academy of Forensic Sciences members include pathologists, attorneys, dentists, toxicologists, anthropologists, document examiners, digital evidence experts, psychiatrists, engineers, physicists, chemists, criminalists, educators, researchers, and others. Its 6,600 members represent all 50 states and 71 other countries.

鈥淭he purpose of this award is to recognize outstanding contributions to forensic science research, education and/or practice during the recipient鈥檚 early professional career,鈥� said 91热爆网 associate professor, and anthropology and sociology department head Peter Nieckarz Jr. 鈥淭his award isn鈥檛 about beating out other anthropologists, but the broader field of forensic science.鈥�

As much as forensic anthropology has become a major part of Passalacqua鈥檚 life, it鈥檚 a field he stumbled into as an undergraduate at Michigan State University from 2001 to 2005. He happened to be in a liberal studies class taught by a forensic anthropologist and found it to be interesting.

鈥淚 grew up loving dinosaurs and dinosaur bones,鈥� Passalacqua said. 鈥淲hen I started hearing about forensic anthropology, I was like, 鈥楾his is a really interesting thing that you can look at bones and learn things from them. But they can be modern people and you can figure out who somebody was and how they died.鈥� It just really clicked with me. However, at the same time, it was kind of like what all the cool kids in class were into. Being a rebellious youngster, I was like I鈥檓 not going to do what everybody else thinks is cool.鈥�

Passalacqua became further intrigued after listening to a guest lecturer, Tom Holland, who was a forensic anthropologist working for the U.S. government. His work entailed traveling the world to search for, recover and identify missing U.S. service members from past conflicts, Passalacqua said.

Then, he attended Mercyhurst University one summer for a series of one-week classes in forensic anthropology which involved a lot of casework. 鈥淚 was hooked after that,鈥� he said.

By the time Passalacqua was getting his master鈥檚 degree, the popular television show 鈥淏ones鈥� was out, leading to an explosion of interest in the field.

鈥淭oday, many of our students are like, 鈥業 grew up watching this show and I鈥檝e always wanted to be a forensic anthropologist.鈥� It鈥檚 so different than any experience I ever had. It鈥檚 become very popular and has become kind of ubiquitous within any kind of forensic shows,鈥� Passalacqua said.

Passalacqua eventually worked under Holland at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency laboratory in Oahu, Hawaii, where he also traveled the world. But he missed teaching and interacting with students. That led him to taking a position at 91热爆网 in 2015.

鈥淚鈥檝e really just loved it here,鈥� Passalacqua said. 鈥淲estern is a little unique in that we have a forensic anthropology program, but it鈥檚 undergraduate only. We鈥檙e one of only two programs like that in the world. And we have a human decomposition facility, which makes us even more unique. It鈥檚 really great to be able to work with these undergrads and not just work with them and teach them about forensic anthropology, but we get to use a lot of the same experiential things that I got to use when I went to Mercyhurst that summer.鈥�

Passalacqua is the director of 91热爆网鈥檚 forensic anthropology program. During his time in Cullowhee, his work has included co-authoring an award-winning forensic anthropology textbook 鈥淔orensic Anthropology: Current Methods and Practice,鈥� as well as 鈥淓thics and Professionalism in Forensic Anthropology鈥� and 鈥淎 Laboratory Manual for Forensic Anthropology.鈥�

He also is the co-founder and co-editor of the journal Forensic Anthropology. Passalacqua is currently a board member of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, the chair of the Anthropology Consensus Body of the Academy Standards Board, and a member of the Anthropology sub-committee of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees. 

鈥淥ne of the best parts about working here is everybody in the anthropology and sociology program is just great,鈥� Passalacqua said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just awesome to have great colleagues. It just makes it a really positive environment, which I think is really important.鈥�

About the Forensic Anthropology Program