Washburn University Forensic Anthropology Recovery Unit

05/28/2026

Dr. K is in Hawai'i for two weeks at the University of Hawai’i Manoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine. Dr. K, along with eight members of the MOSAIC team, is collecting skeletal data for their research grant!

More about the collection: “The JABSOM Skeletal Collection, formally known as the Mann-Labrash Osteological Collection, is housed at the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. It is one of the only contemporary collections of known-identity human skeletal remains, primarily used to advance forensic anthropology and medical education.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32524099/

More about the MOSAIC project: https://anthropology.unm.edu/news-events/news/item/mosaic-creating-the-first-of-its-kind-database-for-analyzing-human-remains.html

05/27/2026

Check out the SOAN Spring 2026 newsletter for updates on the WU-FARU, our faculty/students, and the entire department!

05/26/2026

We still have spots open in our upcoming June 2026 short courses!

Applying MorphoPASSE to Forensic Casework
June 5, 2026 from 8am to 5pm (online synchronous w/ Dr. Klales) (Cost $125)

Human Skeletal Biology: Estimating the Biological Profile
June 1-15, 2026 (online asynchronous) (Cost $450)

Registration Link: https://secure.touchnet.net/C21751_ustores/web/store_main.jsp?STOREID=5&SINGLESTORE=true

Information: https://tower.washburn.edu/wu-faru/wu-faru-courses.html

05/14/2026

Hot off the presses! Check out Dr. K's co-authored research article, "Testing Approaches to Population Affinity/S*x Classification Using Fordisc 3.1: Considerations for Best Practice Recommendations for U.S. Forensic Casework" published in early view in Forensic Anthropology!

Test Approaches to Population Affinity/S*x Classification Using Fordisc 3.1 Considerations for Best Practice Recommendations for U.S. Forensic Casework Article Sidebar Requires Subscription or Fee PDF (USD 25) Published: May 14, 2026 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5744/fa.2025.0025 Keywords: forensic anthr...

05/08/2026

Former WU-FARU volunteer, BS Anthro grad, and former Forensic Anthro lab assistant! Congratulations Sabrina!

Today, Johnson & Mass-Hinitt is proud to celebrate our newly licensed funeral director and embalmer, Sabrina Cathcart! If you see her out and about, be sure to congratulate her—and wish her a very happy birthday, too! 🎉

05/01/2026

Congrats Dr. M and all the SOAN faculty!

04/23/2026

WU-FARU’s Dr. Klales hit 10 years of service!

04/22/2026

UPDATE: for winning second place!

Congratulations to Paige Lynch for being selected by the American Association for Anatomy (AAA) and the Committee for Early Career Anatomists (CECA) as a finalist for the AAA Postdoctoral Poster Presentation Award at AAA’s Annual Meeting Anatomy Connected occurring April 17-20, 2026, in Albuquerque, NM! Paige is presenting her research “Innominate Morphology Beyond the P***s: Evaluating Alternative Traits for S*x Estimation.”

WU-FARU’s Dr. Klales is a co-author and a co-PI on the larger grant project from which Paige’s research stemmed.

04/22/2026

Thank you to Morgan McCune and Melissa Lewis for all that they do to support WU-FARU faculty, staff, and students!

04/19/2026

Congratulations to Paige Lynch for being selected by the American Association for Anatomy (AAA) and the Committee for Early Career Anatomists (CECA) as a finalist for the AAA Postdoctoral Poster Presentation Award at AAA’s Annual Meeting Anatomy Connected occurring April 17-20, 2026, in Albuquerque, NM! Paige is presenting her research “Innominate Morphology Beyond the P***s: Evaluating Alternative Traits for S*x Estimation.”

WU-FARU’s Dr. Klales is a co-author and a co-PI on the larger grant project from which Paige’s research stemmed.