Current Graduate Students
Entrance: 2024
Sydney Carlson
scarls52@lakers.mercyhurst.edu
B.S. in Applied Forensic Science with a concentration in Forensic Anthropology; minor in Anatomy
Mercyhurst University, Pennsylvania
My interest in forensic science started when I was in high school. I explored the field by having conversations with the local forensic pathologist, viewed several autopsies, and also had a short internship in the Pathology department at a local hospital in Cleveland. I gained further interest in forensic anthropology from watching the TV show Bones. These experiences led me to Mercyhurst for my undergraduate degree. I graduated in May of 2024 with a B.S. in Applied Forensic Science with a concentration in Forensic Anthropology and a minor in Anatomy. During my senior year, I was a work-study for the Applied Forensic Sciences department, participated in research, and attended processing. Alongside my studies, these opportunities allowed me to gain hands-on experience with the osteological collection and the Northeast facility. Outside Mercyhurst, I volunteered for the Physical Anthropology department at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. My volunteering consisted of macerating various primates. My current research interests include forensic taphonomy, clandestine mass grave recovery, and trauma analysis. In the future, I hope to pursue a Ph.D. in Forensic Anthropology with a career in medico-legal death investigation or with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).
Erin Kopec
ekopec68@lakers.mercyhurst.edu
B.S. in Applied Forensic Science with a concentration in Forensic Anthropology; minor in Anatomy
Mercyhurst University, Pennsylvania
I graduated with a B.S. in Applied Forensic Science with a concentration in Anthropology from Mercyhurst University. While I didn’t have any high school courses to bring me into the world of forensics, I always found it extremely interesting and knew that was what I wanted to do in life. As I continued my way through the program at Mercyhurst, I found myself more interested in it day by day. I completed the Fellowship program and became a work-study at Mercyhurst, where I was given the opportunity to work on multiple cases and projects and open my eyes to the different paths of forensics. After my time in my undergraduate studies, I enrolled in the Forensic Science program at Texas Tech University, where I was able to do research in odor analysis on dried bone using a GC-MS. While I enjoyed my time at Texas Tech, I felt that I would get the best education from Mercyhurst and am excited to be back. My research interests include trauma analysis, odor analysis, and forensic taphonomy. After graduate school, I plan on obtaining my M.D. and becoming a medical examiner.
Samantha Myers
smyers58@lakers.mercyhurst.edu
B.S. in Applied Forensic Science with a concentration in Forensic Anthropology; minor in Anatomy
Mercyhurst University, Pennsylvania
My name is Samantha Myers. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Applied Forensic Science with a concentration in Forensic Anthropology here at Mercyhurst. In my time here, I was given many opportunities, including assisting with casework and participating in the summer Fellowship program where I learned vital skills and further fueled my passion for forensic anthropology. I was also given the opportunity to work in the bone lab as a work-study and spent time processing in the lab in North East. There are many areas within the field that I cannot wait to learn more about, but my biggest interests include dental anatomy, osteology, and taphonomy. In the future, I would like to work alongside law enforcement on forensic casework as a medicolegal death investigator and possibly continue my education and get a Ph.D.
Flavia Rossell Hayes
frosse24@lakers.mercyhurst.edu
B.A. in Anthropology; minor in Forensic Entomology
University of California, Davis
As I’m sure applies to many recent aspiring forensic anthropologists, I first became interested in my field by watching Bones. After earning an associate’s degree in Anthropology at Santa Monica College, I was finally able to get up close and personal with forensics research at the University of California, Davis, where I majored in Anthropology and minored in Forensic Entomology. During my time at UC Davis, I served as a research assistant for a Mercyhurst master’s alum, developing new methods for skeletal identification. I also volunteered in the Human Osteology Lab, inventorying the Anthropology department’s collection of skeletal remains. While my experience so far has primarily been in osteology, I’m excited for the opportunity to expand the breadth of my forensic knowledge at Mercyhurst. My research interests are expansive, including age and sex estimation, taphonomy, forensic odontology, and post-mortem interval. In the future, I hope to work in forensic pathology and medicolegal death investigation.
Edith Torres
etorre50@lakers.mercyhurst.edu
B.S. in Anthropology with a concentration in Forensics; minor in Criminal Justice
Western Carolina University
I attended Western Carolina University and earned my B.S. in Anthropology with a concentration in Forensics, along with a minor in Criminal Justice in May 2024. From a young age, I was always captivated by the criminal justice system. My interest in forensic anthropology began to flourish as I read about immigrants who tragically passed away on their journeys and learned about the efforts made toward their identification. As both a daughter and sister to immigrants, I have always been deeply committed to advocating for human rights in this field.
During my time at Western Carolina University, I had the opportunity to further cultivate my passion for Forensic Anthropology by volunteering and interning at the Forensic Osteology Research Station (FOREST) under the mentorship of Dr. Rebecca George and Dr. Katie Zejdlik. Through this experience, I gained valuable lab and field skills, including the opportunity to lead my own team. The knowledge and experience I acquired during my undergraduate studies have motivated me to continue my education to become a more impactful contributor to the field. My academic journey has sparked a strong interest in trauma, skeletal biology, post-mortem intervals, and human rights, which I look forward to exploring further.
In the future, I would like to work in death investigation, human identification, or a related field, possibly right after earning my master's degree or following a Ph.D. program.
Chloe Yingling
cyingl34@lakers.mercyhurst.edu
B.S. in Anthropological Sciences; minors in Forensics and Biological Basis of Behavior
The Ohio State University
I attended Ohio State University as an undergrad, where I earned a B.S. in Anthropological Sciences and double minors in Forensics and Biological Basis of Behavior. Forensic anthropology has been my life’s passion for as long as I can remember. During my time at OSU, I had the ability to explore and gain invaluable experience in the field. I had the unique opportunity to travel to Poland for a summer, where we focused on excavating a medieval burial ground. While in Poland, I gained skills in excavation, cleaning, and retrieving bones from SITU. In the lab, I gained hands-on experience building biological profiles, handling subadult remains, and identifying highly fragmentary remains. On campus, I became a volunteer at the Injury and Biomechanics Research Center, where I worked under Dr. Amanda Agnew. I was a member of the Bone Processing team, in which I often led other undergrads in the processing of bone specimens to obtain teaching-level quality. Dually, I worked as a lab assistant for Dr. Clark Larsen in the Bioarchaeology Lab. Under Dr. Larsen, I completed multiple projects, in which I was exposed to incredible teaching tools and research. I also was a teacher assistant (TA) for Dr. Larsen in the courses he taught: Human Osteology and Bioarchaeology. In these roles, I was expected to identify, orient, and side various skeletal elements and aid in the knowledge acquisition of these aspects to students. Being a TA is where I discovered my adoration for teaching and mentorship. Following my master’s, I intend to pursue a doctoral degree in a related field that will allow me to continue to teach and mentor others while conducting research. My current research interests include trauma analysis, dental anthropology, gender disparities, and systemic disparities. It is important to me to bring a biocultural, holistic, and intersectional mindset into the research that I conduct. I am excited to have the opportunity to continue my education and research here at Mercyhurst!
2025 Graduates
Samantha Buck
B.S. in Applied Forensic Science with a concentration in Forensic Anthropology; minor in Anatomy
Mercyhurst University, Pennsylvania
My passion for forensic anthropology began when I attended a forensics summer camp in high school at my local community college. There, I explored the various sciences that forensics encompasses, but forensic anthropology piqued my interest. I spent my undergraduate years here at Mercyhurst University, where I graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Applied Forensic Sciences with a concentration in Forensic Anthropology and a minor in Anatomy. During my junior and senior years, I became a work-study for the Department of Applied Forensic Science and partook in the summer fellowship. Through both opportunities, I gained an immense amount of experience with our donated collection through processing and taking inventory of our human and zooarchaeological remains, as well as creating a human skeletal features study guide. I also participated in multiple outdoor forensic recoveries, as well as osteological and biological profile analyses in the lab. My research interests include trauma analysis, forensic taphonomy, and genetic genealogy. In the future, I plan to pursue a Ph.D. in forensic anthropology and then begin a career with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) or a medico-legal death investigation agency.
Jessica Cronin
jcroni93@lakers.mercyhurst.edu
B.A. in Integrative Biology with a concentration in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology
University of California, Berkeley
I graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in December of 2022 with a B.A. in Integrative Biology. Due to the broad nature of my department, I explored a wide variety of research interests during my undergraduate career, from freshwater food web ecology to paleoepidemiology. I had the opportunity to work with the collection at the Center for Dental History and Craniofacial Study (CDHCS) at the University of the Pacific, A.A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco. At UOP, my focus was normal variation in the size and shape of subadult crania using geometric morphometrics. My interest in forensic anthropology was piqued in 2018 during the Camp Fire, which wiped out the town of Paradise in Northern California. A fellow researcher at CDHCS who was pursuing Forensic Odontology at the University of Nevada, Reno assisted in the mass disaster recovery that followed. Natural disasters such as wildfires hit close to home (literally), and I look forward to combining my love of bones and biology with the opportunity to be useful during such an event. My research interests also include post-mortem interval, trauma analysis, and zooarchaeology, but I am open to learning about almost anything! I ultimately intend to pursue a Ph.D. in Forensic Anthropology.
Graziella M. Durand Ortega
gduran82@lakers.mercyhurst.edu
B.A. in Anthropology with a concentration in Archaeology and Socio-Cultural Anthropology
University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus
My name is Graziella M. Durand Ortega, and I’m a University of Puerto Rico “IUPI” alumni with a B.A. in Anthropology with concentrations in Archeology and Social-Cultural Anthropology. My passion for forensic and biological anthropology started in high school. Before that, I was interested in forensics and criminal justice. Everything changed in my last year of high school when I started to read more about forensic anthropology and read papers of the late and unique Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Edwin Crespo. At university, I expanded my liking for archeology, being mentored by Dr. Diana Lopez Sotomayor, and bioarchaeology, paleontology, and so many more by taking classes with Dr. Luz Muñoz. To them, I owe my extensive knowledge and curiosity for forensic anthropology and others. I also was fortunate enough to have assisted in master’s research during my final years as a graduate student, where I learned about forensic taphonomy. Besides, during my B.A., I completed a certificate in Types of Death and their Characteristics, where I learned more about the different types of death from their decomposition state, to how they handle the bodies for examination, to what we can expect from the position the body is found, and so much more. My interest in research is forensic taphonomy (mass graves and missing person cases), bioarchaeology, paleopathology, osteology, and forensic DNA analysis. I hope I can continue to expand more of this research and after graduating, hopefully, continue my Ph.D. and, later, work on a medico-legal investigation or Latin American forensic team and continue to help those who want to learn more about this fabulous career.
Stephen Hostetler
shoste85@lakers.mercyhurst.edu
B.S. in Anthropology, B.S. in Chemistry; minor in Environment and Health
Michigan State University
My name is Stephen Hostetler. I received a B.S. in Anthropology and B.S. in Chemistry from Michigan State University. At Michigan State University, I was awarded an assistantship, allowing me to do independent research under the supervision of the Director of the MSU FAL, Dr. Carolyn Isaac. My research was focused on trends in comparative medical radiography as a means of positive identification. My current research interests are related to forensic taphonomy, biochemical post-mortem interval estimation, and osteological pathologies. I would like to work in death investigation, whether it be immediately after my master’s program or after a Ph.D. program.
Brailey Moeder
bmoede96@lakers.mercyhurst.edu
B.S. in Anthropology (Forensic concentration); minor in Biology (Natural Science concentration)
Washburn University, Kansas
I earned my B.S. in Anthropology (Forensic concentration) with a minor in Biology (Natural Science concentration) in 2022 at Washburn University in Topeka, KS. I was born and raised in Kansas. My love for forensics has been very apparent from a young age, but my true passion for anthropology was discovered at Washburn University. Here, I was able to become a student volunteer for the Washburn University Forensic Anthropology Recovery Unit (WU-FARU) alongside my mentors Dr. Alexandra R. Klales, Ph.D., D-ABFA (#123) and Dr. Ashley Maxwell. As a student volunteer, I was given the opportunity to take part in recovery cases, multiple directed research projects, and gain lab/field experience. During my participation in casework, I encountered a diverse range of forensic cases that led me to develop a special interest in taphonomy, specifically, unusual taphonomy. My other research interests include postmortem interval (PMI), trauma analysis, and human rights. My academic experiences thus far have motivated me to either pursue a Ph.D. in forensic anthropology or a career in medico-legal death investigation, but ultimately, I aspire to become a board-certified forensic anthropologist.
Jordan Proffitt
jproff24@lakers.mercyhurst.edu
B.S. in Anthropology, Archaeological Sciences Emphasis
University of Arizona
While studying archaeology at the University of Arizona, I realized that for all my love of ancient civilizations, I wanted to use anthropology to make real change in the world. During what should have been the height of my undergraduate archaeology experience—the excavation of Roman and Etruscan ruins during a summer aboard—I found myself fearful that the culmination of my future work would be just a book on a shelf. The justice aspect of forensic anthropology, as well as its scientific rigor and versatile applications, attracted me to the field in my junior year. Soon, I was enrolled in Osteology classes, volunteering on a burial excavation, and was accepted as an intern at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner to be mentored by Dr. Jen Vollner. At the PCOME, my appreciation for forensic contributions to justice was refined to a specific passion for forensic anthropologists’ role in the protection of human rights and the prosecution of those who violate them. My experience with humanitarian crises on the U.S.-Mexico border and in Indigenous communities cemented my conviction in the unique mission of forensic anthropology, as well as in my own place within the field. I was encouraged to apply to Mercyhurst by my forensic anthropology professor and undergrad mentor, Dr. Robin Reineke, and soon found the program to be exactly the mix of demanding classwork and abundant casework that I’d been looking for. In the future, I look forward to a career that allows me to investigate cases involving human rights violations and work synchronously with other forensic professionals to identify and bring justice to the dead.
Tyler Smith
tsmith93@lakers.mercyhurst.edu
B.A. in Anthropology with a concentration in Biological Anthropology
University of Massachusetts, Boston
In terms of my undergraduate years, I attended the University of Massachusetts Boston, where I majored in Anthropology with a Biological Anthropology concentration. My interest in forensic anthropology was first sparked when I did an internship at Tufts Medical Center when I interned in the Radiology department. This spark was further ignited when I took my first Biological Anthropology course at Umass Boston. In this course, we covered an interesting subfield of biological anthropology, which is forensic anthropology, and the rest is history. A fun fact about me is that I always enjoyed solving puzzles, and forensics is essentially the same thing, only with a much greater purpose, to help in investigations and provide peace of mind to the bereaved. I had the opportunity to take a dedicated forensic anthropology course at Umass Boston, and it covered numerous topics, so many of them caught my eye, but if I had to name a few that stood out, it would have to be skeletal trauma analysis, as well as sex and age estimation. These are the areas in which I would like to explore further. After the competition of this program, my hope is to assist law enforcement in any way I can regarding death investigations.
Emily Stewart
estewa31@lakers.mercyhurst.edu
B.A. in Forensic Anthropology and Psychology
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
I graduated summa cum laude from the University of Tennessee, having studied both Forensic Anthropology and Psychology. While originally intending to pursue the field of forensic psychology, I was introduced to the Anthropological Research Facility at UT (better known as the Body Farm) and was immediately fascinated with the field of forensic anthropology. I am especially interested in skeletal biology, pathologies, and examining trauma in skeletal remains. I am fortunate enough to have worked with multiple skeletal remains, as well as very recently deceased donated bodies through my classes at the University of Tennessee. I am hoping to work in the death investigation field after my time at Mercyhurst and would also be interested in pursuing an advanced degree in Osteology or Forensic Anthropology.
Nicole Wray
B.A. in Anthropology; minors in Forensics and Biology
North Carolina State University
I started my undergraduate career at North Carolina State University majoring in Anthropology and graduated with honors from the Anthropology department, as well as the University Scholars program. After being exposed to multiple disciplines within anthropology, I quickly found interest in specializations, such as bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology. I was able to participate in multiple field schools and took several internship positions to expand my knowledge and experience. I began an internship at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in the Paleontology Collections department, where I was tasked with organizing and housing incoming specimens from the field. I traveled to a northwest town in Cyprus, and over the course of a month, excavated a prehistoric site with a fellow group of students. Later that summer, I camped in the desert of Utah for a couple of weeks with a group from the Museum of Natural Sciences to assist in the excavation of their quarries, one of which produced a Hadrosaurus. Through both of these excavation experiences, I was able to get a taste of various methods utilized by different fields of study while solidifying mapping, surveying, and collection techniques. Within the university, I was given a position in the History and Archaeology department to assist with the organization and identification of artifacts brought from projects in Petra, Jordan. I participated in a Zooarchaeology course during my undergrad, and in that course, undertook a project which coded faunal remains from a site in Petra, Jordan. Now, I am excited to be a part of the Forensic and Biological Anthropology program and am looking forward to further developing my technical abilities within the field of death investigation.
Gillian Wright
gwrigh21@lakers.mercyhurst.edu
B.S. in Anthropology
Michigan State University
I began my college career at Michigan State University, where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology. Anthropology was not originally on my radar. However, at orientation for undergrad, I expressed my interest in forensics and was advised that anthropology was the way for me to go! As I explored the different subfields, I felt reassured in my biological and forensic anthropology classes, that this was what I was passionate about. Attaining good grades and being placed on the Dean's list every semester of my undergrad is something I prioritized during my four years at Michigan State, which eventually led me to land an internship and then a full-time job with the local Medical Examiner's Office in Lansing. This helped me narrow down my interests. I currently have research interests in skeletal biology, skeletal element recovery rates, and forensic taphonomy. I am excited to dive deeper into these, as well as other areas of forensic anthropology. While the future is unpredictable, I plan to finish my master's degree in two years and am interested in working within the medicolegal death field. I am excited about what these next two years have in store for me at Mercyhurst! Go Lakers!