[360] 'Body Farm' Founder Dr. William M. Bass to Speak at MTSU

FOR RELEASE: April 2, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

‘BODY FARM’ FOUNDER DR. WILLIAM M. BASS TO SPEAK AT MTSU
Forensic Anthropologist Responsible for Research Furthering Criminal Probes

MURFREESBORO—The man who helped make forensic anthropology a topic of dinner-table conversation will explain “Life at the Body Farm” April 19 as part of the MTSU Legends in Forensic Science Lectureship that bears his name.

Dr. William M. “Bill” Bass, University of Tennessee Professor Emeritus and founder of that institution’s so-called “Body Farm,” more formally known as the Forensic Anthropology Facility, will speak at 6:30 p.m. in MTSU’s Murphy Center.

Following his free public lecture, Bass will autograph his books, including “Flesh and Bone,” “Carved in Bone” and “Death’s Acre,” the latter co-written with Jon Jefferson. The books will be available for purchase on-site.

With more than 30 years of experience in the field, Bass is considered one of the nation’s foremost forensic anthropologists. The “Body Farm” he founded enables students to study the rate of decomposition of human remains in both natural and controlled environments.

The Body Farm has been featured in fiction and nonfiction books as well as television programs such as “The Dead Zone” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”

The Bass Donated Skeletal Collection, which facilitates study of human bone structure and bone trauma, is now the largest collection of contemporary human skeletons in the country, numbering more than 1,000.

MTSU established the William M. Bass Legends in Forensic Science Lectureship in 2007 when it opened the Forensic Institute for Research and Education. FIRE uses an interdisciplinary approach—including biology, chemistry and anthropology programs—to provide training and continuing education for law enforcement and forensic specialists and bring a forensic focus to campus education.

Along with FIRE, the Bass lecture’s sponsors include the MTSU College of Liberal Arts; the College of Basic and Applied Science; the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences; the College of Graduate Studies; the University College; Phillips Bookstore; the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Criminal Justice and Sociology and Anthropology; the MTSU Distinguished Lecture Fund; the Centennial Committee; Middle Tennessee Forensic Science Society; and the Office of the University Provost.

For more information, contact FIRE at 615-494-7713 or fire@mtsu.edu or visit the website at http://mtsu.edu/fire/Lectureship.shtml.


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