Ellis R. Kerley

Forensic Sciences Foundation

February 20, 2003 -- The Ellis R. Kerley Forensic Sciences Foundation today announces the winner of the 2003 Ellis R. Kerley Award.  The $1000 grant was awarded to Phoebe R. Stubblefield, PhD, of Gainesville, Florida.  The award-winning paper was entitled “Body Weight Estimation in Forensic Anthropology”  and it provided an historical perspective and summary of recent research into the difficult problem of assessing body weight from the skeleton in human identification.  The paper was presented at the 55th annual meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) in Chicago, IL.

            The award, the second issued by the Foundation, was presented during a reception held for the physical anthropology section of the AAFS.  The award is granted for the paper or poster which best demonstrates originality, creativity, depth of research, innovation, new methodologies, research design, significance to the field, and/or potential impact on the practices of forensic anthropology. 

            Dr. Stubblefield’s research began as a test of techniques for estimating body weight in large-brained fossil hominids, but she soon realized the potential forensic applications.  Previous research had concentrated on the skull, using human and nonhuman primate examples.  In forensic work, the skull might be the only remains recovered.  Dr. Stubblefield’s research differed in using just a human sample from which to develop equations for estimating body weight.  She also used estimates of body fatness derived from skinfold measurements to examine how “lean” weight interacts with cranial measurements. 

            Dr. Stubblefield is currently an assistant lecturer at the University of Florida and postdoctoral associate for the C.A. Pound Human Identification Lab.

            The Ellis R. Kerley Forensic Sciences Foundation was started in 2000 in memory of Ellis R. Kerley, forensic anthropologist (1924-1998), to promote the development of forensic anthropology by providing educational opportunities to students through scholarships and by encouraging further research from colleagues by providing grants to scientists who make a difference in the field of forensic anthropology. 

For More Information Contact:

Ellis Kerley Forensic Sciences Foundation
Tel: 678/467-7248
Internet: info@elliskerleyforensicsciencesfoundation.org

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