Dennis C. Dirkmaat

Dr. Dennis Dirkmaat is an Associate Professor of Anthropology in the Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute at Mercyhurst College where he teaches courses in physical anthropology and forensic anthropology at one of the top undergraduate Anthropology programs in North America. He also is director of the only post baccalaureate program in Forensic Anthropology in the country. In the spring of 2002 he was asked to develop and serve as director of a new undergraduate program in Applied Forensic Sciences at the school. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh (Ph.D., 1989) he is one of only two board-certified forensic anthropologists in the state of Pennsylvania, as well as one of only two Anthropology Fellows of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in the state (Dr. Symes, newly hired by Mercyhurst is the other). Dr. Dirkmaat has conducted over 140 forensic anthropology cases for nearly 30 coroners, medical examiners and state police in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (and have included nearly 40 field recoveries involving the processing of evidence from human death scenes, and the comprehensive forensic anthropological analysis of over 60 sets of human remains). He has published articles on the role of archaeology in forensic investigation in general and fatal fire scenes in particular. He participated as a primary forensic anthropologist during mass fatalities in Pittsburgh (USAir Flight 427 crash in 1994), the island of Guam (KAL Flight 801 crash in 1997); Rhode Island (EgyptAir 990 crash in 1999) and is currently a member of the national Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team. In September 2001 he served as the primary scientific advisor to Somerset County Coroner Wallace Miller during the recovery and identification of victims of United Flight 93. In addition, he has presented over 50 lectures and papers discussing forensic investigation and anthropology at numerous regional and national meetings.

Dr. Dennis C. Dirkmaat Director, Applied Forensic Sciences Department Mercyhurst College 501 E. 38th St. Erie, PA 16546 dirkmaat@mercyhurst.edu (814) 824-2105