August 1, 2006 Source: :
http://www.smu.ca/newsreleases/2006/08-08-01-2006.html When the skull speaks, Dr. Tanya Peckmann listens Dr. Tanya Peckmann has found a new use for ultrasound. The forensic anthropologist at Saint Mary’s University wants to use the medical device, which is often used to check on the development of a human fetus, to measure the faces of living adults and children. Those measurements can then be used to help police with forensic facial reconstruction--police can take an unidentified skull and using Peckmann’s research create a 3D image of what the living individual would have looked like during life. "The research is groundbreaking," she says, "It’s aiding in solving crimes against people of indigenous ancestry who’ve historically been ignored by the Canadian judicial system." The work may appear ghoulish, admits Dr. Peckmann, but it’s important to the families involved. When the police find skeletal remains—a skull, for example—being able to reconstruct what a face looked like can help identify the individual. "It means that the missing person can have a voice," she says, "and it can give closure to family members." Even more important are cases of missing children who have been kidnapped but are still alive. "When a child goes missing at age three, and three years later are still not found this data will help with age progression data, it will create a more accurate picture of what that child looks like now," says Dr. Peckmann. "If I can get a large number of volunteers, the picture will be more complete." She particularly wants to work with Canadian aboriginal communities because almost all of the existing data is for white European populations. Dr. Peckmann has received approval for a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant to work with members from first nation communities in Atlantic Canada. "We need data for aboriginal communities that are specific and accurate and appropriate for that community," she says. She plans to spend this summer working with two SMU students from the aboriginal community developing the project. Together they will offer workshops and seminars so that members participating in the research understand the importance of the study and are comfortable with its protocol. She hopes the study reports will be written in both English and Mi’kmaq. "The university has been extremely supportive," she says. "They’re reducing my course load next year so I can do more research. They also are backing my efforts to create a course that will teach the students how to use the ultrasound machines for this work." The current study is hoping to attract 100 volunteers, but Dr. Peckmann hopes to be able to include aboriginal communities across Canada. She will be adapting a technique pioneered by Dr. Mary Manhein of Louisiana State University, her research concentrates on measuring data for 21 landmarks on the face by using the ultrasound equipment because it gives accurate readings of factors such as skin density while being non-invasive. "I’m very excited about it," says Sgt. Michel Fournier, an RCMP identification specialist based in Fredericton, N.B., who creates composite drawings and aids in identifying human remains throughout Atlantic Canada. "It will definitely be a great help to us when we’re searching for a missing child. I still need to explore its potential for showing the age progression of kids, but for facial reconstructions it is helpful right now." Fournier works with teams in each province that consist of a medical examiner, a forensic anthropologist, and police investigators; he is currently involved in two Nova Scotia cases with Dr. Peckmann doing facial reconstructions on an older man and a young black male. The current data is almost half a century old and taken from male middle-age cadavers. "With the ultrasound, in the past a person had to die to get measurements, today and you can do it with them standing up," he says. "When someone is dead and has been lying down for a few days, it changes the muscle tone of the face. Gathering new data from the living is far more valuable to us." Fournier says Dr. Peckmann’s work with ultrasound measurement is the first of its kind in Canada and will eventually be valuable to police forces across the country. That said, there still is a lot of work to do to perfect it, because at the moment no facial-measurement data exists on Canada’s first nation population, and, because there are several different aboriginal groups, researchers will have to work with many communities to gather as much data possible because appearances change between West Coast and East Coast populations. Saint Mary's University is known for its community outreach projects, both in Canada and around the world. Saint Mary's, founded in 1802, is home to one of Canada's leading business schools, a Science Faculty widely known for its cutting-edge research, a comprehensive and innovative Arts Faculty and a vibrant Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. -30- For More Information: Paul Fitzgerald
Public Affairs Officer
Saint Mary's University, Public Affairs
(902) 420.5514
E-mail: paul.fitzgerald@smu.ca
www.smu.ca
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