The Forensic Anthropology Center (FAC) Overview
Introduction
- Established by Dr. William M. Bass in 1987
- Located at the University of Tennessee, known as The Body Farm
- Purpose: Research, training, and service in forensic anthropology
Body Donation Program
- Integral to FAC's mission
- Enables individuals to contribute to science
- Requires a postmortem negative COVID-19 test for donor acceptance
- Currently comprises more than 1,800 individuals in the UTK Donated Skeletal Collection
- Over 4,000 registered future donors
Mission Statement
- Excellence in forensic anthropology research, training, and service
- Engage worldwide scientists, institutions, and agencies
- Offers consultations and outreach to promote science
Research
- Anthropology Research Facility: First to allow systematic study of human decomposition
- Expanded to 2 acres for advanced studies on environmental interactions
- UTK Donated Skeletal Collection: Largest collection of contemporary human skeletons in the U.S.
- Forensic Data Bank: Contains data on over 4,080 forensic cases globally
- Collections and facilities available to qualified researchers
Training
- Offers professional development courses for the anthropological community
- Utilizes collections and facilities for training
- Specialty courses for agencies like the FBI, TBI, and Kentucky Criminalistic Academy
Service
- Provides forensic anthropological services to medico-legal agencies
- Offers lectures to civic groups and the public to disseminate research
Notable Achievements
- Celebrated 20 years of training the FBI Evidence Recovery Team
- Commemorated 35th anniversary of the Body Donation Program
- Led by five prominent women
Contact Information
Note: Tours of The Body Farm are not provided. For more information, visit the FAC website.