Eric Bartelink, PhD: Physical Anthropology

Dr. Eric Bartelink is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at California State University, Chico. He is a physical anthropologist with academic interests in human skeletal biology, forensic anthropology, and stable isotope analysis. His expertise is in forensic anthropology, bioarchaeology, paleodietary reconstruction using stable isotope analysis, and California prehistory. He has worked on international forensic cases in Bosnia-Herzegovina on the World Trade Center victim identification effort. He has taught numerous courses and given lectures concerning the identification of human remains, forensic anthropology, excavation methods, and locating clandestine graves. He is Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology (#89) and a certified instructor for POST (Peace Officers Standards and Training).

Colleen Milligan, PhD: Physical Anthropology

Dr. Colleen Milligan is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology at California State University, Chico. Dr. Milligan is a graduate of the Ph.D. program in Physical Anthropology at Michigan State University. Her primary research interest is assessing health form skeletal samples, including the Milwaukee County Institutional Grounds Cemetery (1882-1925) in Milwaukee, WI. She also studies skeletal biology, bioarchaeology, forensic anthropology, urban history, and public health. She has worked internationally on bioarchaeological projects in both the UK and Belize. While at MSU, Colleen worked with various government agencies on policy development related to mass fatalities within the United States as part of a three-year fellowship with the Department of Homeland Security.

Georgia Fox, PhD: Professor of Anthropology

Dr. Georgia Fox is Professor of Anthropology at California State University, Chico, where she co-directs the Museum Studies Program and  the Valene L Smith Museum of Anthropology.  She is an archaeologist specializing in the historical archaeology of New World colonization in the English Caribbean. Her other specialties and interests include material culture studies, and the care, protection, and conservation of archaeological and ethnographic cultural heritage. Dr. Fox has conducted archaeological research and survey in Greece, Israel, the Netherlands, Turkey, Jamaica, and Antigua, and the Channel Islands of the Central Coast of California.

Roland Wessling, MSc: Forensic Archaeology

Roland Wessling is a forensic archaeologist who specializes in the scientific excavation and investigation of mass graves. He is a Research Officer in Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology at Cranfield University (UK), and is the Director of Operations for the Inforce Foundation. He has worked on international cases, such as the genocide investigations for the UN/ICTY in Bosnia, Croatia and Cyrus, or on behalf of the US State Department/UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office in Iraq. Roland also has considerable experience running forensic capacity building projects, during which scientists from countries, such as Iraq, Colombia or Rwanda, are trained to investigate mass graves in their own countries and by doing so assuming ownership of this vital post-conflict process. One of the last large-scale projects was the excavation of 250 British and Australian WWI soldiers at Fromelles, France, many of whom were positively identified after 93 years buried in mass graves. His latest forensic deployment was a pilot project in May 2013 to geophysically survey 16 potential WWI and Stalin era mass grave sites in the Ukraine; a country he hopes to return to in 2014. One of Roland’s favourite regular forensic training activities is collaborating with his friends and colleagues at California State University, Chico, where excellent scientific expertise and academic facilities create the perfect environment to run the forensic summer training course.