The Forensic Investigation Research Station (FIRS) at Colorado Mesa University is a research, teaching and service center that focuses on forensic taphonomy, law enforcement, and other related fields. Dr. Melissa Connor, Ph.D., the Director of FIRS, was appointed Director in 2012. Coming from Nebraska Wesleyan University where she was director of the Master of Forensic Science program, Dr. Connor brings 30 years of archaeological experience and 20 years of forensic science experience to FIRS. 

Dr. Connor specializes in forensic archaeology and is the author of Forensic Methods: Excavation for the Archaeologist and Investigator. She sat down with our hosts and shared her experience in archaeology with the National Park Service including the research on the Little BigHorn battlefield, and her work with the Physicians for Human Rights including investigations conducted in former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Cyprus. We also discussed some of the misconceptions of FIRS, what makes Mesa County an interesting place to host a forensic science investigation research station, and how FIRS provides a variety of important training tools for CMU interns. Thank you, Dr. Connor for sitting down with us and sharing your very important work!

FIRS Information:https://www.coloradomesa.edu/forensic-investigation-research-station/index.html

Forensic Methods: Excavation for the Archaeologist and Investigator: https://mesa.marmot.org/Record/.b5177124x?searchId=142654899&recordIndex=1&page=1

Academic Journals (Academic Search Premier EBCO)