APSU set to revive CoSTEM Lecture Series with Dr. Dawnie Wolfe Steadman

By: Colby Wilson April 11, 2025

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — The Austin Peay State University (APSU) College of STEM (CoSTEM) has revived its Lecture Series and will welcome Dr. Dawnie Wolfe Steadman, director of the Forensic Anthropology Center and professor of anthropology at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, as the first speaker.

Steadman will give a special lecture at 4 p.m. on May 1 in APSU’s Sundquist Science Complex Room 106 A&B, followed by a Q&A session at Skyline 500 at Shelby’s Trio. Both events will be open to the public.

“I am so honored to be able to discuss how research at the Forensic Anthropology Center encompasses both STEM and social science disciplines,” Steadman said. “[It allows us] to develop and test new techniques that benefit forensic science.”

Steadman is part of a team of women researchers who oversee one of the world's most unique research facilities, the Anthropology Research Facility, or “Body Farm.” Its scientists study human decomposition to help solve crimes and advance forensic science.

Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) personnel participate in forensics training at the University of Tennessee Body Farm. This training involves the proper recovery and documentation of human remains. (U.S. Navy photo by Ed Buice/Released)

The Forensic Anthropology Center has become a global hub for forensic research and training, preparing both students and law enforcement personnel in human remains recovery and identification. Steadman’s own research has taken her from studying skeletal identification to investigating mass graves in international human rights cases.

Before joining UTK, Steadman developed her passion for forensic anthropology as an undergraduate at the University of Arizona, where a lecture about identifying plane crash victims showed her how the field could provide crucial answers to grieving families. This drive to help families find closure continues to motivate her work today.

Seating for Steadman’s presentation is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Her lecture is entitled “The Importance of Science to Identify Missing Persons: covering how interdisciplinary research at the Forensic Anthropology Center contributes to the scientific efforts to locate and identify missing persons around the world.”

Following the lecture, Steadman will move down College Street to the Skyline 500 Bar at Shelby’s Trio for a Q&A session moderated by Dr. Karen Meisch, dean of the Austin Peay College of STEM. Once again, seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis at the rooftop bar.

Attendees are encouraged to submit questions ahead of time here to maximize the community’s time with Steadman.

About the Austin Peay College of STEM

The College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) provides studies for students in the areas of agriculture, astronomy, aviation sciences, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth and environmental sciences, engineering physics, engineering technology, information technology, mathematics, medical laboratory sciences, radiologic sciences and physics. Our outstanding, discipline-based programs are student-centered and designed to prepare students for responsible positions at all levels of research, industry, education, medicine and government.

About the UT Knoxville Forensic Anthropology Center

For over three decades, the FAC has garnered an international reputation for research on human decomposition and modern human variation. At the core of the program is the dynamic body donation program that currently comprises almost two thousand individuals in the UTK Donated Skeletal Collection and over 6000 registered future donors (pre-donors). The Body Farm, or Anthropology Research Facility (ARF), and UTK Donated Skeletal Collection are utilized year-round for research and training by University of Tennessee faculty and students as well as by students and professionals from around the world.