Smithsonian Anthropologist Doug Owsley to Speak at Honors Convocation

Oct. 6, 2006 -- University of Wyoming alumnus, Doug Owsley, a world-renowned physical/biological anthropologist, is the keynote speaker for the 2006 Keith and Thyra Thomson Honors Convocation Friday, Oct. 13, at 3 p.m. in the College of Arts and Sciences auditorium.

Owsley will discuss, "17th Century Hard Knocks: Life in Jamestown" at the annual event, free and open to the public. The convocation promotes academic excellence by recognizing students listed on UW honor rolls during the previous academic year. Undergraduate scholars Jenelle Marie Clark of Cheyenne and Karissa McNiven of Riverton, nominated by professors from all college disciplines and selected by a faculty committee, will present their independent research. Also, the event showcases performing arts students.

"This event honors students who are committed to learning," says A&S Dean Oliver Walter. "Doug Owsley is among our most notable alumni. What a wonderful opportunity our students have to listen to him speak. We are thrilled to have him join us."

Owsley, who grew up in Laramie and Lusk, is the curator and division head for physical anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. He investigates both ancient and modern human bones.

Although he is trained in the study of ancient skeletal remains, he also applies his expertise in the area of forensic anthropology. Owsley has assisted in identifying human remains found in mass graves in the former Yugoslavia, the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, and at the Pentagon after 9/11. For his work at the Pentagon plane crash, Owsley in 2002 received the Army’s Commander's Award for Civilian Service.

A 1973 UW graduate in zoology, Owsley received both his master's and doctorate degrees in anthropology at the University of Tennessee. He is a 2006 UW Distinguished Alumnus.

Owsley has been involved in high-profile projects, including identifying the crew of the Civil War Confederate submarine CSS Hunley and determining whether Kennewick Man, a 9,600 year-old skeleton discovered in Washington state, was a direct ancestor of an existing Native American tribe.

He also has worked closely with law enforcement agencies to identify the remains of crime victims and those who died at the Branch Davidian complex in Waco, Texas, and identified the remains of U.S. service personnel serving in a variety of combat zones.

In November 2005, Smithsonian magazine included him, along with software pioneer Bill Gates, astronaut Sally Ride, poet Maya Angelou and filmmaker Steven Spielberg, among "35 Who Made a Difference." The magazine recognized artists, scholars and scientists who have enriched American life.

Photo

Burial Site -- Doug Owsley, curator and division head for physical anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, takes notes at the Jamestown Colony’s burial site. Owsley will be the keynote speaker for the 2006 Keith and Thyra Thomson Honors Convocation on Friday, Oct. 13, at 3 p.m. in the University of Wyoming College of Arts and Sciences auditorium. He will discuss "17th Century Hard Knocks: Life in Jamestown." (Courtesy Photo)

Posted on Friday, October 06, 2006