Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency - Laboratory

Location:

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Honolulu, HI
Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha, NE


Contacts:

Dr. Laurel Freas - laurel.e.freas.civ@mail.mil
Dr. Carrie Brown - carrie.a.brown40.civ@mail.mil

Work Schedule Type:

On-site (The internship will be performed entirely at the lab)

Student Requirements:

Students must be U.S. citizens and be at least 18 years of age.

Mission

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s (DPAA) mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting of our missing personnel to their families and the nation. Specifically, the DPAA is charged with the investigation, recovery, identification, and repatriation of the remains of more than 81,000 missing and unaccounted-for service members and other U.S. personnel from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and Gulf Wars.

About the Lab

The DPAA Laboratory is an accredited, world-class facility staffed by forensic anthropologists, archaeologists, odontologists, chemists, and other allied forensic professionals engaged in the work of recovering, analyzing, and identifying skeletal and dental remains and material evidence from historic conflict sites around the world.

What is unique about this lab?

The DPAA Laboratory is the world’s largest forensic anthropology laboratory, with a staff of more than 150 forensic and administrative professionals, and with facilities in Honolulu, Hawaii and Omaha, Nebraska. We are one of only two ANAB-accredited forensic anthropology laboratories in the United States, and are a leader in developing innovative methods and techniques for the analysis and identification of human skeletal remains.

About the Internship

Student interns have opportunities to participate in a variety of scientific and administrative tasks and interact with staff throughout the Laboratory, as well as opportunities to assist staff with research projects advancing the past conflict accounting mission.

What will I do any given day as an intern at this lab?

Interns participate in lab functions in a variety of ways including (but not limited to) assisting scientific staff with cleaning, stabilizing, inventorying, and analyzing human skeletal remains and non-biological artifacts; assisting with DNA sample collection; archival, practical and/or forensic research; data collection and data entry; supporting evidence management tasks; attending technical and administrative meetings; networking with other forensic professionals; and other professional development activities.

What majors and disciplines are a good fit for interning at this lab?

The primary fields of interest are:

  • Archaeology
  • Biological Anthropology
  • Chemistry
  • Forensic Anthropology
  • Genetics
  • Medicine/Health
  • Pre-Dental
  • Pre-Medical

What will I learn as an intern at this lab?

As a DPAA Laboratory intern, you will learn how to operate within the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Quality Assurance (QA) Program of an internationally accredited forensic laboratory. Under the guidance of experienced mentors, you will learn, among other things, chain of custody and other evidence management principles; how to properly handle, clean, stabilize, and package human skeletal remains and material artifacts; analytical methods and techniques in the disciplines of forensic anthropology, archaeology, odontology, stable isotope analysis, material evidence, DNA sample collection, and/or forensic imaging (photography, radiography); review and interpretation of historic U.S. military medical and dental records; and quality assurance measures such as audits and peer review. Interns may also have opportunities to interact with professionals in other directorates at DPAA, including historians, intelligence analysts, public affairs specialists, and active-duty military personnel.

What kinds of projects do interns at this lab participate in?

The following are examples of projects to which interns may be assigned:

Forensic Anthropology: Interns assist laboratory staff with the cleaning, stabilization, inventory, documentation, and analysis of human skeletal remains recovered from historic battlefields and aircraft crash sites around the world. Interns may also assist with research, data collection, and data entry related to associated casualties and loss incidents. Interns may also have limited opportunities for field training.

Disinterments/Commingled Human Remains Projects: Interns assist laboratory staff with the cleaning, stabilization, inventory, documentation, and analysis of large assemblages of commingled human remains disinterred from U.S. memorial military cemeteries around the world. Current projects at the DPAA Laboratory involve disinterment of unknown remains from the Korean War and a variety of World War II-era incidents. Interns may also assist with research, data collection, and data entry related to these incidents and assemblages.

Archaeology/Material Evidence: Interns assist laboratory staff with cleaning, stabilization, inventory, documentation and analysis of assemblages of personal effects, military-issued equipment, and aircraft wreckage recovered from historic battlefields and aircraft crash sites around the world. Interns may also assist with inventorying, testing, and performance checking a variety of types of field equipment. Interns may also assist with research, data collection, and data entry related to associated DPAA recovery missions, loss incidents, crash sites, battlefields, and artifact assemblages. Interns may also have limited opportunities for field training.

Odontology: Interns assist laboratory staff with the documentation of human dental remains and the comparison of antemortem and postmortem dental records. Interns may also assist with research, data collection, and data entry related to the dental records of individuals or groups of casualties within a given loss incident or across conflicts.

Isotopes: Interns assist laboratory staff with a variety of tasks related to isotope sample preparation and analysis; this includes arranging supplies and equipment and assisting isotope team members while they are following the isotope testing SOP. Interns may also assist with research, data collection, and data entry related to isotope testing.

DNA: Interns assist laboratory staff with a variety of tasks related to the collection of DNA samples from human skeletal remains, including preparation of sampling supplies and equipment and assisting DNA specialists while they are cutting bone samples for DNA analysis.

Interns in all disciplines may also have opportunities to assist DPAA-Lab staff with independent research projects advancing the past casualty accounting mission.