Mountains, Molehills and Milestones: Participant Experiences from the WSU Mentoring Programs

This study uses a series of narratives (stories) of experiences of professional and academic staff participating in mentoring programs at Western Sydney University as either mentors or mentees in the last five years. The narratives, as prompted by open-ended questions through an online survey instrument, reflect on participants’ mentoring goals, the outcomes of the program, any challenges experienced and recommendations for future staff involved in mentoring programs at the university. In addition, the study examines the success of the mentoring program across a range of psycho-social and career development outcomes over a five-year period. The study highlights the practical implications of mentoring programs for staff and provides guidance to future participants. It also considers if there are any notable differences in the experiences of a mentoring program which may be due to demographic factors such as age, discipline, gender and years of experience. Findings suggest that proactivity, risk-taking, time management and trust are the main obstacles that mentees must overcome in order to reap the full benefits of a mentoring program. Academic mentees were found to be successful in applying for research grants, publishing research articles and substantially increasing the number of higher degree research students under their supervision. Some mentees also received awards and recognition that they attributed to being part of the mentoring program. Other less tangible benefits that were reported by mentees include improved networking skills, increased confidence and assertiveness, prioritising of work activities, and navigating ‘office politics’. Mentors participating in the study built lasting friendships with their mentees and found that being a mentor provided them an opportunity to revisit their own career and make improvements/take action where necessary. Some mentors also invited their mentees to so-supervise research students with them and to work with them on research grants and projects. Less tangible achievements of mentors included building both their own and their mentee’s confidence and contributing to succession planning for the University. The findings of this study are important for both professional and academic staff considering mentoring programs to assist in advancing their career and to higher education institutions who seek to offer successful mentoring programs for their staff. The research highlights the practical implications of mentoring programs for staff at higher education institutions and makes recommendations for future programs and participants to ensure that the programs are contributing to the developmental, career and psycho-social needs of staff from all gender groups and provide equal opportunity for all staff to advance careers through promotion and improved performance

A qualitative assessment of student attitudes to the use of body painting as a learning tool in first year human anatomy : a pilot study

Background: The use of body painting as a method of engaging students in the learning of anatomy has been demonstrated as being beneficial to knowledge retention amongst medical students. However, the benefit of the use of body painting as an educational tool for non-medical students learning anatomy is relatively understudied. Aims: This research aimed to assess the perceptions of first year non-medical tertiary students on the use of body painting as an engaging and useful tool for learning human anatomy. A secondary aim was to determine if students’ assessment of the activity differed between those enrolled in a generalised Medical Science degree compared to those in a Clinical Health Science degree with a specific career path. Materials and Methods: A total of two hundred first-year students divided between a Medical Science degree (n=101) and the Clinical Health Sciences (n = 99) were surveyed using a combination of Likert scale and openended responses to determine if students thought body painting had a place in anatomy teaching. Results: Quantitative results found no significant difference in the reported level of enjoyment experienced during body painting activities, with students finding the activity reasonably enjoyable (3.6-3.8/5), however Clinical Health Science students found the activity most useful as a learning tool (3.9/5; p d” 0.01). Thematic inductive analysis revealed that students from both cohorts found the activity fun and interactive and that it promoted engagement and information retention. Students also recognised the benefit of the activity for visual and kinaesthetic learners. Clinical Health science students were the only cohort to report on how body painting helped linked to their future in clinical practice. Conclusions: Student feedback supports the use of body painting as a learning tool in human anatomy in nonmedical degree programs, and contributes to the development of a stronger undergraduate anatomy teaching program

Sex determination from the talus of South African whites by discriminant function analysis

The field of forensic anthropology involves the building of an antemortem profile of an individual from skeletal remains. This includes sex and race determination and age and stature estimation. Since most bones that are conventionally used for sex determination are often recovered either in a fragmented or incomplete state, it has become necessary to use denser bones that are often recovered intact, eg, the patella, calcaneus, and talus. Thus the aim of this study is to assess the sex-determining ability of each of the measurements of the talus and derive discriminant function equations for sex determination in the South African white population. Sixty male and 60 female tali of South African whites obtained from the Raymond A. Dart Collection of Human Skeletons were used. Nine measurements were taken on each talus. Descriptive statistics and discriminant function analysis were performed on the acquired data. The basic statistics showed that all measurements were sexually dimorphic. Univariate, stepwise, and direct discriminant function equations were generated for use in sex determination. The level of average accuracy of sex classification was 80% to 82% for the univariate method, 85% to 88% for the stepwise method, and 81% to 86% for the direct method. It is concluded that the talus of South African whites is useful for sex determination

Stature estimation from bones of South African whites

Stature reconstruction from skeletal remains forms part of the forensic anthropological analysis for the purpose of identification of the individual. The aim of this study was to derive regression formulae for the estimation of total skeletal height, and thereafter to predict stature in South African whites using long bone lengths. The sample comprised 98 white male and 71 white female skeletons from the Raymond A. Dart Collection of Human Skeletons and the Pretoria Bone Collection. For each individual, total skeletal heights and maximum long bone lengths were measured and used to produce univariate regression formulae, with resulting correlations (r) ranging between 0.56 and 0.96. The lowest standard error of estimate (1.75 for females, 1.92 for males) was obtained when the lumbar spine, femur and tibia were used in combination, while the highest SEE (5.21 for females, 5.54 for males) was found when the lumbar spine was used on its own. Recently published corrections for soft tissue additions to obtain living height from total skeletal height make these kinds of formulae more usable, and will reduce the problem of underestimation. The derived formulae are population specific and are designed for use in forensic skeletal analyses of South African whites, but are also generally relevant to theoretical and practical issues in forensic anthropology

Stature estimation from bones of South African whites

Stature reconstruction from skeletal remains forms part of the forensic anthropological analysis for the purpose of identification of the individual. The aim of this study was to derive regression formulae for the estimation of total skeletal height, and thereafter to predict stature in South African whites using long bone lengths. The sample comprised 98 white male and 71 white female skeletons from the Raymond A. Dart Collection of Human Skeletons and the Pretoria Bone Collection. For each individual, total skeletal heights and maximum long bone lengths were measured and used to produce univariate regression formulae, with resulting correlations (r) ranging between 0.56 and 0.96. The lowest standard error of estimate (1.75 for females, 1.92 for males) was obtained when the lumbar spine, femur and tibia were used in combination, while the highest SEE (5.21 for females, 5.54 for males) was found when the lumbar spine was used on its own. Recently published corrections for soft tissue additions to obtain living height from total skeletal height make these kinds of formulae more usable, and will reduce the problem of underestimation. The derived formulae are population specific and are designed for use in forensic skeletal analyses of South African whites, but are also generally relevant to theoretical and practical issues in forensic anthropology

Measurements of the talus in the assessment of population affinity

As part of their routine work, forensic anthropologists are expected to report population affinity as part of the biological profile of an individual. The skull is the most widely used bone for the estimation of population affinity but it is not always present in a forensic case. Thus, other bones that preserve well have been shown to give a good indication of either the sex or population affinity of an individual. In this study, the potential of measurements of the talus was investigated for the purpose of estimating population affinity in South Africans. Nine measurements from two hundred and twenty tali of South African Africans (SAA) and South African Whites (SAW) from the Raymond A. Dart Collection of Human Skeletons were used. Direct and step-wise discriminant function and logistic regression analyses were carried out using SPSS and SAS. Talar length was the best single variable for discriminating between these two groups for males while in females the head height was the best single predictor. Average accuracies for correct population affinity classification using logistic regression analysis were higher than those obtained from discriminant function analysis. This study was the first of its type to employ discriminant function analyses and logistic regression analyses to estimate the population affinity of an individual from the talus. Thus these equations can now be used by South African anthropologists when estimating the population affinity of dismembered or damaged or incomplete skeletal remains of SAA and SAW

An assessment of sex using the skull of black South Africans by discriminant function analysis

The derivation of discriminant function equations for skeletal elements of South African populations continues to be an area of interest to both forensic anthropologists and skeletal biologists alike. The skull of black South Africans has previously been subjected to discriminant function analysis, using four measurements and two indices; however, no equations were derived to address the issue of sex determination. Recently Franklin, Freedman and Milne [2005. Sexual dimorphism and discriminant function sexing in indigenous South African crania. HOMO J. Comp. Hum. Biol. 55, 213–228] used the crania of black South Africans, in a three-dimensional approach, with eight linear measurements to investigate sex determination. This study, although valuable, requires the use of highly technical and expensive morphometric equipment that renders it less feasible in South Africa. In response to this, our study uses traditional anthropometric measurements and equipment to address the question of sex determination from the crania and mandible of blacks. One hundred and twenty non-pathological skulls were randomly selected from the Raymond Dart Collection of Human Skeletons, equally distributed by sex and belonging to individuals whose age at death ranges between 25 and 70 years. Fourteen cranial and six mandibular measurements were subjected to discriminant function analyses and discriminant function equations were derived for sex determination. Average accuracies ranged between 80% and 85% and were on par with that obtained in previous studies. Our study shows that traditional methods provide average accuracies that are comparable to those obtained using more complex techniques

Engineering a novel anatomical foot model for anatomy education

Using 3D printing to fabricate a foot model with softness of skin – shore OO hardness, to enhance palpation skills in anatomy education. Fabrication of the foot model involved the combination of 3D printing and casting techniques. The bone structure was 3D printed on a commercial 3D polyjet printer, with rods inserted between the bones on a .STL data file to hold the bones together. A commercial Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) machine was used to fabricate the mould for silicon casting to replicate the soft tissues. Casting allowed the soft tissue replication to be transparent to facilitate visualisation of the 3D bone structure. The surface roughness (Ra) of the mould improved from 0.209 micrometre in average to 0.04602 micrometre by vapour polishing before silicon casting the soft tissue part. A functional foot model was fabricated using a combination of 3D printing and silicon casting. This model serves as a good translational tool so that students understand the functionality in clinical reasoning. Low cost fabrication of body parts will enhance anatomy education. The part fabricated is superior to older teaching resources as these models allow for visualisation of structures not visible in a normal human foot, inexpensive, scalable, and are easy to mass-produce in any part of the world. Thus functional 3D models are a viable resource to stimulate palpation skills for increased engagement and the ability to practice and revisit the information for anatomy students

Measurements of the talus in the assessment of population affinity

© 2018 Elsevier B.V. As part of their routine work, forensic anthropologists are expected to report population affinity as part of the biological profile of an individual. The skull is the most widely used bone for the estimation of population affinity but it is not always present in a forensic case. Thus, other bones that preserve well have been shown to give a good indication of either the sex or population affinity of an individual. In this study, the potential of measurements of the talus was investigated for the purpose of estimating population affinity in South Africans. Nine measurements from two hundred and twenty tali of South African Africans (SAA) and South African Whites (SAW) from the Raymond A. Dart Collection of Human Skeletons were used. Direct and step-wise discriminant function and logistic regression analyses were carried out using SPSS and SAS. Talar length was the best single variable for discriminating between these two groups for males while in females the head height was the best single predictor. Average accuracies for correct population affinity classification using logistic regression analysis were higher than those obtained from discriminant function analysis. This study was the first of its type to employ discriminant function analyses and logistic regression analyses to estimate the population affinity of an individual from the talus. Thus these equations can now be used by South African anthropologists when estimating the population affinity of dismembered or damaged or incomplete skeletal remains of SAA and SAW