William R. Belcher, a University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu assistant professor of anthropology, has been elected to a three-year term as an at-large-director for the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, an organization that sets standards for forensic anthropologists.
A board-certified forensic anthropologist, Belcher led UH West Oʻahu students on projects excavating the Honouliuli Internment and POW camp in Kunia, and an excavation of a Japanese internment camp that held U.S. and British prisoners on Palau.
- Related: UH West Oʻahu students to excavate World War II internment and execution site in Palau, March 16, 2016
Prior to joining UH West Oʻahu, Belcher served as the deputy director of the Department of Defense’s Central Identification Laboratory and director of the Forensic Science Academy.
Belcher also serves as the chair of the Anthropology Consensus Body of the Academy Standards Board, an organization dedicated to developing documentary standards for forensics.
More about the American Board of Forensic Anthropology
The American Board of Forensic Anthropology is based in Washington, D.C., and was established 40 years ago to enhance standards and advance the science of forensic anthropology. Forensic anthropologists use clues from skeletons in assisting medical examiners and coroners with a variety of cases. Directors of the organization are elected by members.
—By Greg Wiles
