The world’s first forensic jeweller has graduated from the University of Dundee for the fifth time.
Dr Maria Maclennan collected her Masters degree in Forensic Art and Facial Imaging at Caird Hall, Dundee where more than 1800 students graduate this week at the university’s winter graduation ceremonies.
The new qualification means Dr Maclennan can now reconstruct the face of a deceased person, from minor injuries to skeletal remains.
It adds to her skillset which previously saw her become the world’s first forensic jeweller and she has worked with international police, charities across the country and non-governmental organisations in Europe.
Her work sees her analyse jewellery from people who have died in disasters or attacks where identification can be difficult.
She can now also reconstruct a face using multiple different techniques, including forensic photography, 3D scanning and physical modelling from as little as a bare skull.
She said: “It starts off with the science of anatomy. We look at the different cranio facial landmarks and take measurements from the skull to estimate age and population affinity
“Using more resources we can narrow down the biological sex, and then use these measurements to build up different facial muscles.
“It always surprises me how much the face reconstructs itself. By following the scientific standards and measurements, and layering the muscles onto each other, the face starts to emerge.”
Maria has always been fascinated with combining art and science within forensic work. Originally from the Highlands, she first moved to Dundee in 2006 to study an undergraduate degree in Jewellery and Metal Design at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design.
She then completed a Masters degree in Design for Services, followed by a PGCert in Teaching in Higher Education, at the University’s School of Education and Community Education.
READ MORE
- College plans £265m facilities to boost regional economy
-
School closures and transport issues hit local councils - see the list here
-
University of Glasgow reported to ombudsman over moving of child abuse exhibition
A PhD in Design at DJCAD followed, before going onto her fifth course at the University, which was run collaboratively by DJCAD and the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification (CAHID).
She added: “Dundee is uniquely positioned with its expertise in life sciences and art – both which have excellent reputations in their own rights.
“It’s also the only place in the world where you can do a university qualification in forensic art or facial reconstruction, so it really is unique.
“I’ve had fantastic support throughout my time studying at Dundee. It’s not goodbye to the city, but I am stepping away from studying now.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel