2011 – Omaha

SACC’s 2011 Annual Conference took place April 6-9, 2011 at the Embassy Suites in the Old Market area of Omaha, NE.

SACC member Dianne Chidester’s eloquent summary of the Omaha meeting, organized by President Mel Johnson, that she sent to the listserve is published here:

It was a wonderful SACCfest in Omaha! Mel, you did such a terrific job of organizing and keeping us on track. As usual, SACC takes me to places that are new, interesting, and where I might not otherwise go.

The hotel was unbelievable. I think it’s the best I’ve experienced at SACCfest! We had suites, free breakfasts, and, most importantly, a free happy hour when we were back at the hotel in time.

The location of the hotel was terrific. If folks didn’t explore the gastronomic opportunities in Old Market, they really missed out. I had Omaha steaks, some of the best Persian food ever, and ate at a French Café. I heard the Italian restaurant was really good, too. I’m sorry I didn’t have more time to explore!

The keynote lecture on Using Four-Field Anthropology in Forensic Science by Melissa Connor made me realize the important role and practical application of forensic anthropology, though some of the visuals weren’t easy to look at.

The students from the University of South Dakota (Dona Davis is calling them the “SACCettes”) presented excellent papers and were fun to hang out with. I hope we didn’t scare them off!

Becky, thanks again for organizing the papers so they were all part of a cohesive whole. How do you do that? And thanks to presenters for sharing their knowledge.

The tour of the Primate Center at the Henry Doorley Zoo given by supervisor Christine Dupre was unbelievable. I can’t believe we got so close to those wonderful silverbacks. I had to stand with my hands in my pockets to keep from making contact. I doubt that I will ever get another opportunity to be that up close and personal with gorillas!