Arcadia University 450 S. Easton Rd Glenside, PA 19038 Phone: (215) 572-2910 Toll-free: 1-877-ARCADIA or 1-877-272-2342 Fax: (215) 572-4049 Web site: www.arcadia.edu

KeyFacts Founded: 1853 Type of Institution: Coeducational, private, comprehensive university in suburban Philadelphia Enrollment: More than 3,200 students, including 1,570 undergraduates, more than 300 part-time undergraduates, and 1,472 graduate students. Faculty: 306 faculty members. Eighty-five percent of full-time assistant, associate, and full professors hold doctoral or terminal degrees. Student/Faculty Ratio: 12-1 Degrees Offered: B.A., B.F.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., and doctoral degrees in more than 40 majors. Study Abroad: Students can study abroad in Argentina, Australia, England, Equatorial Guinea, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Spain, or Wales. Residence Halls: Six residence halls and apartment units in four local complexes house more than 1,050 students and offer a variety of housing options. Arcadia Senior's Study Points out the Need for Corpse Testing in All Regions Laura Keller, an Arcadia student, initiated a study that examined the corpses of rats decomposed in her backyard. A recent study by Arcadia University senior Laura Keller shows the importance of doing corpse studies in all regions of the country and also in different locations within the region. Keller, a native of New Cumberland, Pa., who graduated from Cedar Cliff High School in 2000, initiated a study in June of 2003 that examined the corpses of rats decomposed in her backyard. The rats were buried, left in water, left in direct sun and under a shaded tree. Keller then documented the results of three separate trials to see how the decomposition times varied by location and temperature. "It is important to do these kinds of studies because the climate of each region effects the decomposition of the corpse," says Keller, who is now part of Arcadia's Master's in Forensic Science program. "This helps make post-mortem interval predictions more accurate." These types of studies give forensic scientists a database for information, which forensic scientists can draw upon when making decisions on time of death of a human corpse. But Keller warns that many of these types of studies need to be done at all times of year and in all regions. "From region to region, it might make a difference in a day or a week," she says. "In a criminal investigation, it's important to have specific information." In Keller's study, the rats in the sun and shade decomposed almost the same, an average of 8.6 days in the three trials. The rats in water took a bit longer, averaging 13 days, while a rat buried took an average of 23 days to decompose. Keller's study was done as part of the University's Senior Thesis/Capstone Program. Each graduating senior is required to complete a major project in their final year before graduation.