Forensic Sciences Newsletter
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Forensic Sciences Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 3 Spring 2009 Chair’s Column: We’re Outta Here!!! The Spring 2009 semester We expect to move from has been a very exciting one. Samson Hall to the Mount Vernon Campus before the Inside this issue: In February, the Department, end of the summer. Dean in conjunction with the GW Peg Barratt of the Columbian Alumni Association, hosted a College of Arts and Sciences well-attended alumni recep- had suggested several new The Chair‘s 1 tion at the American Acad- locations, including the Uni- Column emy of Forensic Sciences versity’s Loudoun Campus at meeting in Denver. A number Ashburn and the Alexandria of current students and Dr. Walter Rowe, Chair, ―The Vern‖ 2 Campus near the King Street alumni presented papers at Metro and Amtrak stations. Forensic Sciences that meeting. Stephanie Houl- grave (who graduated in The Mount Vernon Campus Donors 2 May) probably set a record will be ideal for the Depart- for a professional conference. ment. Its Acheson Science She presented three research Center has a chemistry papers: one in the criminalis- teaching laboratory and a Alumni News 3 tics section and two in the biology teaching laboratory documents section. on the first floor. We will “We expect to share these with the chemis- move from Faculty News 4 On May 16th, the Department try and biological sciences held its annual reception for departments. Sampson Hall to its graduates in the State the Mount Plaza Hotel on F Street. Be- There is a large dry labora- tory on the bottom floor that Vernon Campus FS Mysteries 5 fore the graduates headed will become our instrument before the end Solved - Part 1 over to Funger Hall for the CCAS Celebration, we held laboratory. The large com- of the summer” an informal hooding cere- puter laboratory on the bot- Commencement: 10 mony in which each of the tom floor can be converted The Class of 2009 graduates was hooded by his later into a state-of-the-art Dr. Rowe or her faculty adviser. We computer forensics facility. hope in the future to make a The laboratory space in the formal hooding ceremony Acheson Science Center is part of the reception. currently underutilized so we Commencement was held on would not have to displace Sunday May 17th on the Na- any of the laboratory courses tional Mall in front of the U. S. that are currently taught Capitol. White House Chief of there. The basement of So- Staff Rahm Emanuel gave mers Hall has vacant office the commencement address. space that will be converted There is a collection of pho- into DNA teaching and re- tos of the departmental re- search laboratories, as well ception, the CCAS Celebra- as office space for the entire full-time faculty. The Class of 2009 tion and Commencement on the last page of the newslet- The Mount Vernon Campus Pelham Hall at Mount Vernon ter. has an underground parking campus Page 2 Forensic Sciences Newsletter We’re Outta Here, con’t garage and a surface park- ment has decided (at long In the last newsletter, the ing lot. Because the campus last) to complete the FEPAC Department announced that it has undergraduate dormito- self-study with the intention of was recruiting a new chair at ries, the University runs applying for FEPAC accredi- the associate or full professor frequent shuttles between tation in the spring of 2010. level. The faculty search con- the Foggy Bottom and Mount tinues and we have inter- Vernon campuses. Alumni can help us with this viewed two promising candi- We’re project. Over the next several dates. A final decision will The Department is also up months we may contact you probably be made by the end for an academic program about your forensic science of June. Moving! review. Because the infor- employment history. We will mation that must be gath- also be asking for recommen- ered for an academic pro- dations about how our degree gram review overlaps with program could better prepare that needed for the self- graduates to work in the fo- study required for FEPAC rensic science field. accreditation, the Depart- “The Vern” In 1999, the university acquired the 23-acre Mount Vernon College for Women campus and renamed it The George Washington University at Mount Vernon College. Nicknamed "The Vern," students at this campus are the neighbors of the Embassy of Ger- many in Washington in the Foxhall area. The campus is served by a 24-hour shuttle service known as the "Vern Express." Students have access to the campus facilities, including the library, computer labs, swimming pool, tennis courts, and top-notch recreational facilities. The campus features wireless Internet access, along with catering services from the on-campus dining facility. Restaurants surround the campus within walking distance Acheson Science Center Mount Vernon Shuttle runs 24 hrs. a day, connecting the campus to Foggy Bottom Donors Like every other educational institution in the country, The George Washington University has more demands for resources than it has revenues to meet them. The Department of Forensic Sciences appreciates donations from its graduates. Thanks to Michael Coble, MFS ‘97, PhD ‘04, Ksenia Nasielski, BA ‘03, MFS ‘06 , Charles Schwab Foundation (Employee Matching Gift Pro- gram) for contributing during the Spring Semester. See our website at www.gwu.edu/~forensic to learn how you too can help. Volume 1, Issue 3 Page 3 Mount Vernon Campus Chemistry Lab The Dry Lab Computer Lab Eckles Memorial Library Alumni News Student News Tracie E. Smith,BA ‘03, MFS in her work environment. internship at the FBI that I was Jessica Nelson –CSI ‘08, CCE, ‘08 What she loves about the field able to secure through GW‖. received the J. Edgar of digital forensics is that every Hoover Scientific After graduation from GW, case is different, introducing Tracie was hired as a Com- new challenges with each piece Randy Schiefer graduated from Scholarship. It puter Forensic Examiner with carries a $25,000 of media she processes. She the Master Forensic Science the DEA. The laboratory proc- never stop learning. She feels award to be used for esses a wide variety of digital program in 1983. He is retired she is one of the few people from the US Air Force and is further media and provides on-site who can say that they love imaging support to agents all now the Academic Dean at ITT education what they do, and she is grate- Technical Institute in Dayton, over the country. Tracie says ful to GW for giving her this that the environment has been Ohio. opportunity. ―I would not be one that allows her to utilize here without the skills I learned the skills she learned at GW, in the High Technology Crime while furthering her education Investigation program, or the Page 4 Forensic Sciences Newsletter Faculty News Daniele Podini - Prof. Podini Academy of Forensic Sciences had two papers presented at in Denver in February. He had Eva Vincze - Professor Vincze the American Academy of Fo- two papers presented at the submitted a proposal to the rensic Sciences annual meeting American Academy of Forensic Technical Support Working in Denver: Sciences meeting in the Ques- Group. TSWG operates as a tioned Documents session: program element under the Daniele S. Podini, Joni Johnson Combating Terrorism Techni- and Ronald Lai, BS, Sabrina N. George Virgin and Walter F. cal Support Office (CTTSO). Walborn and Moses Rowe. ―Looking at How to Differ- Its interagency configuration S.Schanfield. ―Evaluation of the entiate Measurements Used to addresses technical challenges SNPlex Genotyping Test Printing on Documents.‖ to meet requirements across System for Screening Ancestry and the four pillars of combating Phenotype Informative SNPs.” Walter F. Rowe and Stephanie terrorism: antiterrorism, coun- Moore. ―Examination of Blue Gel terterrorism, intelligence sup- Megan E. Van Kirk, Alexandra Inks.” port, and consequence manage- McCary and Daniele S. Podini. ment. The $1.1 million dollar Professor Podini is ―Evolution and Molecular Basis of Professor Rowe also repre- proposal would allow us to working with Microvariant Alleles of the sented the Department at the develop a collaborative, 3D D21S11 Locus.‖ annual meeting of the Mid- virtual training environment in Professor Atlantic Association of Forensic which participants, collect, Ted Robinson - Professor Scientists in Hunt Valley, Mary- evaluate, analyze and exchange Schanfield to work Robinson co-presented with land. information, intelligence and out a design for a student Cristin Pohlig a paper digital data to improve their entitled "Casting Shoeprints in Moses S. Schanfield - Profes- competency to fight cyber- DNA teaching and Sawdust." at the Spring Chesa- sor Schanfield had a paper pre- crime and cyber-terrorism. peake Bay Division- sented at the annual meeting of research laboratory International Association for the American Academy of Fo- Dr. Vincze represented the to be built in the Identification Education Con- rensic Sciences: Department at the Armed ference in Virginia Beach VA, Forces Communications and Department's new March 29-April 3, A group of Daniele S. Podini, Joni Johnson Electronics Association GW students also presented a and Ronald Lai, BS, Sabrina N. (AFCEA) Solutions Series, facility on the Mock Crime Scene Workshop Walborn and Moses S. Schan- Inter-agency, Allied and Coali- Mount Vernon with Professor Robinson, field. ―Evaluation of the SNPlex tion Information Sharing Semi- where they staged a murder, Genotyping System for Screening nar. campus. seeded the crime scene with Ancestry and Phenotype Informa- evidence, and three teams of tive SNPs.” Dr. Vincze also represented four attendees each competed the Department at the Annual to see who could solve the Professor Schanfield presented American Society for Industrial crime first.