Forensic science students, faculty present at conference

Hamline University was represented in four scientific oral presentations at the Midwest Association of Forensic Scientists conference, where students and faculty members presented research findings.

Forensic science students Lily Jorgenson, Aliya Appelsies, and Tatiana Otero-Ortiz presented research findings that were conducted during their external internships. They presented alongside Michelle Leonard, professor of practice, and Megan Foley, assistant professor of forensic science, both from the Department of Criminal Justice and Forensic Science.

Jorgenson discussed how different chemicals affected the development and visualization of fingerprints, based on a project she conducted at the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Forensic Science Laboratory. Her presentation was titled “Alternative carrier solvents to HFE 7100 validation
for latent print chemical processing.”

Otero-Ortiz presented research on a new way to identify toners used for printing.

Foley presented research focused on identifying bodily fluids on human hair and skin. Her presentation was titled, “Detecting seminal fluid stains on human hair and skin utilizing STK(R) SpermTracker Skin.” She also presented findings of a practitioner survey about the use of forensic genetic genealogy in the United States in "Implementation, Awareness, and Professional Opinions of Forensic Genetic Genealogy in the United States."