• Frozen Justice: Detecting and Recovering Firearms Evidence at Snow Scenes 

  Kruk, Kyle J. (2023-05)

  This research project identifies and explores the complexities associated with the detection and recovery of firearms evidence, namely casings, from areas in which snow is prevalent. By reviewing established crime scene ...
• Enhancing Forensic Science Education for Law Enforcement Personnel 

  Anderson, Sydney (2022-05)

  As crime escalates throughout the United States, it is important that law enforcement personnel are aware of, and educated, in the vast array of forensic science disciplines that can, in many cases, aid in the identification ...
• Fentanyl Degradation In Syringes Obtained From IV Drug Users in Washington, D.C. 

  Montalvo Vargo, Shayla (2022-04-18)

  Considering the continued opioid epidemic, it is important to understand the local drug trends to support public health initiatives. In 2020, the Public Health Laboratory (PHL) within the D.C. Department of Forensic ...
• Examination Of The Duration Of Immersion In Water And Extent Of Pruning Observed On Fingertips 

  Ross, Sheena (2022-05)

  In the realm of forensic science, fingers are normally thought of as evidence for identification; however, it is imperative that the forensic science community understands other valuable evidence that fingers can provide ...
• A Quantitative Study On Extraction Versus Direct Amplification Of Touch DNA Samples 

  Basrawi, Jude (2022-05)

  Touch DNA, also known as Trace DNA, is an important aspect of criminal investigations, as the perpetrator is unaware of the DNA they have left behind. While there are multiple ways to extract touch DNA, it has been established ...
• Crime Scene Documentation- iPhone vs the Nikon D5600 

  Mansell, Andrew (2021-05)

  A picture is worth a thousand words because of its power and influence. They are an unbiased representation of fact and why crime scenes are documented with powerful cameras like the Nikon Digital Single-Lens Reflex. Modern ...
• Evaluation Of Virtual Standard Curve Functionality Of The HID Real-Time Pcr Analysis Software By Comparison To Assay Specific Standard Curves And An External Standard Curve Generated In- House 

  Mauriello, Angelina (2021-05)

  Quantitative PCR (qPCR) plays a critical role in the field of forensic biology to determine the amount of “amplifiable” human specific DNA. If too much or too little DNA is present, it can result in profiles difficult ...
• Age-at-death estimations using cementochronology in thermally altered teeth 

  Weaver, Ryen L. (2021-04)

  Macroscopic age-at-death estimations provide age ranges that give broad and often insufficient insight to an individual’s chronological age. Accurate age estimations can become more complex for a forensic anthropologist ...
• Reproducibility of Quantifiler® Trio Assay-Specific Standard Curves Over a Range of Variables to Generate Guidelines for Crime Laboratory Workflows 

  Betts, Stephanie (2021-12-08)

  Quantitative PCR (qPCR) is the preferred method of quantitation in forensic DNA analysis, used to determine the amount of amplifiable human DNA present in evidence or reference samples. A standard curve is created ...
• Comparison of two different photo protocols and increasing the accuracy of 3D modeling of snow shoeprints by Photogrammetry 

  Sheen Vento, Karla (2021-03-29)

  Sometimes a shoeprint can help in narrowing down the number of suspects in a crime scene, so having an efficient recovery method for them can be helpful (Andalo et al., 2012). Photogrammetry has been proposed as a simple ...
• Forensic Taphonomy: Copper and Aluminum Staining on Skeletal Material 

  Cheney, Eleanor (2021-05-13)

  In forensic investigations, when an unknown decedent is found, the postmortem interval is a critical data point in establishing identification as well as reconstructing circumstances surrounding the death event. When ...
• Direct Transfer: Obtaining Latent Prints from the Skin of a Living Person 

  Hinze, Dustin (2021-05-10)

  Fingerprint identification has been at the core of Forensic Science for more than 100 years. It remains one of the most valuable tools to assist law enforcement in identifying suspects and solving crimes. Over time techniques ...
• Deep Brain Stimulation: Treatment for Clinical Depression 

  Admassu, Azaria (2020)

  Depression is the most common mental disorder in the United States. A person with this disorder is generally described as feeling sad, discouraged and in general, disinterested in life. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a ...
• Peeling Away Uncertainty: A Probabilistic Approach to DNA Mixture Deconvolution 

  Chaudhry, Hajara (2020)

  Mixture deconvolution involves the ability to reliably decipher and separate component genotypes of individual contributors at each tested genetic marker. The ultimate objective of this study is to develop an understanding ...
• Deconvolution of DNA Mixtures Using Replicate Sampling and TrueAllele® Mixture Interpretation 

  Antillon, Sara (2020)

  Analysis of DNA mixture evidence does not always yield distinct profiles. This process is further complicated with low template DNA (LT-DNA)samples often seen in forensic casework. Traditional qualitative methods use ...
• Latent Fingerprint Development on Adhesive Surfaces After Application to Fabric 

  Boarts, Jason (2020-04)

  One of the many items of evidence found at a crime scene that can yield breakthrough clues if handled and processed appropriately is adhesive tape. Through fracture matching and DNA analysis, a person can be linked to the ...
• Factors Effecting Friction Ridge Transfer Through Gloves Used During Crime Scene Processing 

  Wasserman, Aliah (2020)

  A pillar of the crime scene processing curriculum, Locard’s Exchange Principle states that every place one goes, they take something with them and also leave a trace behind. The ultimate goal of crime scene processing is ...
• Bullet Hole Characteristics, Limiting Factors, and Reconstructing Shooter Location within a Crime Scene 

  Jennings, Jonatthan (2020)

  Shooting scene reconstruction and the identification of where the shooter and weapon most likely were located, can be critical pieces of information for law enforcement and crime scene investigators. During an extensive ...
• Testing the Matching Capabilities of Megvii's Face++ Using Age-progressed and Real-life Images 

  Brown, Emily (2020)

  The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) assisted law enforcement with over 29,000 missing children cases in 2019 and has completed more than 6,800 age-progressed images in its history of working on ...
• Vanishing Blood Stains: Determining the optimum apparel fabric and residential lighting conditions for a bloodstain to disappear 

  Sullivan, Brittni (2020)

  Bloodstain Pattern Analysis (BPA) is one of the most important forensic crime scene techniques to date. Fluid dynamics with blood remain relatively similar across the board, which is why many researchers remain focused on ...

View more