ASU Forensic Science Day - March 26, 2021

Arizona State University | New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Science

Morning- high school, college students- virtual

8:00 am – 8:30am     Registration

8:30 am – 8:35 am     Welcome I

8:35 am – 9:30 am     Keynote speaker: Erin Hickson- Firearms & Art in Forensics

9:30 am – 9:40 am     10 minute break

9:40 am – 11:20 am   ASU Facutly Presentations

11:20 am – 12:00 pm Career Panel – Q & A Session

Erin Hickson- Forensic Scientist & Certified Forensic Artist; Phoenix Police Department.

Specialties: Forensic Firearms Examination & Forensic Art

Erin will discuss various types of evidence that Forensic Firearms Examiners analyze, along with the varied procedures that we utilize to answer questions about the evidence. This presentation also reveal the different ways that Biology, Physiology, Anthropology, Psychology & Art contribute to Forensics through Forensic Art.

Faculty Presenters

Specialty: Forensic Chemistry
Dr. Shirly Montero (9:40-10:00)

Trace evidence can be powerful to associate an object or a person with another object or person. Although, current analytical techniques for the chemical composition of traces excel in performance, they also introduce challenges in the interpretation of results. I’ll review some of those challenges.

Dr. Smalarz is an experimental social psychologist who conducts research on the causes of wrongful conviction, including eyewitness misidentification and forensic science errors. She will describe her research on sources of bias in forensic evidence analysis and describe new methods for conducting forensic analysis involving match judgments (e.g., fingerprint analysis, handwriting analysis, tool marks, ballistics, etc.).

Dr. Jonathan Parrott (10:20-10:40)

Ever wondered what information can be determined from biological evidence at a crime scene? This talk will detail forensic biology research being carried out at ASU West to provide a better understanding of techniques used in forensic investigations.

Dr. Lauren Weidner (10:40- 11:00)

Specialty: Forensic Entomology

Insects can help to answer various question in legal investigations make them a valuable resource in forensic science. This presentation will review how insects are used in legal investigations and what research is being conducted here at ASU to help strengthen this field.

Dr. Bolhofner will introduce the attendees to the field of forensic anthropology and review some of the ongoing work here at ASU.

Afternoon     ASU students only– in person & sync

12:30 pm – 1:10 pm      Student Talks Session 1

1:10 pm – 1:15 pm      Break

1:15 pm – 1:55pm      Student Talks Session II

1:55 pm- 2:00 pm      Break

2:00 pm - 2:45 pm      “Finding your Internship” Beverly Johnson- Career & Professional Development Services

2:45pm - 3:30 pm      Hollywood v. Reality- The CSI Effect” Scott Rex- Crime Lab Manager, Arizona Department of Public Safety

3:30 pm- 4:30 pm      “Police Background Checks” Heather Morrell- Peoria Police Department

4:30 pm-4:45pm      Closing Remarks

Student Talks

Session I

12:30- 12:40-Andrew Noblesse:

2:40-12:50- Tessa Jung:

12:50- 1:00-  Demian Herrara

1:00-1:10- Dakota Hartliep

Session II

1:15-1:25- Cannabis Contaminant Regulation: Metals Tested -Fatima Al Battat, Mauricio Galicia, Leonna Mccloud, Joshua Motoyama, and Priscilla Pacheco

1:25-1:35-Observations of Cannabis Solvent Regulation by State- Ethan Fleck, Symone Griffith, Nerissa Kueny, Kaley Neuberger, Sookyoung Park, and Sarah Ray

1:35-1:45-Environmental Suitability Analysis for Cannabis and Hemp Growth in Arizona. Anastasia Stats

1:45-1:55- The Persistence of Blood Across Various Substrates. Morgan Kincade