Summer 2017 - Defense Forensic Science Center located in Forest Park, GA

I hope all is well. I am reaching out to you to see if you have any outstanding undergraduate students that would like to compete for a Research Associate position at the Defense Forensic Science Center located in Forest Park, GA this summer. See below for a listing of the opportunities that we have available this summer. If you have any students that are interested, please have them send a resume and an unofficial copy of their transcript for consideration.

Thanks,
Rachel

Project descriptions

Body fluid identification - DFSC is working with a university and a company to validate protocols for determining body fluid identity using mRNA and high resolution melt. The RA will collect mRNA, make cDNA, and perform high resolution melt experiments.

NOCIt validation - A software system to determine the number of contributors in a DNA mixture has been developed for DFSC. The RA will assess the software system and compare it's results to results obtained from a DNA casework examiner.

Extract concentration - DFSC receives large pieces of evidence that require multiple reaction tubes to complete the DNA extraction. The RA will increase incubation volume for extraction and then concentrate to the volume required for traditional EZ1 large volume extraction.

Shoe outsole comparison - A major way shoes are manufactured is by a calendaring and cutting process.  A certain class characteristic from a random area selected on the calendared material in itself is not very discriminatory, but when two of these calendared materials are cut and placed over one another, the orientations of these repetitive characteristics may be substantially more discriminatory. The RA will make impressions and compare outsole characteristics between samples.

Testing of latent print superglue process - The RA will test, compare, and evaluate available commercial off the shelf one-step superglue processes and compare the quality to the traditional two-step process


Rachel Creager, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Office of the Chief Scientist
Defense Forensic Science Center
Contractor, Envistacom
Office Phone:  404-469-7237