Under the Microscope – Allison Sherier
Over the past decade microbial forensics has shifted from solely biosecurity applications to include human identification (HID). Studies have shown that the human skin microbiome could potentially serve as an adjunct to traditional DNA evidence, especially when the human DNA is low quantity. Recently, a custom targeted panel for the human skin microbiome has been […]
Under the Microscope – Jianye Ge
Y chromosome STR haplotypes have been used in assisting forensic investigations primarily for identification and male lineage determination. The Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) Lineage Marker Committee published interpretation guidelines for Y-STR typing, which provide helpful guidance. However, these guidelines do not address the issue of kinship analysis with Y-STR haplotypes. Because […]
Under the Microscope – Rachel Oefelein and Tarah Nieroda
As the world slowly starts to return to business, new challenges are faced by restrictions in the courtrooms. Combining the nerves of regular testimony with personal protective equipment (PPE) on the stand, along with temperature checks, and new check‐in procedures, adds to the stress of everyday testimony. However, many courtrooms are opting for another choice, […]
Previewing the Posters of Our ISHI Student Ambassadors: Olivia McCarter
Investigative genetic genealogy is becoming a popular topic in the forensic community for its use in solving previously “unsolvable” cold cases for law enforcement. The United States, unfortunately, has very high rates of infanticides–or the murder of a child younger than four years of age. Because these children are so young and have likely not […]
Under the Microscope – Lies Janssens and Emily Simek
Automated and semi-automated sample processing has become more widespread with the implementation of various robotic platforms. A new robotic application for differential separation of sexual assault samples using a novel nanofiber filter was evaluated for a high-throughput laboratory system. At their presentation this year, Lies Janssens and Emily Simek will be presenting on a […]
Under the Microscope – Elena Zavala
DNA analysis has become an essential component for resolving unidentified human remains, disaster victim identification, and cold cases. Due to the high copy number of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) molecules in each cell compared to nuclear DNA, mtDNA is often used in these cases to aid with identification when nuclear DNA recovery fails. The Armed Forces […]
Under the Microscope – Lawrence Wein
The genealogy process is typically the most time-consuming part of – and a limiting factor in the success of – investigative genetic genealogy. In his presentation at ISHI, Lawrence Wein will present a systematic approach to efficiently perform the genealogy portion of investigative genetic genealogy. He and his colleagues have formulated a two-stage mathematical model […]
ISHI 32 Agenda Now Available
The General Sessions agenda for the 32nd International Symposium on Human Identification has been released and can be downloaded in a pdf form. Read on to learn more about the presentations offered. As this year marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, we will open the conference with a […]
Under the Microscope with ISHI Student Ambassador Haley Fallang
Haley Fallang is working toward obtaining her Master of Science in Forensic from Towson University and will be representing ISHI as a Student Ambassador this year. One of Haley’s long-term goals in forensic science is to achieve a Ph.D. and research historic and ancient DNA using sequencing technologies to determine biogeographical information, phenotypic information, and […]
