Forensic Science Program

Her time at Mason is going swimmingly

Colleen Rich — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 17:34:58 +0000

Her time at Mason is going swimmingly Colleen Rich Thu, 03/21/2024 - 13:34

Ali Tyler is all about television crime shows. They are, she said, her go-to form of entertainment.

Photo by Cristian Torres/Office of University Branding

At the same time, she is well aware they aren’t to be taken seriously.

Tyler is a junior forensic science major at ��AV, and, as she said of Hollywood’s fast-track crime solving, “It’s not at all how it happens in real life. It’s a three-month process versus a two-second process.”

Tyler, from Cheshire, Connecticut, picked Mason because of its well-regarded Forensic Science Program and proximity to Washington, D.C., a choice that put her on her preferred career path and also allowed her to flourish as one of the Atlantic 10’s best all-around swimmers.

Tyler is a three-time conference champion in the 100-yard backstroke, a three-time champion in the 50 freestyle, and a two-time champion in the 200 backstroke. At this year’s conference championship meet, Tyler set a conference meet record of 48.84 seconds in the 100 freestyle to go along with her overall conference record of 22.29 seconds in the 50 freestyle, set in the 2021-22 season. That’s nine individual events entered, nine gold medals.

She also has been part of four relay teams that won gold, three of which set conference records, and is a member of Mason's Honors College.

“It’s been awesome to watch,” said Jamie Greenwood, interim coach of Mason’s swimming and diving team. “She’s elite in our conference, not to mention leading while staying humble. She is the athlete that every coach wants to work with.”

“I’m very glad I made the decision I did,” Tyler said of attending Mason. “I’m very satisfied with how I performed athletically. And I’m so glad I chose the forensics [program] here. The professors and everyone are fantastic.”

Still, it’s not the easiest road.

It means 5:30 a.m. wake-ups during the competitive season to get to the first of two-a-day workouts. It means working around class schedules, which Tyler said caused her on several occasions to miss practices and swim on her own to make up the time.

It means working with faculty who Tyler said have been understanding of the demands on her time and flexible when it comes to assignment deadlines.

The payoff has been both athletic and academic, as Tyler in her first two years at Mason made the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, which acknowledges student-athletes with at least a 3.0 grade-point average.

“What is amazing about her is her ability to maintain such high grades along with a rigorous aquatic training schedule,” said Steven Burmeister, an associate professor in the Forensic Science Program. “This balance demonstrates great discipline and maturity.”

Burmeister should know. He worked with Tyler last summer on a project that revealed LiDAR sensors that can be used to acquire digital crime scene data were most effective at a height of 60 feet.

“Without question, Ali has a bright future ahead of her,” Burmeister said, “and I am sure many accomplishments yet to come.”

Tyler said she is on track to graduate in Spring 2025. And because she has only five classes left for her undergraduate degree, she likely will begin an accelerated masters, also in forensic science.

From there, she said, she could pursue a career in toxicology or with a law enforcement agency.

It also makes sense that a field of study based on investigation would appeal to someone who likes puzzles.

Tyler said she loves brain teasers, disentanglement puzzles, and jigsaw puzzles. In fact, she said she just started a jigsaw puzzle with cherry blossoms.

She also appreciates the way Mason has made her feel at home, in and out of the pool.

“I like how the school is so connected, very community-based,” Tyler said. “But so many people come here from other places. I got a mix of small school and big school all in one.”

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Podcast - Ep 55: Where the bodies are buried

Damian Cristodero — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 14:53:56 +0000

Podcast - Ep 55: Where the bodies are buried Damian Cristodero Thu, 01/11/2024 - 09:53

Where the bodies are buried

Forensic research on human donors is not for the faint of heart, Mary Ellen O’Toole, director of the Forensic Science Program in ��AV’s College of Science, admitted to Mason President Gregory Washington. But the university’s new outdoor research and training laboratory—or “body farm,” as O’Toole, a former FBI profiler, calls it—is a valuable addition to the study of human decomposition in various environmental conditions for the purpose of solving crimes. It also positions O’Toole’s program as a national leader in forensic science and forensic anthropology.

^{And I love the term audacity because being audacious is to stand up and say, ‘We've got thousands of unidentified remains in medical examiner's offices throughout the United States. What can we do to reunite those individuals with their family members?’ We know that we've got unsolved cases out there of marginalized victims throughout the United States. Audacious means what can we do to solve those crimes? And so if my students can be as audacious as is humanly possible, they're gonna be magnificent forensic scientists.”}

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February 16, 2024

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Drone masterclass helps students explore real-world problems for first responders

Sarah Holland — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 18:29:01 +0000

Drone masterclass helps students explore real-world problems for first responders Sarah Holland Mon, 12/04/2023 - 13:29

“Imagine a time when hearing the buzz of a drone is not a sound of fear, or annoyance, but instead a sound of hope,” said Dallia Laban, an electrical engineering major at ��AV.

Dallia Laban opens her group's presentation. Photo by Evan Cantwell/��AV

Laban provided the opening to her team’s proposed drone innovation: a CPR drone they’ve named Skylife Support. This drone, they explained, could be deployed by first responders to reach patients and provide emergency CPR while an ambulance is enroute. After their four-minute presentation, a panel of judges asked them about growth projections and certification requirements. The audience applauded, the team returned to their seats, and the next team began their presentation on a drone system that could filter air to combat post-wildfire pollution.

Christopher Vo calls this a “Shark-Tank style pitch competition,” which closes out his Unmanned Aerial Systems Prototyping course. The Fall 2023 course marks the third successful semester of the course’s programming.

Vo is a two-time Mason alum, receiving both his MS in Computer Science ’07 and PhD in Computer Science ’14. After graduating with his PhD, Vo co-founded Sentian Robotics and served as its chief scientist until earlier this year. Sentian Robotics develops novel drone technology, such as the Hive—a drone fleet aircraft carrier.

In addition to being an accomplished robotics scientist, Vo also has a passion for teaching. “I’ve always wanted to bring drones and other new technologies out of the labs and into the real world,” he said. This course allows him to get back into the classroom and bring his knowledge as a start-up owner and robotics professional to a new cohort of students each semester. This kind of partnership is a hallmark of Mason’s entrepreneurial approach, which earned it the top ranking among public universities for research performance in entrepreneurship.

The masterclass, hosted by the Mason Innovation Exchange (MIX), is an eight-week program that meets every Thursday evening throughout October and November. Out of 300 applicants, only 30 students are selected to participate. They represent a wide range of degree programs and education levels, from first-semester freshmen in the Global Affairs Program to graduating PhDs in mechanical engineering. While the course is noncredit, students earn a microcredential upon completion.

Of course, the appeal of a course like this is in the drones. Building a drone and learning to pilot the drones is what inspires most students to apply. But Vo emphasizes that drone construction and piloting is only a small part of the overall course.

“The program is more about how you can use this technology in the real world, so the course is built around our students developing a solution to a real-world problem in first response and law enforcement using drone technology and pitching that solution to stakeholders.”

Students are put into teams based on their degree programs—Vo ensures an equal distribution of engineers and humanities students, as well as diversity of degree level amongst each team. While learning the technology and building a drone, teams must decide on a problem to tackle, theorize a solution, develop a prototype, and pitch their idea to stakeholders.

While learning the nuances of drone building and piloting, students heard from Steve Burmeister of Mason’s Forensic Science Program on emergency preparedness, and Kerin Hilker-Balkissoon, the director of educational and career pathways in the College of Science, on microcredentialing.

A student shows his group's miniature prototype during their presentation. Photo by Evan Cantwell/��AV.

Before the pitch competition, students learn the foundations of pitching from Lisa Shapiro, assistant director of entrepreneurship programs in the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact; Fred Briggs, founder and CEO of Applied Impact Robotics; and Gisele Stolz, senior director of entrepreneurship programs and business incubators in the Office of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development.

The top two groups in the pitch competition receive a monetary prize to be split among team members; the third prize goes to the “People’s Choice.” Students are not allowed to vote for their own design.

This year’s judges include Jordan Higgins, adjunct faculty in Mason’s School of Art and lead human-centered engineer at MITRE; Mike Koontz, MS Computer Engineering ’08 and director of mission technologies at Raytheon; and Kuzeyhan Ozdemir, a seasoned start-up mentor and one of the MIX’s in-house mentors.

Because the course incorporates elements of programming, engineering, creative problem-solving, and entrepreneurship, diversity of thought and skill on each team is critical to teams’ success.

“It’s a unique opportunity for our students to work with truly interdisciplinary teams. They don’t often get the chance to cross-pollinate in standard coursework,” Vo explained. “This course really emphasizes the importance and value of collaboration, cooperation, and learning from other disciplines.”

As of now, the projects end with the conclusion of the course. But Vo hopes to see teams carry on after the course to fully develop their solutions into marketable products.

“We can solve wicked problems through interdisciplinary innovation,” he said. “And that’s what I’m hoping our students take away from this course.”

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At Mason-led conference, forensic science experts offer training and insight for rural practitioners

Sarah Holland — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 14:13:26 +0000

At Mason-led conference, forensic science experts offer training and insight for rural practitioners Sarah Holland Mon, 09/11/2023 - 10:13

Walking into a lecture hall to a PowerPoint about a homicide is startling for those unacquainted with the intricacies of forensic sciences. For an audience of medical examiners, law enforcement, and prosecutors at the 2023 National Center on Forensics Conference, it’s just another day on the job.

Jay King of Chesapeake Search Dogs, with Skyler the spaniel, was among the presenters at the 2023 National Center on Forensics conference on Mason's SciTech Campus.
Photo by Sarah Holland/��AV

The conference was the culminating event of the National Institute of Justice’s $2 million grant to ��AV and its partners to create the National Center on Forensics. With sessions on topics like “Challenges in Homicide Cases Involving Native Americans and Rural Areas,” and discussions of new methodologies like genetic genealogy and the role of canines in the investigative process, the conference aimed to help a wide community of medical and legal practitioners in rural areas learn how to solve these efficiently and effectively utilizing current forensic analysis techniques.

“Smaller agencies—like those in rural areas—don't have the resources to get the same level of training on emerging techniques and technologies as those agencies in urban areas like Fairfax County,” said Joseph DiZinno, associate professor of forensic science at Mason and PI on the grant. “We hope to remedy that through events like this conference.”

“Introducing rural departments to new technologies and methodologies and demonstrating their implementation has already had a huge impact,” said Kayla Wallace, coroner liaison for the Montana Forensic Science Division, one partner on the grant. “Many of our attendees have not had access to these tools before, and we hope to see them continue to implement in the future.”

Attendees at the conference at the SciTech Campus heard from experts in forensic pathology, several areas of forensic science, and criminal law like Cece Moore, leading genetic genealogist; Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who served as special prosecutor for the Derek Chauvin case; and Matthew Gamette, laboratory system director for the Idaho State Police Forensic Services, who worked on the recent Idaho State murders case.

To ensure that as many practitioners as possible have access to this education and training, conference panels were recorded and will be available online.

From left: Joseph DiZinno, Dan Milner, Kayla Wallace, and Mike Kuykendall.
Photo by Evan Cantwell/��AV

“Our rural attendees don’t have many opportunities to talk to other practitioners about the complex issues and challenges they face," said Dan Milner, consultant pathologist for the American Society of Clinical Pathologists—one of the grant partners—and executive director of the Access to Oncology Medicines Coalition. “There’s a lot of discussion after the sessions and lots of questions being asked, both with panelists and amongst the attendees. They're really taking advantage of being in the same room as their colleagues.”

Mike Kuykendall, director of the Center for Excellence in Governance at the National Association of Attorneys General, the third partner on the grant, noted the importance of networking the conference provided. “The contacts they’ve made here can impact the rest of their careers.”

In addition to engaging medico-legal practitioners, the conference provided experiential learning opportunities for forensic science students at Mason through the planning and running of the conference. Students had the opportunity to build their resumes, hear directly from renowned experts, and meet active practitioners in all areas of forensic science.

“To be around experts and active practitioners so early in my career was surreal,” said Mariana Cruz, BS Forensic Science ’23, who is currently working on her master’s in forensic science. “I was making incredible connections, as well as really seeing how every part of the process—from medical examiners up through the court systems—must work together to solve these cases.”

Lorena Garcia, a junior in Mason’s forensic science program who grew up near a rural area in North Carolina, has firsthand experience seeing the discrepancies in resources between urban and rural offices. “This conference was so important because rural sheriffs have little to no funding and so many barriers,” she said. Garcia has made friends within the sheriff’s office of her hometown of Smithfield, and when she returned home after the conference, she said, “One of the officers told me I was learning more than some of the people in the office had experienced in their lifetime. She told me, ‘You’re going to change the world.’”

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Around Mason: Bugs, insects, and invertebrates of the Mason Nation

Lauren Reuscher — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 13:12:41 +0000

Around Mason: Bugs, insects, and invertebrates of the Mason Nation Lauren Reuscher Thu, 07/13/2023 - 09:12

The Marvel universe isn't the only place where insects and other invertebrates have superpowers. Mason faculty, staff, and students are studying and explaining the many roles these creatures play on our planet, learning more about a bug's life—and the big world surrounding them—every step of the way. Here's a recap of some of those stories.

SMSC student Spencer Harman (left) holds a monarch butterfly for tagging with guidance from Professor Joshua Davis. Photo by Mariam Aburdeineh/Strategic Communications

Monarch butterflies teach us how to protect them through their grand migration

Many creatures migrate to warmer habitats for the winter, but no insect does so quite as uniquely and spectacularly as the monarch butterfly, an endangered species. Undergraduates from the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation‘s Wildlife Ecology and Conservation program tagged monarch butterflies on their journey south to help researchers better understand their grand migration. Read more.

Mason's honeybee apiary. Photo by Sierra Guard/Creative Services

Honeybees and their honey could help solve crimes

An unlikely collaboration between Mason’s Honey Bee Initiative and the new outdoor Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory could yield critical advances in forensic science. Read more.

The image on the left shows approximate human perception of flower color, and the image on the right depicts the bee-perceived color. Photo provided by Anna Siegle.

Bees can see ultraviolet (UV) colors, which are invisible to the human eye

When a bee sees a flower, it knows where to land thanks to its ability to see UV color patterns on the petals. A team at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation helps reveal what pollinators see, and why it matters for the future of conservation. Read more.

Ren Guerriero (left) and Mason student Matthew Perez study fruit flies in a neuroscience lab. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Fruit fly behavior may reveal the impact of genes and disease on sleep

Assistant Professor of Neuroscience Ren Guerriero's teaching lab in the College of Science is using fruit flies to learn about the impact of genes and disease on sleep. Undergraduate researchers are investigating novel sleep-related genes by manipulating them genetically to see how they affect sleep and activity behavior. Researchers are also increasing and decreasing sleep in Alzheimer's disease model flies to determine how this impacts their Alzheimer's symptoms.

Worms are soil magicians

Worm bin composting in Mason's Greenhouse and Gardens turns biodegradable waste into healthy soil. Watch the video tutorial featuring Doni Nolan, Greenhouse and Gardens program manager.

What's the Patriot's favorite dance move? The worm.

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Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

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Students in forensic figure sculpting class make portraits from the inside out

Melanie Balog — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 19:40:38 +0000

Students in forensic figure sculpting class make portraits from the inside out Melanie Balog Mon, 06/06/2022 - 15:40

Joe Mullins loves his job. In fact, he loves it so much that he has been sharing his skills as an adjunct in ��AV’s School of Art and the Forensic Science Program with the hope of inspiring the next generation of forensic artists.

For more than 22 years, Mullins has worked as a forensic imaging specialist at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). For a decade, he has been teaching a Facial Reconstruction class to graduate students in Mason’s Forensic Science Program. This spring semester, for the first time at Mason, he taught a forensic figure sculpting class.

A student works on a clay self-portrait in the class. Photo by DeRon Rockingham, Creative Services

The 15 students in the special topics course started the semester with a generic plastic skull. Week by week, they sculpted different parts of their own faces, creating a portrait of themselves in clay and learning the forensic skills needed to put a face on a skull.

“Basically, it's a portrait class,” said Mullins, “but you're doing a self-portrait from the inside out.”

Since 2007, Mullins has been teaching a more comprehensive version of this course at the New York Academy of Art. The difference is the academy students are working on an actual cold case from unidentified remains, which have been analyzed and 3D printed.

“They are active cases,” said Mullins of the New York workshop. “So those students get a sense of the pressure to get it right.”

The Mason course is meant to give interested students a chance to try out forensic art and learn more about facial structures.

“It's an opportunity for these students to broaden their horizons,” said Mullins, who has a background in fine arts and worked as a graphic designer before discovering forensic art. “One of my teachers [during my undergraduate degree] said, ‘If you're gonna be an artist, you have to know what's going on underneath the skin before you can draw or paint what's on top.”

Mullins calls his class a “crash course on what a skull is telling you.” The students are not just learning to sculpt, some for the first time, they are also getting an introduction to forensic science and anatomy. In addition to teaching the students specifics like tissue depth, Mullins also goes over some case studies with the class, bringing in skulls he has worked on during the course of his career.

“This is hands down the coolest class I have taken at Mason,” said art major Sophia Truxell-Svenson, whose concentration is in drawing. “I was nervous at the start of class because I'm definitely not a sculptor, but Professor Mullins has broken down the whole process into clear steps and is always there if we have questions.”

A student works on a clay portrait in Joe Mullins' Forensic Scuplture class. Photo by DeRon Rockingham, Creative Services

Truxell-Svenson, a junior, took the class to gain a better understanding of facial proportions and because she has had an interest in forensic art since seeing a Smithsonian Institution exhibit that showed the full process from blank skull to sculpted face.

“It was so cool to see how artists were able to give someone back their face, even hundreds of years later,” she said. “The bones had a story to tell, and the artists were able to bring those stories to life.”

Mason anthropology graduate student Veronica Hughes, who is focusing on bioarchaeology and forensics in her studies, took the class because she is interested in using her education in the forensics field.

“I have really enjoyed the systematic process required in reconstructing a face based on skeletal information,” said Hughes, who has a bachelor’s degree in studio art. “Seeing where applications from science and art join together has helped me to understand how delicate the process is toward producing an accurate reconstruction of a victim that people can identify.”

Hughes said she was also fascinated by what she learned about facial muscle placement and tissue depth in the class.

“On the bioarchaeology side, we mostly are studying skeletal remains to determine the individual's possible identification in life,” said Hughes. “Realizing how much soft tissue decomposes has been informative and will help me in my work.”

Mullins is offering the class again in the fall and also working on creating additional courses that tackle the topics such as age progression and composite drawing. The long-term goal is developing a graduate certificate in forensic arts. Right now, the only place to get this kind of training is at the University of Dundee in Scotland.

Mullins believes Mason has the perfect combination of resources for such a certificate program with its well-regarded programs in forensic science, anthropology and art, and its partnership with FARO Technologies, an industry leader in high-tech 3D measurement and imaging.

“You have to be a fine artist before you can be a forensic artist,’” said Mullins, “But it is my hope that these artists taking the class might find forensic art a superpower they haven't used yet or didn’t know they had.”

Joe Mullins shows students in his Forensic Sculpture class details about facial reconstruction. Photo by DeRon Rockingham, Creative Services

Honey bees and their honey could be a big help in solving police cases

John Hollis — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 19:33:20 +0000

Honey bees and their honey could be a big help in solving police cases John Hollis Tue, 01/18/2022 - 14:33

An unlikely collaboration between ��AV’s Honey Bee Initiative and the new outdoor Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory could yield critical advances in forensic science.

^{Mason teams from a number of different fields are working in unison at the Science and Technology Campus in Manassas, Virginia, on an ambitious project to see if the honey produced by bees after feeding on flowers can help them better locate missing persons.}

^{“The focus of forensics is to solve cases,” said Mary Ellen O’Toole, the head of the Forensic Science Program within Mason’s College of Science and a former FBI profiler. “Outdoor crime scenes have always posed a challenge to investigators, particularly identifying the location of human remains. The bee research will allow us to scientifically demonstrate that identifying bee activity in bee farms or in the wild and analyzing their proteins can help lead investigators to human remains. In this case, the bees are our new partners in crime fighting, and that’s amazing science.”}

Volunteers plant perennials at the Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory in support of ongoing research to determine if traces of human remains can be identified in the plants or in the honey produced by pollinators.
Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications

Proteins in bee honey contain biochemical information about what the bees have fed upon. That information has previously been used to detect the chemical signature of pesticides in honey, allowing observers to deduce what specific types of pesticides were being used within the five-mile radius from the hives that honey bees typically frequent.

Similarly, O’Toole and her team believe that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of human decomposition might likewise be found in bee honey, allowing authorities to then triangulate where missing human remains might be located. That ability could ultimately help spare grieving families additional extended angst while also saving thousands of hours in the search for a missing person.

“If we can determine what the VOCs are for humans and differentiate that from other animals, we could then use the bees and their honey as sentinels, and, hopefully, find missing persons and solve cases,” said Anthony Falsetti, an associate professor of forensic science.

Their belief is based on the premise that flowering plants near dead bodies will uptake the VOCs before being fed upon by the bees and ultimately being deposited in their honey.

Alessandra Luchini, an associate professor within Mason’s Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine (CAPMM), has perfected a method to extract proteins from the honey. She and Lance Liotta, a University Professor and CAPMM co-founder and co-director, have been involved with the project from the outset, following the idea’s origins at one of the monthly research meetings with the Forensic Science Program.

Honey bees are very specific in the kinds of flowers to which they’re attracted. Doni Nolan, Mason’s Greenhouse and Gardens sustainability program manager from the School of Integrative Studies within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, applied her expertise to the project, choosing the right flowers to plant within the specific one-acre section of the newly opened Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory that will house the remains of human donors in a heavily wooded area. The honey bee hive on the SciTech Campus is located several hundred yards away from the Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory.

Volunteers prepare to plant flowers at the Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications

In November, students and researchers planted several different species of plants, which bear highly scented white and yellow blossoms, near the spots where the human remains will soon be displayed. Additional plants native to this area will be planted in the spring before the first honey samples are examined, Nolan said.

“You’re trying to see if the honey and the bees can help us find a body and solve a homicide,” said Nolan, who has a biology degree from Mason and is working on a PhD in biosciences.

The five-acre, Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory opened in early 2021, making Mason just the eighth location in the world capable of performing transformative outdoor research in forensic science using human donors and the only one in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Donation of human remains to the research facility will come through the Virginia State Anatomical Program (VSAP), which is a part of the Virginia Department of Health. Go here to learn more about donating your body to science.

Mason also entered a partnership with FARO Technologies, Inc. that resulted in the world’s first FARO-certified forensic laboratory.

In addition to those in the Forensic Science Program, the multidisciplinary project also includes the caretakers of the honey bees, as well as researchers and students from CAPMM, as well as from the Department of Environmental Science and Policy within the College of Science and Office of Sustainability, all of whom helped select the plants for the research design.

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Mason, FARO announce partnership to advance forensic science research

John Hollis — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 20:24:15 +0000

Mason, FARO announce partnership to advance forensic science research John Hollis Fri, 09/24/2021 - 16:24

Anthony Falsetti, an associate professor in the Forensics Science Program, explains the significance of the program's partnership with FARO Technologies, Inc. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications

The ��AV Forensic Science Program has further established its place as one of the nation’s premier programs in its field with a partnership with FARO Technologies, Inc. that will result in the world’s first FARO-certified forensic science laboratory.

An industry leader in the kind of high-tech 3D measurement and imaging that leading law enforcement agencies and others use for crime scene investigation, FARO will lend Mason $300,000 of equipment for use by students training in state-of-the-art forensic science technology. Students will also have the opportunity to work alongside law enforcement partners such the ��AV Police, Fairfax County Police, Fairfax City Police and others, including the U.S. Army.

Kimberly Rule, an assistant professor in the Forensics Science Program, discusses the program's partnership with FARO Technologies, Inc. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications

Much of the research will be done at Mason’s new five-acre Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory in Manassas that is one of just eight in the world capable of transformative outdoor research in forensic science using human remains. Mason is the first university to do so and offer FARO equipment certification.

“Whether a student is learning how to process an outdoor scene at the university’s ‘body farm,’ measuring a murder scene inside the Forensic Science Crime Scene House or testifying in court as an expert witness, they will walk in the shoes of real forensic scientists and learn how to apply their science and skills to get answers about how crimes are committed and how to solve them with the accuracy and precision of 21st-century technology,” said Mary Ellen O’Toole, the former FBI profiler who heads the Forensic Science Program within Mason’s College of Science. “This exciting FARO-Mason Forensic Science partnership is the first of its kind in the world, and the opportunities we can now give to our students and develop with our external partners can only be imagined.”

As a direct result of the partnership, Mason’s Forensic Science Program will soon become the first in the nation to offer a 3D course in crime scene documentation.

Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, the dean of Mason’s College of Science, lauded the partnership for taking forensic science research, education and training to the highest standards of achievement.

“This first-of-its-kind merger of FARO forensic technology and the expertise in Mason’s Forensic Science program positions it as one of the most complete and diverse programs of its kind in the country, offering unique, hands-on training and certification for students and law enforcement officials in 3D crime scene processing, forensic anthropology, and even forensic artistry,” Miralles-Wilhelm said.

Forensic science has changed considerably over the years, with technology such as 3D scanning and reality capture now playing a critical role in the preserving of crime scenes so that investigators may continue to return to the virtual crime scene to evaluate evidence. By storing that information digitally, forensic investigators can review even the most minute details and share that information before returning to the crime as many times as needed.

Mason and FARO Technologies, Inc. will use 3D technology to advance forensic science research. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications

Mason forensic science students will immediately benefit from that real-world taste and hands-on experience with the latest technology.

“I feel well prepared for whatever I’m going to see,” said forensic science graduate student Samantha Hadley.

Alina Burroughs, FARO’s senior business development manager for public safety, said her company was thrilled to team with the Mason Forensic Science Program because of a shared commitment to innovation.

“FARO and GMU have a unique partnership based on the common goal of advancing the field of forensic science through innovative technology,” Burroughs said. “Our powerful, non-invasive laser scanning solutions allow investigators to document scenes, supplying more comprehensive data faster, resulting in more accurate analysis, identification of victims, and resolution of cases. We are proud to work together with George Mason to build the next generation of forensic investigators through this shared vision.”

The Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory expects to receive its first donations of human remains next month.

More About Forensic Science

Her time at Mason is going swimmingly
March 21, 2024
Podcast - Ep 55: Where the bodies are buried
January 11, 2024
Drone masterclass helps students explore real-world problems for first responders
December 5, 2023
At Mason-led conference, forensic science experts offer training and insight for rural practitioners
September 14, 2023
STEM Bridge Camp gives new students a jump-start in math and science
August 28, 2023

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Mason expands forensic science training in rural areas with $2 million grant

Colleen Rich — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 18:06:25 +0000

Mason expands forensic science training in rural areas with $2 million grant Colleen Rich Fri, 12/04/2020 - 13:06

Anthony Falsetti and Mary Ellen O'Toole of Mason's growing Forensic Science Program at the site of the new Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory. Photo by Ian Shiff/Creative Services.

The Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has awarded a $2 million grant to ��AV to further the advancement of forensic science.

The funding from the NIJ will create a National Center on Forensics at Mason to provide medical and legal learning opportunities for medical students training as deputy medical examiners/ coroners in rural areas while also offering forensic science and legal training to district attorneys, judges and law enforcement officials. The award, which was announced by the DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs, is expected to also develop other opportunities as appropriate among designated partners that will benefit current and future practitioners in the field.

Mary Ellen O’Toole, the former FBI profiler who is the director of the Forensic Science Program within Mason’s College of Science, said the grant will allow her program to collaborate with partners to ensure that all victims and their families receive justice.

“Too often victims and their families and the professionals investigating the crimes who reside in rural areas don’t have access to the same resources as those from urban, metropolitan areas,” O’Toole said. “This gap can be significant and stand between case resolution and years of never knowing what happened. This grant will allow us and our partners to work to increase the number of much-needed forensic experts like medical examiners and coroners and to provide state-of-the-art training for them and other professionals.”

Joseph DiZinno, an associate professor and a former FBI forensics expert, will serve as the project’s principal investigator, while Anthony Falsetti, an associate professor and forensic anthropologist, will serve as the co-PI.

Mason will partner with the National Institute of Justice, the American Society for Clinical Pathology, the National Association of Attorneys General, the University of Washington Schools of Medicine and Law, and the Montana Forensic Science Division to serve as a national resource to raise awareness about and address the shortage of medical examiners and coroners, particularly in rural areas, DiZinno said.

“By increasing the number of forensic pathologists and by training the medical examiner, coroner and legal communities, the National Center on Forensics will directly impact the criminal justice system’s ability to determine if crimes have been committed and ensure that the guilty are held accountable and the innocent are not unfairly charged or convicted,” DiZinno said.

The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training and technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems.

“In spite of geography, every case and every victim should be afforded the same commitment and range of resources for a thorough and comprehensive investigation and resolution within our criminal justice system,” O’Toole said. “This unique grant will allow us to bring these resources to the communities and people who need it the most.”

The grant is part of the continued expansion of the Mason program, which recently unveiled its new Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory that is slated to open next semester on the Science and Technology Campus in Manassas. The five-acre facility will be just the eighth in the world capable of transformative outdoor research in forensic science using human remains.

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Mason to unveil its new Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory

John Hollis — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 10:30:00 +0000

Mason to unveil its new Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory John Hollis Tue, 11/24/2020 - 05:30

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The opening of ��AV’s new Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory in the Spring 2021 semester establishes Mason as a leader in forensic anthropology and investigations and a valuable community partner with law enforcement.

With the addition of the new five-acre facility on its Science and Technology Campus in Manassas, Virginia, Mason becomes just the eighth location in the world capable of performing transformative outdoor research in forensic science using human donors.

The facility will offer a unique learning experience for Mason students, allowing them to perform cutting-edge forensic science research pertinent to the criminal justice system while developing highly sought-after skills as career-ready graduates.

The lab will also serve as a proving ground for technological advances in applied forensic sciences. The transdisciplinary collaboration is housed within Mason’s College of Science and administered by the Forensic Science Program.

Mary Ellen O’Toole, the director of the Forensic Science Program and a former FBI profiler, called the new facility an “incredible initiative that will distinguish Mason in the field of forensic science and related sciences for years to come.”

“Our vision is to be interdisciplinary and collaborative in our pursuit of the latest high-tech and hands-on course work for our students to set a new bar for a wide range of research, from scent dog/chemistry research to determining the postmortem interval that is relevant to our unique environment,” she said.

The laboratory will receive its first human remains late in the spring semester. It is dedicated to studying the processes of human decomposition in various conditions for the purposes of solving crimes.

This will include the examination of environmental changes, soil composition, animal scavenging, floral diversity and insect species variations. This information will be used for medical-legal applications and law enforcement training.

“Having such a unique facility here at George Mason will allow our students to use their creativity to explore operational-based research that will help us identify the unidentified, locate clandestine graves, assist in unbiased prosecutions and exonerate the innocent,” said Anthony Falsetti, an associate professor of Forensic Science.

The laboratory will serve as a focal point where local, state and national law enforcement agencies can learn to identify the unidentified and help solve crimes.

“We’ve significantly invested in our innovative Forensic Science program at Mason to offer students and partners access to unparalleled academic, research and training experiences,” said Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, dean of the College of Science. “First the Crime Scene House and the DNA Lab offer authentic, hands-on experiential learning opportunities, now this Forensic Science Research Laboratory will present unique research opportunities and professional pathways with the D.C. federal agencies, military and law enforcement organizations in close proximity.”

Donations of human remains to the research facility will come through the Virginia State Anatomical Program (VSAP), a part of the Virginia Department of Health.

“This research opportunity affords us a unique opportunity to advance forensic science and develop a much deeper understanding of the environmental issues that affect human decomposition and the associated evidence that allow the science to tell the stories for those who can no longer speak for themselves,” said Maj. Christian P. Quinn, commander of the Cyber and Forensics Bureau for the Fairfax County Police Department.

The laboratory’s unique position near Washington, D.C. presents opportunities to partner with federal and state agencies and U.S. military organizations, such as the Virginia State Medical Examiner, Virginia Department of Forensic Sciences, University of Virginia’s Applied Biodynamics Laboratory, Prince William County Police, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, the Smithsonian Institution, Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Department of Homeland Security among others.

“This facility will be breaking ground, setting new standards, researching new forensic techniques and, ultimately, solving cases,” O’Toole said.

Detailed measures have been put in place to assure security and environmental integrity.

The University of Tennessee in Knoxville established the first outdoor human remains facility in 1981, followed by Texas State University, Sam Houston State University, Western Carolina University, Southern Illinois University, Colorado Mesa University and the University of South Florida.

Mason’s facility will be the only one in the mid-Atlantic region.

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