August 28 , 2009
The International Association of Forensic Identification (IAI) held its 94th annual conference in Tampa, Florida this past August 2009. This prestigious organization is the gateway for educating the forensic community by providing a network of professionals to broaden the knowledge of forensic agencies with workshops and lectures. IAI is the world’s oldest and largest forensic science association. The primary focus of the IAI continues to be the education of forensic advancement.
Many sponsors attended the conference along with other exhibitors that provided the latest in forensic applications and equipment. Agencies from all over the U S and other countries attended the conference alongside many universities and colleges. The IAI hosts a league of research presentations for professionals and students representing cutting edge research programs from different businesses and colleges around the world. In total, forensic scientists from all 50 states and over 30 countries had representative.
The University of Southern Mississippi Forensic Science Departent was well represented providing five international research posters. Four were graduate students from the Forensic Science program at Southern Miss and the fifth an undergraduate progressing to her Honors College credits.
The following are the USM students and the titles of their research posters presented at the IAI Conferences:
- Lauren Goodman presented "Qualitative Analysis of the Effectiveness of Using either Compressed Air or Un-du Ò in Forensic Applications Relating to Fabric Reinforced One-sided Pressure Sensitive Adhesive"
- Kelly Counts presented "A Processing Technique Using Muriatic Acid and 1,2-Indanedione to Develop Latent Prints on Thermal Paper"
- Nicole Thompson presented " Multiple Differential DNA Extractions from Simulated Sexual Assault Kit Samples"
- Jennifer Hammons presented "Whole Genome Amplification and its uses in Forensic Identification"
- Amanda Self presented "Preliminary Statistical Analysis of Elderly Fingerprint Image Quality/Enhancement Using I.D. Enhance Solution"
The IAI awarded an exclusive scholarship of $200 and recognition for outstanding research in the forensic community to Jennifer Hammons for her research in Whole Genome Amplification and its uses in Forensic Identification.
Pictured (L to R): Kuppareddi Balamurugan,
Jennifer Hammons, and Dean Bertram
The USM Forensic Science professors and staff that assisted in this success include Kuppareddi Balamurugan, Dean Bertram, Thomas Pittman, John Byrd, Levi White. Ron Smith and Associates of Meridian, Ms privately funded some of the students expenses.
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