GMU Forensic Science Program

Here's how a field of decomposing bodies in Manassas could change science

Check out this video and news article featuring our "body farm"! https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/investigations/body-farm-corpses-manassas-george-mason-university-forensic-science/65-347d7444-59a2-49fe-a7d5-18b69b387f2b

Here's how a field of decomposing bodies in Manassas could change science George Mason University will train the next generation of crime scene investigators.

While all of the excitement of the opening of the FARO lab and the ‘body farm’ was happening last week, some of our @gmuforensicscience alum were busy presenting their research at the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists Annual Meeting at the @kalahariresorts in Pennsylvania!

First image - Angelina Mauriello: Evaluation of virtual standard curve functionality of the HID real-time pcr analysis software by comparison to assay specific standard curves and an external standard curve generated in-house

Second image - Ryen Weaver: Age-at-Death Estimation Using Cementochronology in Thermally Altered Teeth

Not pictured but equally as awesome - Paige Riley: Optimizing a method to digitize exemplars for use in the automated detection of trash marks

Another awesome day at the @envisionexperience with @gmuforensicscience students, faculty, and alumni! Three weeks down, one week to go!

500 high school students and 24 crime scenes later, Professor Knight, Professor Williams, and some ROCKIN’ @gmuforensicscience students and alumni are done with week two of “The CSI Experience” with @envisionexperience. Two weeks down, two more to go! Having a blast training the next generation of amazing forensic scientists!

GMU Forensic Science Spring 2021 Graduation

Congratulations to our 2021 graduates! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N27PKuD_xSg

GMU Forensic Science Spring 2021 Graduation The George Mason University Forensic Science Program is excited and proud to celebrate each and every one of our graduates.

ScienceConnect 2021 | GMU College of Science

ScienceConnect 2021 | GMU College of Science Spring semester began Monday, January 25, with a mix of in-person instruction and expanded online classes. Visit Mason’s Safe Return to Campus Plan for COVID-19 updates.

What's it like to interview a mass murderer? Dr. Mary Ellen O'Toole, a former FBI profiler and director of the @gmuforensicscience program, answers that question and more on the Access to Excellence podcast: https://www.stitcher.com/show/access-to-excellence-podcast/episode/into-the-eyes-of-a-murderer-80208276

The annual American Academy of Forensic Sciences meeting will be virtual this year!! This is a great opportunity to attend from anywhere you are located without having to worry about travel expenses.
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The student registration is currently $75 for members and $115 for non-members. The prices will go up on January 19th to $90 and $140 so if you plan to attend, register ASAP. Also, if you attend, don’t forget to add it to your CV 😉!

Retired FBI official discusses Nashville bombing investigation

Check out GMU Forensic Science Program professor and retired FBI supervisory special agent, Steven Burmeister, join CBS News to discuss what investigators have learned about the Nashville Christmas bombing and a possible motive.

One of the coolest parts of our program?? Having class with your professors and then seeing them on the news and on TV

Retired FBI official discusses Nashville bombing investigation Stephen Burmeister, a retired supervisory special agent for the FBI, joined CBSN to discuss what investigators have learned about the Nashville Christmas bombing and a possible motive.

As we reflect on the fall semester and prepare to begin a new one, we would like to take a moment to acknowledge and congratulate all of our winter graduates, some of whom are pictured here.

We could not be more proud of you and all that you have been able to overcome this year. Congratulations again!

From the GMU Forensic Science Program Faculty and Staff

After 51 years, the Zodiac Killer's cipher has been solved by amateur code breakers

After 51 years, the Zodiac Killer's cipher has been solved by amateur code breakers More than 50 years after the so-called Zodiac Killer first began terrorizing the streets of Northern California, a code-breaking team is believed to have finally cracked one of the killer's mysterious coded messages sent to the San Francisco Chronicle in 1969.

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Why human corpses will soon fill a Northern Virginia field that is NOT a graveyard

Dr. Mary Ellen O'Toole, chair of the GMU Forensic Science Program and Dr. Anthony Falsetti, Associate Professor in the Forensic Science Program, were recently featured on ABC7 News discussing our new forensic science research and training laboratory which will be only the eighth location in the world like it! Who's excited?!

Why human corpses will soon fill a Northern Virginia field that is NOT a graveyard Five acres in Northern Virginia will soon be filled with human remains, but it's not a graveyard. George Mason University is working on a cutting-edge forensic science program that will help investigators solve crimes. As an FBI profiler, Mary Ellen O'Toole has interviewed the most notorious serial....

Visit https://bit.ly/35wCT9mfor more info on the unpaid internship scholarship!

At the Scene of the Crime: Modern Scientific Approaches for Studying the Time Since Death

This talk features an exploration of Mason's Forensic Science Research & Training Laboratory, a 5-acre outdoor, protected facility that is dedicated to studying the processes of human decomposition in various topographical and climatic conditions, environmental changes, soil composition, animal scavenging, floral diversity, identify insect species variation specifically for medical-legal applications, and developing new remote sensing methodologies and instrumentation. ​Students and faculty will also partner with federal agencies and US military organizations unlike any other university. Moreover, this facility promotes collegial collaborations with regional institutions, public and private laboratories, and facilitate community partnerships by providing a focal point for the training of local, state, and federal investigators, highlighting George Mason’s commitment to be on the forefront of the advancement of forensic science.

At the Scene of the Crime: Modern Scientific Approaches for Studying the Time Since Death At the Scene of the Crime: Modern Scientific Approaches for Studying the Time Since Death Date: Thursday, October 29, 2020 Have you ever wondered what it's l...

Today!!

🎃 WELCOME TO THE FIRST EVER GMU FORENSIC SCIENCE HALLOWEEN DECORATING COMPETITION 🎃
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There are two ways to play!! A Halloween decorating contest and a pumpkin decorating contest! Directions and rules for entry below!
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DIRECTIONS AND RULES: Please read carefully to ensure entry into the contest!
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Post your decorations/pumpkins to either Instagram or Facebook. In your post YOU MUST INCLUDE:
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🎃The appropriate hashtag (either or )
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🎃For the decorating competition you must indicate if you are a student, faculty or alumni. If these are not included in your post, you will not be entered into the contest.
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Each category will have an album on Facebook. The photo with the most likes is the winner in that category! So be sure to also share to have more people voting!
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Winners will be announced Monday November 2nd.
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Decorations with profanity or graphic content will NOT be included in the contest.

A reminder about this event on Thursday! Don’t forget to register to receive the Zoom link.

Link to register: https://alumni.gmu.edu/s/1564/GID2/16/interior-1col.aspx?sid=1564&gid=2&pgid=5481&content_id=9021

Timeline photos

We're excited to help SWAFS host their first ever virtual conference on October 5th, 6th, and 8th! Registration is FREE for anyone who wants to attend. Join us to discuss seized drugs, toxicology, DNA, and more!

Register here: http://ow.ly/9Bpk50Bq30L

Happy first day of classes FRSC students! Whether you are on campus, virtual, or both we hope this is your best semester yet!!
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Your faculty and staff have been working so hard to make your experiences amazing regardless of your learning environment. Coronavirus can’t stop us!
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Pictured here you’ll see one of our GTAs, Angelina Mauriello, all set up with her microscope at home ready to work with her trace students and Professor Knight at home with her demo sexual assault kit and phenolphthalein kit ready for some forensic DNA!
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Send us some pictures of your first day! We want to know how it’s going!! @ George Mason University

Please join us on August 18th at 12 pm via Zoom for a welcome back event. Hear from our program chair, Dr. Mary Ellen O' Toole, and meet the Forensic Science Program Faculty and Staff. We'll play a round of forensic science Kahoot (prize for the top player!) and answer a selection of pre-submitted questions.

Kahoot can be accessed from a web browser or you can download the mobile app on your phones if you'd like to do that ahead of time.

Click here to RSVP: https://forms.gle/sZftC13qAWHfztW48

Please check your GMU emails for the Zoom link.

Make sure you’re following our student org to stay up to date on their events!!

Interested in getting involved in an organization at George Mason? Interested in true crime Looking for a welcoming community and volunteer opportunities? Well, look no further! The Forensic Science Student Association is a student-run organization open to students in all majors looking to get involved through volunteering, fun activities and a welcoming community of people. We are always accepting new members, so please feel free to contact us with any questions you have about the organization.

The scholarships for unpaid internships are open! The Scholarship for Unpaid Internships is open to all Mason students (undergraduate AND graduate) who plan to participate in an unpaid internship and meet the criteria listed below. The Scholarship for Unpaid Internships is designed to provide financial support to students completing an UNPAID internship who may incur costs associated with the internship (e.g. transportation, wardrobe, materials, or lost wages from missed paid employment) that can be a challenge in obtaining valuable internship experience. Students may receive up to $2,500 per semester/term. Note: Research positions are not eligible for this scholarship. Please visit OSCAR or your academic department for information about research funding.

Preference in selection is given to students completing their FIRST internship/career experience in their chosen career field or industry AND/OR demonstration of financial hardship incurred by taking on an unpaid internship experience.

Minimum requirements:
-Minimum 2.0 GPA
-Currently enrolled, degree-seeking student at George Mason University during the time of the internship

https://gmu.joinhandshake.com/jobs/3843291/share_preview

Through My Eyes: CSI Memoirs That Haunt the Soul

Summer reading?? 😍😍

Through My Eyes: CSI Memoirs That Haunt the Soul Through My Eyes: CSI Memoirs That Haunt the Soul

Behind the scenes at the FBI’s gruesome forensics laboratory

How awesome are these pics?!

Behind the scenes at the FBI’s gruesome forensics laboratory The FBI is renowned for pioneering forensic techniques. Photographer Max Aguilera-Hellweg captures the scenes behind the science

Golden State Killer pleads guilty

Golden State Killer pleads guilty Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., a 74-year-old former police officer who terrorized California as the Golden State Killer, pleaded guilty to more than a dozen murders and a long list of other crimes Monday in a university ballroom turned courtroom.

Welcome Dean Miralles-Wilhelm!

“I am thankful for the opportunity to lead this great science community at George Mason University.” Read Dean Miralles Wilhelm’s full message to the College at https://science.gmu.edu/news/newdeanday1

Finding the Right Tool for the Job: CE Tools that Improve Efficiency and Save Time

Looking for a way to learn more about forensic DNA while you’re stuck at home? Register to virtually attend this webinar on capillary electrophoresis.

This webinar, part 3 in a 6-part series, presents in-depth evaluations of CE analysis tools designed to minimize hands-on time and routine data review, thus freeing up time to focus on more complex sample analysis. Jaime Brachold (Thermo Fisher Scientific) will present a benchmarking study across different STR kits on the Applied Biosystems 3500 and SeqStudio Genetic Analyzers, which has shown the ability to reduce pull-up by at least 3-9 times and save up to 66% in profile editing time.

Robert O’Brien ([email protected]) will also share a comparison of the SeqStudio Genetic Analyzer and the RapidHIT ID System for different use cases and sample types.

You will learn about:

-How to streamline sample analysis by reducing pull-up artifacts
-Utility of the SeqStudio Genetic Analzyer and RapidHIT ID System for specific scenarios and sample types

Finding the Right Tool for the Job: CE Tools that Improve Efficiency and Save Time This webinar presents in-depth evaluations of CE analysis tools designed to minimize hands-on time and routine data review, thus freeing up time to focus on more complex sample analysis.