CONTACT:
School of Adult and Graduate Education
610-740-3770
sage@cedarcrest.edu
Traditional Admissions
800-360-1222
610-740-3780
admissions@cedarcrest.edu
Lawrence A. Quarino, Ph.D.
Director/Professor, Forensic Science
laquarin@cedarcrest.edu
610-437-4471 ext. 3567
Forensic science relies heavily on research to advance the field and ensure that criminals are held accountable for their actions. Students in the forensic science program at Cedar Crest College work with some of the most-respected faculty and best technology in the nation, conducting quality research and often presenting their findings at major regional and national conferences, including the:
These conferences are also a great way for students to meet and learn from both experts and peers. Some of the recent research presentations by our forensic science students include:
Abigail Thompson, A Fluorescent Enhancement Method for Footwear Impressions in Ice Melt
Products, Annual Meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists, Pikesville MD,
May 2023.
Haylie Browning, Comparison of Human Perception versus ΔE for the Marquis Presumptive
Test Producing a Yellow Product Annual Meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic
Scientists, Pikesville MD, May 2023.
Krystal Sears, Optimization in the Identification of Inorganic Ions Found in Home-Made Explosives Using Microcrystalline Tests and Raman Microspectroscopy, Forty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Niagara Falls, NY, October, 2022
Juliet Pearsall, Investigation and Quantitation Using Ultraviolet-Visible Spectrophotometry of the Products of the 4-Aminophenol Reaction with Cannabinoids, Forty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Niagara Falls, NY, October, 2022
Emma Redman, Determining Variability in Color in Human Head Hair, Forty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Niagara Falls, NY, October, 2022
Nancy Lay, Differentiating Human and Canine Saliva through the Genetic Expression of AMY1 and AMY2, Forty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Niagara Falls, NY, October, 2022
Ana Monogan, Analysis of Kratom Using High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography Coupled With Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy, Forty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Niagara Falls, NY, October, 2022
Giulia Romano, Novel Presumptive Tests for Drugs of Abuse Using Chemiluminescence, Forty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Newport RI, November, 2021
Brianna Gregory, Determining the Efficiency of Nylon-flocked Swabs versus Cotton Swabs for Fellatio Samples, Forty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Newport RI, 2021.
Emma Redman, Likelihood Rations of Hair Using RGB Color Values and Diameter, Annual Meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists, Pocono Manor PA, September 2021.
Alexandra Arabio, Handwriting Analysis Through Kneser Graph Triangle Decomposition, Forth-Sixth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, October 14-17, 2020 (virtual)
Kimberly Hane, Use of the Methylation Status of the MyoD Family Inhibitor (MDFI) for Saliva Identification, Forth-Sixth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, October 14-17, 2020 (virtual)
Victoria Echternach, Casey Rech, Emma Redman, Isabel Sandone, Determining the Probability of Finding a Random Hair, Forth-Sixth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, October 14-17, 2020 (virtual)
Alexis Baxter, The Prevalence of Male DNA Under Female Fingernails, Eight Annual Forensic Science Student Research Exchange, Penn State University, April 2018.
Tiffany Cuth, Effectiveness of Solid Phase Extraction for Purification of Accelerant Samples, Eight Annual Forensic Science Student Research Exchange, Penn State University, April 2018.
Sarah Lighthart, The Detection of Male DNA Using Y-STTs in Post-Coital Samples of Vasectomized Males, Eight Annual Forensic Science Student Research Exchange, Penn State University, April 2018.
Victoria Ngo, Differentiation of Fibers Using Polarized Light Microscopy and the Digital Recording of Color, Eight Annual Forensic Science Student Research Exchange, Penn State University, April 2018.
Kristin Payes, Probing the Use of Fluorescence Spectroscopy to Distinguish Biological Stains, Eight Annual Forensic Science Student Research Exchange, Penn State University, April 2018.
Melanie Schade, Kelly Reading, Solvent Evaporation Studies, Forty-Third Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, 2017, Pocono Manor, PA.
Victoria Ngo, Differentiation of Fibers Using Polarized Light Microscopy and the Digital Recording of Color, Forty-Third Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, 2017, Pocono Manor, PA.
Kaitlin Bauder, Patricia Rapola, Comparison of Orange Fuming Method Against Standard Methods for Development of Latent Prints on Common Substrates, Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Hershey PA 2017.
Melanie Schade, Stability Study of Heroin in Four Common Solvents, AAFS, 2016, Las Vegas.
Melanie Schade, Stability of Heroin in Various Solvents, Forty-first Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Hyannis, MA, October 2015.
Heather Moody, The Effect of Walking on the Evidentiary Value of Soil Taken from Footwear, 67th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Orlando, FL, February 2015. (poster)
Heather Moody, The Effect of Walking on the Evidentiary Value of Soil Taken From
Footwear, Fortieth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Hershey, PA, November 2014.
Danielle Weinstein, The Use of the Microbial-Vac in the Collection of Tough DNA from Handled Fabrics, Fortieth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Hershey, PA, November 2014. (poster)
Mackenzie Beyer, 3D Comparisons of Cartridge Casings from a False-Positive/False-Negative Error Rate Study, Fortieth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Hershey, PA, November 2014. (poster)
Amber Fontanez, Determination and Use of Diazonium Ions for the Presumptive Testing of Narcotics Containing an Activated Aromatic Ring, Fortieth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association Forensic Scientists, Hershey, PA, November 2014. (poster)
Chandler Grant, Determining the Effect of Bleach on the DNA Genotyping of Bloodstains, Fortieth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Hershey, PA, November 2014. (poster)
Angelica Graver, Toward the Development of a Method for the Comparative Analysis of Magnetic Wire, Fortieth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Hershey, PA, November 2014. (poster)
Emily Williamson, Development Studies and Substrate Effects on the Use of Lawsone for the Enhancement of Fingerprints on Paper and Pottery Substrates, Fortieth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Hershey, PA, November 2014. (poster)
Kaitlin Hafer, An Analysis of Metal Content in Various Brands of Cigarette Ash by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, Fourth Annual Pennsylvania Forensic Science Student Research Exchange, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, April 11, 2014. (poster)
Heather Moody, The Effect of Walking on the Evidentiary Value of Soil Taken from Footwear, Fourth Annual Pennsylvania Forensic Science Student Research Exchange, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, April 11, 2014. (poster)
Danielle Weinstein, The Use of the Microbial-Vac in the Collection of Low-Template DNA from Handled Surfaces, Fourth Annual Pennsylvania Forensic Science Student Research Exchange, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, April 12, 2014.
Angela Bevan, Identification of Trace Metals in Tin-Lead Solder by SEM-EDS and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, Fourth Annual Pennsylvania Forensic Science Student Research Exchange, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, April 11, 2014. (poster)
Kathryn Lang, Differential Analysis of Common Marking Techniques on Heat Aged Cotton Quilts, Fourth Annual Pennsylvania Forensic Science Student Research Exchange, Duquesne University, PA, April 11, 2014. (poster)
Coleen Spease, Age Determination of Bloodstains Using Enantiomeric Ratios of Amino Acids, Thirty-Ninth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Cromwell, CT 2013.
Shannon Wenner, Measurement of Error in Traditional Methods of Angle of Impact Calculation Used in Bullet Trajectory Determination, Thirty-Ninth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Cromwell, CT 2013.
Kaitlin Hafer, An Analysis of Heavy Metal Content in Various Brands of Cigarette Ash by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, Thirty-Ninth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Cromwell, CT 2013.
Kaila Kleckner, Optimizing the Extraction of Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid from Hair for GC/MS Analysis, Thirty-Ninth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Cromwell, CT 2013.
Kayla Sween, Detection of Male DNA in the Vaginal Cavity Following Digital Penetration Using Y-Chromosome Short-Tandem Repeats, Sixty-Fifth Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Washington DC, 2013.
Brandi Skymba, Investigation into Cyclohexanone as a Schiff-Base Derivatizing Agent for the Detection of Cathinones With Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry, Sixty-Fifth Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Washington DC, 2013.
Kristina McNerney, An Investigation of the Binding of Benzodiazepines to Human Serum Albumin and the Effect on Quantitation in Blood Samples, Sixty-Fifth Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Washington DC, 2013.
Kaitlin Hafer, Statistical Comparison on Black Ballpoint Pen Inks Using Hyperspectral Imaging and Principal Component Analysis: An Update, Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Saratoga Springs, NY, 2012.
Lizzie Martin, Frequency of Somatic Mutations in the STR Region of Human DNA Amongst Three Sample Types and Their Effect on Genotyping, Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Saratoga Springs, NY, 2012.
Kristina McNerney, An Investigation of the Binding of Benzodiazepines to Human Serum Albumin and the Effect on Quantitation in Blood Samples, Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Saratoga Springs, NY, 2012.
Daniella Mendez, Effects of Blood Depth and Pool Edge Geometry on Impact Spatter Patterns, Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Saratoga Springs, NY, 2012.
Laura Swanhall, Near Infrared Spectroscopy Analysis of Wines for gamma-Butyolactone, Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Saratoga Springs, NY, 2012.
Shelli Miller, Investigation of Common Color Tests with Synthetic Cathinones, Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Saratoga Springs, NY, 2012.
Sarah Haas, A Scientific Approach into the Investigation of the Locard Exchange Principle, Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Saratoga Springs, NY, 2012.
Heather Moody, Determination of Best Practices for Chemical Enhancement of Two-Dimensional Footwear Impressions, Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Saratoga Springs, NY, 2012.
Mackenzie Lee, Assessing the Fidelity of a Semi-automated Shoeprint Classification Algorithm, NIJ/FBI Impression and Pattern Evidence Symposium, Clearwater Beach, FL, August 2012.
Christen Corby, Analyzing the Halo Effect: Factors Involved in Sequencing the Deposition of Overlapping Bloodstains Caused by Transfer and Airborne Droplets, 2012 annual Meeting of the Mid-Atlantic association of Forensic Scientists, Ellicott City, MD.
Jennifer Bonetti, Forensic Soil Analysis of New Jersey State Parks Using a Combination of Simple Techniques and Multivariate Statistics, Sixty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Atlanta, 2012.
Gina Parada, Detection and Simultaneous Quantitation of Beta-Naphyrone and 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Sixty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Atlanta, 2012.
Jaclyn Vincent, A Novel LC/MS/MS Method for the Detection and Quantitation of GHB, Sixty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Atlanta, 2012.
Kristen Johnson, An Investigation of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Its Application to Forensic Science Drug Analysis of Gamma-Hydroxybutrate, 2011 Eastern Analytical Symposium, Somerset, NJ.
Kaitlyn Bealer, Evaluating the Error Associated in Bloodstain Impact Angle Determination, Thirty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Newport, RI, 2011.
Jennifer Bonetti, A Multivariate Approach to a Simple Method of Forensic Soil Analysis, Thirty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Newport, RI, 2011.
Amanda Dombroski, Stability Study of Cathinone Derivatives Using LC/MS/MS, Thirty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Newport, RI, 2011.
Tara Fikes, Fast Fourier Transformation and Frequency Filtering to Suppress Background Noise in Fingerprint Evidence, Thirty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Newport, RI, 2011.
Kaitlin Hafer, The Spatial Relationship of Fingerprint Minutiae in Males vs. Females, Thirty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Newport, RI, 2011.
Kaitlin Hafer, Statistical Comparison of Black Ballpoint and Gel Pen Inks Using Hyperspectral Imaging and Principal Component Analysis, Thirty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Newport, RI, 2011.
Kristin Johnson, Spectral Investigation of Gamma-hydroxybutrate (GHB) and Gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) using Near Infrared Spectroscopy in Varying Beverage Matrices, Thirty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Newport, RI, 2011.
Kristina McNerney, A Spectroscopic Investigation of the Binding of Benzodiazepines to Human Serum Albumin, Thirty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Newport, RI, 2011.
Gina Parada, Stability Study of β-Naphyrone and 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Thirty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Newport, RI, 2011.
Elizabeth Sunderhaus, The Spatial Relationship of Fingerprint Minutiae in a Common Ancestral Line, Thirty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Newport, RI, 2011.
Kristina McNerney, Spectroscopic Investigation of the Binding of Benzodiazepines to Human Serum Albumin. Eleventh Annual Student Poster Session, Undergraduate Research Poster Session, The Lehigh Valley Section of the American Chemical Society, April 26, 2011.
Kelsey Wilkinson, Differentiating UV-VIS Spectra by Normalized Line Spectra Analysis. Eleventh Annual Student Poster Session, Undergraduate Research Poster Session, The Lehigh Valley Section of the American Chemical Society, April 26, 2011.
Caitlyn Hauke, Evaluating the Deposition Sequence of Overlapping Bloodstains Caused by Transfer and Airborne Droplets. NIJ 2011 Forensic Science R&D Grantees Meeting, Chicago, February 2011.
Melinda Lower, Development of an LC/MS/MS Method for the Analysis of Fatty Acid. Sixty-third Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Chicago, 2011.
Jennifer Smith, The Application of UV/VIS and Fluorescence Derivative Spectra in the Forensic Analysis of Illicit Drugs. Sixty-third Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Chicago, 2011.
Gina Dougherty, The Effect of Accelerant and Passive Headspace Analysis on DNA From Simulated Arson Evidence. Sixty-third Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Chicago, 2011.
Michelle Shortell, Investigation and Separation of Interferences from Fire Debris Analysis by Solid Phase Extraction. Sixty-third Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Chicago, 2011.
Kimberly Moran, mRNA Decay in Biological Fluids in Order to Establish an Estimation of How Long a Stain Was Deposited at a Crime Scene. Sixty-third Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Chicago, 2011.
Kristin Johnson, Spectral Analysis of the Interconversion of Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and Gamma-Butrolactone (GBL) Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy. Sixty-third Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Chicago, 2011.
Kelsey Wilkinson, Differentiating UV-VIS Spectra by Normalized Line Spectra Analysis. Eleventh Annual Student Poster Session. The Philadelphia Section of the American Chemical Society, Temple University, February, 2011.
Michelle Schmidt, A Study of Degradation of Nitrites in Gunshot Residue Over Time. 2010 Eastern Analytical Symposium, Somerset, N.J., November.
Kelsey Wilkinson, Analysis of Illicit Drugs with First Derivative Spectra using Color Reagents. Thirty-sixth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Manchester, Vt., 2010.
Amanda Dombroski, LC-MS/MS Determination of Cathinone and its Derivatives. Thirty-sixth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Manchester, Vt., 2010.
Jaclyn Vincent, A Novel LC-MS/MS Method for the Detection and Quantitation of GHB. Thirty-sixth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Manchester, Vt., 2010.
Kristina McNerney, Spectroscopic Investigation of the Binding of Benzodiazepines to Human Serum Albumin. Thirty-sixth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Manchester, Vt., 2010.
Melinda Lower, Development of LC-MS/MS Method for the Analysis of Fatty Acids. Thirty-sixth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Manchester, Vt., 2010.
Tara Whispell, Analysis of Goldenseal Hydrastis Canadensis L and Related Alkaloids in Urine. Thirty-sixth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Manchester, Vt., 2010.
Jessica Heeter, Detection of Isopropylbenzylamine Adulteration of Methamphetamine. Thirty-sixth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Manchester, Vt., 2010.
Victoria Richards, An Investigation Into Different Spatial Combinations of Minutiae In Fingerprints: Black v. Non-Black Database. Thirty-sixth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Manchester, Vt., 2010.
Jennifer Bonetti, A Method to Discriminate Soil Samples From Different Locations Using Particle Size Distribution Combined With Elemental Composition Using Multivariable Analysis. Thirty-sixth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Manchester, Vt., 2010.
Victoria Richards, An Investigation of the Effects of Different Laundering Treatments On Commonly Used Fabrics In Regards to Bloodstain Pattern Formation and Analysis. Thirty-sixth Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, Manchester, Vt., 2010.