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Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects from the Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Submissions from 2024 2024

Biological Survey of Nucleated and Non-nucleated Epithelial Cells Within Touch DNA Samples Using Autofluorescence Profiling, Wanyan Cai

Biological signatures for differentiating epidermal cell populations from the hand from epidermal cell populations from the neck in assault cases involving strangulation, Thilini Chandrasekara

Quantitative determination of muzzle-to-target distance in shooting cases, Taqiyah Chernesky

Fat and water content effects of three food substrates (ground veal, ground beef, and beef liver) on Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) development and mortality, Nicole Dailey

Further optimization of a simplified protocol for tooth sample preparation for analysis using the Applied Biosystems™ RapidHIT™ ID instrument, Yen H. Dang

Overcoming the effects of oily contaminants on DNA extraction efficiency using DNA IQ™ system, Elizabeth G. Gillece

Evaluation of the Toxicity and Accumulation Process of Synthetic Opioids in Rabbit Bones Before and After Decomposition – Studying the Use of Bones as Reliable Forensic Samples for Opioid Overdose Cases, Michaela L. Gysbers

Discrimination of Blue Denim Fibers Utilizing Physical Characteristics, Optical Properties, Fluorescence Microscopy, Ultraviolet-Visible Microspectrophotometry, and Microchemical Testing, Elkin Howard

A Novel Dual Configuration DART/UHPLC-MS/MS System for the Rapid Analysis of Psilocybin-Containing Mushrooms and Other Seized-Drug Submissions, Aron R. Jaffe

Using the Microbiome to Assess the Health Status of the Individuals Recovered from the East Marshall Street Well, Arian Karim

A Comparative Analysis of Swabbing Solutions for Sexual Assault Evidence: Direct Impact on Spermatozoa and DNA Recovery, Olivia Q. Kassie

THE DETERMINATION OF ETHANOL AND PHOSPHATIDYLETHANOL (PETH) IN DONATED PACKED RED BLOOD CELLS, Jordan E. Keller

Quantitation and Visualization of Epithelial Cells on Cartridge Cases, Paige Kibler, Christopher Ehrhardt, Katherine M. Philpott, Jody H. West, and Stephanie Walcott

The Creation of a Gunshot Residue (GSR) Databank for the Reliable Identification of Ammunition, Sophie Knier

Cellular autofluorescence signatures for determining time since deposition of whole blood, Hannah Lamer

The Reassociation of Highly Degraded Human Remains Found in the East Marshall Street Well Using Insertion/Null and Short Tandem Repeat Genotyping., Sierra L. Laveroni

Development of a Molecular Assay for the Detection of Natural Cannabis in Commercially Available CBD Products, Brandy L. Lyttle

Reassociation and ancestral determination of juvenile remains in the East Marshall Street Well using mitochondrial DNA and SNP-based analyses, Martin MacStudy

Assessing INNULs and Thresholds in Forensic DNA Profiling: Integration and Impact Evaluation in Familias Software, Andrea Malchow

Qualitative Method Validation of the Novel Designer Benzodiazepine Drugs 4-Chloro-Deschloroalprazolam, Deschloroetizolam, Desalkylgidazepam, and Nifoxipam Using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Genevieve Neuwirth

Evaluation of Cannabis Product Mislabeling: The development of a unified cannabinoid LC-MS/MS method to analyze e-liquids and edible products, Ashleigh Outhous

In Silico Prediction and Forensic Detection of Cinnamylpiperazines Biomarkers of Exposure, Aesha Patel

Temporal Discrimination of Lucilia sericata Pupae using DART- ToF-MS and Statistical Analysis, Nguyen-Khoa N. Pham

The Development and Evaluation of a Method for Complete Collagenase I Digestion of Bos taurus Bone Samples, Reilly Price

A Comparison of Particulate Collection Methods Using Fluorescent Polyethylene Beads and an Introduction to the Use of a Pulse Lavage for Particulate Evidence Collection, Madison E. Smith