INVITES

HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS AND SCIENCE ADMINISTRATORS
UNDERGRADUATES
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
THE MEDIA
AND
INTERESTED ADULTS

TO

"FORENSIC CHEMISTRY IN ACTION"

REGISTRATION | PROGRAM | PROGRAM (PDF, 24 Kb)

A case-based, ALL DAY workshop facilitated by two faculty members from The George Washington University's Department of Forensic Science, three forensic chemists from the FBI Laboratories in Quantico, VA., and one analytical chemist from the National Science Foundation. Emphasis is on the role of the chemical sciences and technology in modern crime-solving methods. The full program will be posted soon..

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2006, 8:30 AM TO 5:00 PM

THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
HARTMAN AUDITORIUM, ROOM 213
THE 1957 E BUILDING, Foggy Bottom Campus
1957 E STREET NW, Washington, DC

Learn first hand how experts evaluate crime scenes, collect and process evidence, and contribute to the arrest and conviction of criminals. Teachers will find this workshop a source of new material for their classes; students at all levels, adults and media specialists will expand their horizons and enhance their appreciation for the role of chemistry in forensics. METRO'S ORANGE or BLUE LINE STOP at FOGGY BOTTOM-GWU is 7 short blocks away from the Hartman Auditorium. A small registration fee covers lunch as well as refreshments and snacks during morning and afternoon breaks.

 

REGISTRATION 

Please complete the REGISTRATION FORM (Fill-in PDF file (66 Kb))
This PDF file may be filled in on-line and printed or printed and filled in by hand.
Mail the completed form with fee before October 10^th, 2006 (extended), to:


Space in the Hartman Auditorium is limited. Please register early to assure a seat.

• Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro Station and Neighborhood Map from StationMasters.com
• Maps of the GWU Campus and Parking Information for the GWU Campus
• Driving Map and Directions from Google.com

PROGRAM
PDF Version (24 Kb)

08:30	DOORS OPEN FOR REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS
08:30-09:15	CHECK IN -- ROLLS, COFFEE AND JUICE, 2nd FL. LOBBY
09:15-09:30	WELCOMING REMARKS
09:30-10:15	CRIME SCENE CHEMISTRY Walter F. Rowe, PhD, Professor, Department of Forensic Sciences, GWU
10:15-11:00	FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY: THE DETERMINATION AND INTERPRETATION OF DRUG CONCENTRATIONS IN HUMAN SAMPLES Nicholas T. Lappas, PhD, Professor, Department of Forensic Sciences, GWU
11:00-11:45	DRUG-FACILITATED SEXUAL ASSAULT: WHEN THE TOXICOLOGY REPORT IS THE SMOKING GUN Madeline A. Montgomery, Forensic Chemist, FBI Laboratories, Quantico, VA
11:45-13:15	LUNCH
13:15-13:30	Welcome Back and Time for Your Lingering Questions
13:30-14:15	PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES: USING CHEMISTRY IN BOMBING AND EXPLOSIVES INVESTIGATIONS Ronald L. Kelly, Explosives Unit, FBI Laboratory, Quantico, Virginia
14:15-15:00	DOPING SCANDALS: ANALYSIS USING THE "FINGERPRINT" OF CHROMATOGRAPHY COUPLED WITH MASS SPECTROMETRY Kenneth L. Busch, PhD, Analytical Chemist President, Washington Professional Chapter, Alpha Chi Sigma Fraternity
15:00-15:15	AFTERNOON BREAK - COOKIES, COFFEE AND JUICE
15:15-16:00	SO YOU WANT TO BE A FORENSIC CHEMIST?: THE REAL WORLD OF CAREER PATHS AND EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS Jason E. Schaff, PhD, Forensic Chemist, FBI Laboratory, Quantico, VA
16:00-16:30	Panel Q & A
16:30-16:45	CLOSING REMARKS

Biographical Sketches

Dr. Rowe received his PhD in chemistry from Harvard University. His graduate studies were interrupted by service in the US Army, where he was a forensic chemist and a forensic serologist in the US Army crime laboratory system. Dr. Rowe was also a credentialed US Army criminal investigator. He was one of the team of investigators who processed the scene of the McDonald murders at Ft Bragg, North Carolina (subject of the book Fatal Vision). Dr. Rowe has been a member of the graduate faculty of the Department of Forensic Sciences at The George Washington University since 1975. His research interests include the analysis of trace evidence, the application of chemometrics to the field of forensic chemistry and shooting incident reconstruction. Dr. Rowe is the author of over fifty articles and book chapters. He is a member of a number of professional societies, including the American Chemical Society, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Society of Sigma Xi. Dr. Rowe also serves on American Society for Testing and Materials Committee e30, which sets forensic science standards.

Dr. Lappas has been a member of the graduate faculty of the Department of Forensic Sciences at George Washington University since 1975. His research interests include an evaluation of factors which influence the interpretation of analytical toxicology results, the effects of sample storage conditions on drug concentrations and the development of analytical toxicology methods. He is a member of several professional organizations including The American Academy of Forensic Sciences, The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists and The Society of Forensic Toxicologists. His professional activities include acting as an adviser or expert witness in over 500 civil and criminal cases.

Ms. Madeline A. Montgomery received her bachelor's degree in chemistry from GWU in 1996. Since, she has been employed as a forensic chemist for the FBI, and works specifically in the area of toxicology. She analyzes evidence in cases from all over the United States in postmortem toxicology, human performance toxicology, and product tampering investigations.

Mr. Ronald L. Kelly is a 1977 graduate from the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, with a B. S. Degree in Chemistry. He joined the FBI Laboratory in 1978 and has specialized in the forensic analysis of evidence from fire and explosion scenes. Mr. Kelly has been involved in many major case investigations, which include the Trade Center Bombing, the Branch Davidian siege at Waco, Texas, the Oklahoma City bombing, the crash of TWA 800, the bombings in Atlanta (1996 Olympics), the embassy bombings in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salam, Tanzania, and the Unabomber case. Mr. Kelly is presently assigned to the Explosives Unit of the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, VA.

Dr. Ken Busch spent twenty years doing research in mass spectrometry in several universities. Since he retired from research, he writes the "Mass Spectrometry Forum" articles in Spectroscopy magazine, and teaches "Introduction to Mass Spectrometry" at professional meetings. He attended the 1972 Olympics as a student, the 1996 Olympics as a spectator, and is planning on attending the 2016 Olympics as a table tennis champion. He currently works for the NSF Office of Inspector General as an Investigative Scientist; this presentation is not connected with that position.

Dr. Schaff received his B.S. in chemistry in 1991 from Yale University, and his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry in 1997 from the University of Minnesota. He then undertook a two-year post-doctoral fellowship at the Indiana University Medical School, doing methods development research for the sports drug testing lab there. Since 1999, Dr. Schaff has been employed as a forensic chemist by the FBI Laboratory, where he investigates poisonings, product tampering, drug-facilitated sexual assaults, and other toxicology cases.

A one-day workshop, "Forensic Chemistry in Action," is planned for Saturday, October 21, 2006, at The George Washington University in the District of Columbia. Drawing on real cases, six experts in forensic chemistry have agreed to narrate their case studies in PowerPoint and discuss them with an audience of undergraduate students, HS teachers, and high school students, members of the media and members of the interested public. The cases will show how fundamental and applied chemistry actually serve the needs of society in law enforcement and in the application of justice.

Expert presenters from The George Washington University's Forensic Science Department are two professors: Walter Rowe on "crime scene chemistry" and Nicholas Lappas on the "influence of drugs on driving: effects and measurements". Madeline Montgomery, Ronald Kelly, and Dr. Jason Schaff, three scientists from the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, VA., will discuss, respectively, drug-facilitated sexual assaults; combustion, fire and explosion chemistry in investigating bombing incidents; and career opportunities in forensic chemistry. Dr. Kenneth Busch, President of the Washington Professional Chapter of AXE, will discuss the application of mass spectroscopy to drug testing for Olympic competition. An invitation to attend, a more detailed program and a registration form are at www.csw-acs.org . Registration is from September 1st to September 31^st, 2006.

At the end of the day, participants should have a better understanding of how fundamental and applied chemistry actually serve society in protecting the rights of all its citizens. Participant goals for the workshop include (1) broadened career horizons, (2) insight into the important roles that chemistry and chemical engineering play in benefiting society through forensic chemistry, and (3) a deeper realization of chemistry's role as a "central science".

Since early June, a small CSW working committee consisting of Dan Bozutto, GWU, James Cassidy, Bhushan Mandava, Consultant, Arvind Nandekar, Howard University, Kristine Patterson, USDA, Elena Pisciotta, Montgomery County Public Schools, Maria Rodriguez, EPA, Elaine Shafrin, NRL ret., Louis Stief, NASA ret., Paul Terry, USDA ret. and Jim Zwolenik, NSF ret. has been planning the administrative details of CSW's one-day workshop on "Forensic Chemistry in Action". Our committee now needs to gear up to meet the expanded efforts required in advertising, mailing, registration, welcoming, printing, signage, arranging for refreshments, snacks, and lunch - to name a few. CSW members willing to volunteer for any of these tasks should email Jim Zwolenik at james_j_zwolenik@msn.com or phone him at 202-296-3040. Alternatively, please email Maria Rodriguez at rodriguez.maria@epa.gov or phone her at 703-305-6710.

To date co-sponsors for this workshop are ACS's Maryland Section and the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry. Other sponsors from among representatives of scientific equipment manufactures, book publishers and others interested in the future of the chemical sciences and chemical engineering are welcome to contact Jim Zwolenik as indicated above.