Forensic and Crime Science News Spring/Summer 2011

Caroline Sturdy-Colls Presents in the Netherlands

Caroline is due to present a paper entitled ‘Archaeological approaches to the landscape of the former extermination camp at Treblinka, Poland’ at the Peace Palace in The Hague between 27th and 29th November 2011. The paper will form part of the proceedings for the ‘International Conference on the Holocaust and Other Genocides: The Uses, Abuses and Misuses of the Holocaust Paradigm’, where she will also be taking part in a workshop to develop the discipline of conflict archaeology with regards to genocides and war crimes of the twentieth century. An update from the conference will follow in December 2011.

Accepted Journal Publication

On 30th November 2011  Dr. Andy Platt had a paper accepted for publication in the Polyhedron Journal. This journal specialises in the publication of research pertaining to the field of inorganic chemistry. Andy is a joint principal author with R. A. Kresinski and A. M. J. Lees is the third author. Their paper is entitled "Structural Variations in a Series of Lanthanide Nitrate Complexes with an Unsymmetrical Diphosphonate Ligand (MeO)2P(O)C(CH2)CH2P(O)(OMe)2". When a publication date is announced, more news will follow.

In November 2011 Rachel Bolton-King and Dean Northfield joined the Forensic and Crime Sciences team as Lecturers in Forensic Investigation.

Rachel has joined us from Nottingham Trent University and is due to submit her PhD thesis in the field of Forensic Firearm Identification and Imaging. She intends to continue her research in this field and is soon to submit an abstract for the 2012 Forensic Science Society Firearms Conference.

Dean has started lecturing at Staffordshire University whilst continuing his responsibilities for West Yorkshire Police’s Scientific Support Department. His experience is primarily in forensic imaging, which covers a variety of applications including crime scene photography and modelling. Other areas include the development of (ECPs) Electronic Courtroom Presentations.

They are both a welcome asset to the already experienced team.

Forensic and Crime Science lecturer and careers adviser Laura Walton, was interviewed in November 2011 by New Scientist regarding employment opportunities for university graduates and forensic science professionals. This article was entitled “At the scene of the crime” and was published on p54-55 of 12 November 2011 issue of New Scientist.

On Thursday 29th September Dr Roger Summers, Senior Lecturer in Forensics and Crime Science retired after some 7 years with the department.

Roger, pictured centre, is seen here with Dean of Sciences, Professor David White, and Dr Ian Smith, HM Coroner.

Roger received several presents as mementos of his time with the department including a nice glass engraved clock, some store vouchers and lots of cake!

Happy retirement from all your colleagues in the Faculty of Sciences!

The Forensic and Crime Science Department are delighted to be involved with The Fingerprint Society's International Fingerprint Week.  International Fingerprint Week will be launched at the Society annual conference, which will be held on 13th to 15th April 2012 at the Hayes Conference Centre Derbyshire. Between the 16th and 20th April 2012 there will be a week of activities where Society members and organisations from all over the world will engage locally with Schools, Colleges, Universities, Public Bodies, private organizations and members of the public to celebrate the Science of Fingerprints.

The intention is to;

• Demonstrate the role of fingerprints

• Dispel the myths associated with the science

• Positively market fingerprints

• Engage with the public

• Provide an Educational Programme for Schools, Colleges and Universities

• Raise moral within the Fingerprint Profession

The individual events will be publicised via a social media campaign, through direct contact with our members and other interested parties and on the Fingerrpint Society website at www.fpsociety.org.uk.

As of September 2011 the Forensic and Crime Science Department have three new research intern students from Avans Hogeschool in Breda, the Netherlands.  Giorgio Blom, Martien Graumans and Tom Schotman are here at Staffordshire University for 4 months as part of an exchange programme with the Dutch University.  All three students will be carrying out forensic science research projects along with academic staff; Dr Claire Gwinnett, Dr Sarah Fieldhouse, Dr Andrew Jackson and Prof John Cassella.  Giorgio Blom is investigating decomposition fluids from soil, Martien Graumans is investigating methods of fingerprint quality assessment and Tom Schotman is testing a new fibres analysis method. 

Dr Sarah Fieldhouse has been awarded the Haque and Bose prize 2011 in the postgraduate research category from the Fingerprint Society.  The prize is awarded to ‘innovative projects in the area of forensic identification with a high potential to make an impact in the field’.  Dr Fieldhouse was awarded the prize for her research into fingerprint deposition using Fingerprint Samplers, which are devices that Dr Fieldhouse has developed that can achieve consistent and reproducible fingerprints.  Part of this research has been published in the April 2011 edition of the Fingerprint Society’s International journal ‘Fingerprint Whorld’. 

This year we have received a significant investment in equipment to further advance our work in both Forensic Analytical Chemistry and in Criminalistics.
Please click here to see photos of all items. (DOC, file size: 266KB)

The equipment purchased for Forensic Analytical Chemistry and Criminalistics includes the following instruments:

• Thermo Fisher iCE3400 Graphite Furnace AAS.  Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. This instrument is used for the analysis of metal solutions. It can analyse for up to twelve metals sequentially and is sensitive to the parts per billion level

• Thermo Fisher Trace GC Ultra gas chromatograph.  Packed Column Gas Chromatograph. This instrument is fitted with both Flame Ionisation Detector (FID) and Thermal Conductivity Detector (TCD). The FID is a very sensitive  detector for the analysis of volatile hydrocarbon compounds. The TCD is a general purpose detector and can be used for the analysis of gases and even water content.

• Thermo Fisher Lumina Spectrofluorimeter.  This instrument is used to measure both the emission and excitation spectra of materials which fluoresce. It is capable of both synchronous scanning and 3-D mapping of fluorescence spectra. Kinetic and temperature control methods are also available.

• Thermo Fisher Evolution 201 UV/Visible Spectrophotometer.  This instrument may be used for both wavelength scanning and single wavelength analysis. It can also be used for single beam or dual beam work. Kinetic and temperature control methods are also available.

• Leeds Forensic Systems Macro Comparator Microscope.  The macro comparator microscope is use to examine and compare relatively large items such as bullets and cartridge cases.

• Leeds Forensic Systems Micro Comparator Microscope.  The micro comparator microscope is used to examine and compare small items such as fibres and paint flakes.

In addition to the equipment listed above we have also acquired additional equipment such as a new Chromatography Data Station using Clarity software to update an existing HPLC system and a Thermo Fisher VP100 Vapour Generator for use with difficult samples on our existing Atomic Absorption instrumentation.

Dr Claire Gwinnett is working with the Forensic Science Society to develop a new competency testing scheme for forensic practitioners.  The findings of this project have been presented at the 7th National Forensic Research and Teaching (FORREST) Conference at Nottingham Trent University on the 30th June and recently at the 7th International Higher Education Academy Conference on the 5th July at East Midlands Conference Centre.  Dr Claire Gwinnett also described this work at the recent Learning and Teaching Excellence Fellowship lunch at Staffordshire University in which she is a fellow. This work is currently in press and will be published in the next addition of the New Directions in Higher Education Journal. 

Melissa Barrett, Louise Cox, Hannah Scrivener (Psychology) and Charlotte Maria Orphanou (Forensic Science) were all presenters at the British Conference on Undergraduate Research held at Preston on 19th & 20th April 2011. This was the first such conference in the UK and Staffordshire University was represented by four eager undergraduate scientists. Presenting both papers and posters, our students had a noticeable impact upon the conference and a great time with it. Melissa and Louise were completely bowled over by the experience and have volunteered to help create a Staffordshire University conference next year!

This was a thoroughly successful inaugural conference and we will be encouraging more of our undergraduates to participate next year.

Forensic Science Society conference on Document Examination:  Document Examination - More than just handwriting analysis

Visiting research fellow Nikolaos Kalantzis presents at the FSSoc Document Examination conference in Birmingham on the 4th of April 2011.

The Forensic Science Society is organising a specialized coneference focusing solely on Document Examination.
The topics discussed will include Simple Signatures, Linguistic Approaches to Authorship Attribution, Sequencing handwriting and impressions, the all new Identity Documents Diploma as well as other subjects.

In this conference Nikolaos Kalantzis will present his research on the interferences in forensic comparison of inks through Raman Spectroscopy, part of which is being carried out in Staffordshire University.

Also Staffordshire University PhD student Michael Pertsinakis will present a poster with his current research entitled "Evaluating the effects of cataract in the general characteristics of signatures: its implications in forensic document examination".

Joint reaserch from visiting research fellow Nikolaos Kalantzis, lecturer Sarah Fieldhouse and senior lecturer Andy Platt, examining the sequence of fingermarks and handwriting or printing on porous paper has been published on the new issue of Forensic Science International.

The paper is called "Determination of the sequence of latent fingermarks and writing or printing on white office paper" and can be found on Forensic Science International 206 (2011) 155–160.

The research for fingermark and handwriting or printing sequence is ongoing, focusing now on glossy paper surfaces.

Staffordshire University student’s success at Bournemouth University on the MSc Forensic and Biological Anthropology: Crime Scene and International Investigations – one finishes as the next one joins!  Karen Redmile has just successfully completed the course at Bournemouth and hot on her trail of success is Kelly Eggleton.

“Forensic Archaeology involves the use of archaeological principles and techniques for the location, recovery, and interpretation of evidence for past events within the constraints of the criminal justice system. Forensic archaeology utilises both field and laboratory skills in the investigation of serious crime, missing persons cases, human rights and mass disasters which ranges from searching for and excavating clandestine graves to the international investigation of crimes against humanity.”

As part of their degree studies both Karen (B.Sc. Biomedical Science) and Kelly (B.Sc. Forensic Biology) completed final year undergraduate projects at Staffordshire University with Professor John Cassella and decided that they wished to make the specialist discipline - Forensic Archaeology their career choice.

We wish both Karen and Kelly success and we will follow their careers with interest.

An idea generated by Staffordshire University has been taken up in a collaborative relationship with SciChem Ltd, a regional company based in Wolverhampton. Staffordshire University’s Department of Forensic and Crime Science have an ongoing contribution to this novel Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project through a scientific and pedagogic input, whilst the company utilise their development and sales/distribution expertise.

There is a national need to increase engagement with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. This KTP partnership enables schools and colleges to support the development of key STEM skills for students of all ages. These products and educational materials are designed to make science fun, showing relevance to real life situations and demonstrate that studying science subjects can enhance employment potential.

SciChem have now developed a ‘New Product Development (NPD) Department’ as part of a  KTP with the with the Department of Forensic and Crime Science. They have the scientific and educational competence to design products prepared for individual course curricula together with specific training opportunities for technicians and teachers.

Forensic Science at Staffordshire University works with Primecare Forensic Medical to deliver a new bespoke University Learning Award

Primecare Forensic Medical Police is part of the Nestor Healthcare Group plc. They are a 24-hour business providing healthcare services to a number of police authorities throughout the country.  Primecare Forensic Medical offers both in- and out-of-hours healthcare solutions to secure establishments, police forces and immigration centres, offering a highly developed service providing care to patients presented in unique and challenging environments.

As part of their staff development to keep at the top of their profession Primecare and Forensic and Crime Science at Staffordshire University have successfully delivered the first of four modules leading to a bespoke University Learning Award, the first of its kind in the UK.
The first module on forensic awareness concluded with a 2 day workshop in the University’s Crime Scene House where Primecare staff worked through Crime Scenes – one involving a murder - in order to consolidate their learning on aspects of forensic science from the Crime Scene to the Courtroom.

Our Forensic and Crime Science department has forged a unique partnersip with "ThinkForensic.co.uk" to deliver a series of workshops aimed at giving students from Staffordshire schools an insight into the fascinating world of forensic science. Students are invited to the university for a day of science and intrigue as they work their way through a “who dunnit” scenario.

Following an initial briefing it’s a visit to the university’s crime scene house where, guided by Think Forensic’s crime scene experts, the students become “superslueths” exploring the scene of the crime for themselves. Evidence such as blood spatter, entomology, fingerprints, hair and fibre etc. is gathered and taken back to the university laboratories where, following analysis, the students reach their own scientific conclusion.
Workshops are suitable for all ages but are particularly useful as a STEM activity, to enhance B Tech courses and Applied Science Curriculum or as Aim higher Programmes.

In collaboration with the Forensic Science Department at Staffordshire University, Think Forensic will provide:-

• Interactive workshops specifically tailored to any age and ability
  

• Seminars and presentations for full year groups
  

• “Who dunnits” and crime scene scenarios
  

• A web site containing ready prepared worksheets for teachers with busy schedules and students who want to develop their own skills
  

• Forensic science and crime scene resource kits suitable for KS3, KS4 and post 16
  

• Online point of advice and assistance
  
  

Further information can be obtained from Think Forensic