Last Wednesday afternoon, The Forensic and Crime Science Society (FACS) held the eighth-annual, student-led conference in the Science Centre.
Students from the FACS Society, including President Aimee Girdham (second from left), with Guest Speaks Deneen L Hernandez (centre) and Dr Maria MacLennan (second form right).
Aimee Girdham, the President of the FACS Society and a level 6 Forensic Investigation student, explains that the “society is run alongside the Criminal Justice and Forensic Science [department within the School of Law, Policing and Forensics].
“We organise events throughout the year including Escape Rooms and the end of year ball, but most importantly we organise the annual Student-Led Conference. We invite external guest speakers to present alongside current Level 6 students to present their project work. It’s a great afternoon to network with a wide range of people from a variety of forensic disciplines.”
Dr Rachel Bolton-King (centre) with Guest Speakers Deneen L Hernandez (left) and Dr Maria MacLennan (right)
You can watch Associate Professor, Dr Rachel Bolton-King talk about the event on the School of Law, Policing and Forensics Facebook page here.
The event opened at 1pm, where level six undergraduate students, Olivia Hodgetts, Mauricio Chase, Tina Kaur and Anthony Smart, presented their project research.
Olivia Hodgetts presenting her research on Blood Pattern Analysis and the effects of alcohol on blood.
Tina Kaur has researched the impact of a speculum and specimen capture device in semen recovery rates during sexual offence examinations
Anthony Smart presented on the impact of heating bone following a knife injury to determine whether you can determine temperature of heating or knife type
“Level 6 students, Olivia Hodgetts, Mauricio Chase, Tina Kaur and Anthony Smart presented their research from their Independent Project which I hope was inspiring to the Level 4 students in getting them to think about the different Forensics areas and the process that’s involved in completing the project for them to make their own decision next year.”
Mark Broadhead and Robin Parsons, two PhD Researchers, also presented their research on Firearms and Ballistics and DNA AND Fingerprint Recovery.
Robin Parson, PhD Researcher (DNA Fingerprint and Recovery)
Mark Broadhead, PhD Researcher (Firearms and Ballistics)
The students were delighted to have four, external Guest Speakers accept their invitation to present on a range of topics about various forensic disciplines.
Dr Anna Williams, Forensic Anthropologist at the University of Huddersfield
Deneen L Hernandez, Forensic Examiner in the FBI
Forensic Jewellery with Dr Maria MacLennan
Jonathan Allen, Forensic Presentation Officer at West Midlands Police
“It was an intellectual afternoon with great turn out from external guest speakers from a range of forensic disciplines, including a Forensic Examiner from the FBI, a Forensic Jeweller, Forensic Anthropologist who discussed her lead on establishing a human taphonomy facility in the U.K, and a Forensic Presentation Officer who uses 3D scanning to scan the crime scene and turn it into a 3D image to be used in the courtroom for the jury.”