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CBD-IAI Meets in Morgantown

CBD IAI
Above: Kelly Ayers introduces FIS faculty member, Dr. Suzanne Bell, prior to her presentation of Organic Gunshot Residue research.

The Chesapeake Bay Division of the International Association for Identification (CBD-IAI) First Vice President, Kelly Ayers, Director of the WVU Forensic Science Academy for Professionals, brought the annual fall seminar to campus on October 15th to provide a platform to highlight our students and faculty. Seventy-five (75) students, faculty and practitioners from West Virginia and three neighboring states attended the seminar.  Registration fee exemptions were given to 20 WVU students thus providing them the opportunity for a full day of networking with forensic professionals. Two FIS graduate students, Eric Law and Madonna Nobel, were invited to share their research through oral presentations.  Mr. Law spoke on the number of test fires necessary to represent the variability within a firearm; Ms. Nobel talked about the expert decision making process in forensic footwear examinations. Dr. Suzanne Bell from the Departments of Chemistry and Forensic and Investigative Science and Dr. Kirk Hazen from the Department of English presented research talks on organic gunshot residue analysis and forensic linguistics, respectively. 

WVU graduate student, Ms. Korina Menking-Hoggatt, summarized the seminar on behalf of her colleagues: “The conference was a wonderful experience. I enjoyed hearing forensic practitioners talk about cutting edge forensic science and realizing my education at WVU is preparing me to be an excellent practitioner.”

The Chesapeake Bay Division of the International Association for Identification is a chartered regional division of the International Association for Identification, the oldest and largest forensic association in the world. The CBD-IAI includes the states of West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia. 

For more information about CBD-IAI, visit www.cbdiai.org. Mark your calendars to attend the IAI conference to be held at the Waterfront Marriott, Morgantown, WV, in Spring, 2018.