Robyn Wiseman, a rising senior in the forensic chemistry area, is the recipient of a NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium Undergraduate Fellowship in the amount of $5,000 for a research project entitled “Characterization and Discrimination of Inkjet Printer Inks with Raman and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy.” This award gives her the opportunity to engage in a high quality research project that can lead to professional publication. For her internship this past summer, Robyn was a guest researcher with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Forensic Science Research Program. Specifically, she was research assistant on two research projects, one involving toxins in synthetic marijuana and the other analyzing explosive residue on latent prints. Dr. Patrick Buzzini, her faculty advisor, identifies Robyn as “an outstanding student with the potential to be a gifted scholar; considering her dedication and skills, graduate school would be a natural next step for her.”
Roger Jefferys is the recipient of a $2,000 scholarship from The Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners (AFTE). He is one of two individuals nationally to be awarded an AFTE Scholarship. Roger is a second year graduate student in the MS program and a teaching assistant for crime scene investigation. His research project, under the direction of Dr. Keith Morris, focuses on “Determining Angle of Impact and Distance from the Transfer of Glass onto Bullets.” This scholarship gives Roger the opportunity to explore his research topic in greater depth. Dr. Morris identifies Roger as “an outstanding student with a genuine desire to develop techniques to move forensic science forward.” Roger’s long-term goal is to teach forensic science and to develop continuing education courses.