Ms. Nobel is a second year M.S. student working with Dr. Jacqueline Speir. Madonna came from Malaysia to study and earn her B.S. in Forensic and Investigative Science at WVU. Afterwards, she decided to continue for her M.S. degree. According to Dr. Speir, “Madonna expressed initiative regarding her research objectives very early on in her graduate career.” Jacqueline went on to say that Madonna “used her thesis project as a means to learn completely new scientific concepts, as opposed to selecting a project built off of any pre-existing knowledge…and that this enthusiasm and aptitude, combined with a meaningful research question, was reflected in her grant proposal.”
Ms. Nobel was most excited to learn that her proposal was deemed to be competitively meritorious and that the award signaled a scientific importance to her work. Madonna reacted by saying, “I’m really thankful for the grant support and am excited to complete this research. I hope to make a significant contribution in the forensic pattern impression community.”
Madonna intends to pursue a career in pattern impression examination after completing her degree in December 2016.