Ohio Northern University to host prosecutor’s workshop on principles of forensic DNA

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Ohio Northern University will host a prosecutor’s workshop, focusing on the principles of forensic DNA analysis, from July 28-30.

This 2.5-day event is designed for officers of the court who want to further their knowledge of the tests conducted daily by forensic DNA analysts. Participants will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a forensics training facility at ONU. Guest speakers will discuss the various areas of DNA analysis, from the lab to inside the courtroom.

Dennis De Luca, associate professor of biological sciences at ONU, focuses on forensics sciences and has an extensive background in DNA analysis. De Luca is the president of the Council on Forensics Science Education. He also is president of Scientific Strategies Inc., a forensics DNA consulting firm that provides teaching and logistics to DNA forensics laboratories.

Kevin Hill, professor of law at ONU’s Pettit College of Law, will make two presentations: “Urban Legends and the Law” and “Ethics: The Challenge of Laboratory Fraud.” Prior to joining ONU’s law faculty in 1985, Hill was a teaching assistant to former Supreme Court Justice Arthur J. Goldberg, clerk to federal Judge William O. Bertelsman, and teaching fellow at the Temple University School of Law. Hill has published numerous articles on environmental law and has drafted a set of model jury instructions for use in federal court. Hill has been recognized with the Student Bar Association Award for Teaching Excellence and the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Classroom Teaching.

Jon Sprague, professor of pharmacology and dean of ONU’s Raabe College of Pharmacy, will present “The Application of Pharmacophores: Bath Salts vs. Spices.” Before returning to ONU as pharmacy dean in 2006, Sprague was chair and professor of pharmacology at the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine at Virginia Tech University. His research interests include studying the hyperthermic mechanisms of the substituted amphetamines, namely 3,4-methylene­dioxy­meth­amphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy). Sprague is the co-founder and director of technology for Genomic Guidance LLC. He also holds a patent titled “Method for Utilizing Patient Genotyping for Drug Safety” and is the co-author of a textbook, “Pharmacogenetics, Kinetics, and Dynamics for Personalized Medicine.”

For more information or to register, contact Rachel Kasper at 419-772-2230 or 
[email protected]