Forensic Science Seminar Series | Department of Chemistry & Environmental Science

Forensic Science Seminar Series

Contact Prof. David Fisher (dfisher@njit.edu) for more information.

January 31st @2:30 pm - Maple Hall Studio: Death Investigations

Detective Lieutenant Casey Long is a Lieutenant with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and currently assigned to the Major Crime Unit, overseeing Homicide, Vehicular Homicide, Arson and Cold Case Homicide investigations. In his 24 years in law-enforcement, Long has had a diverse career involving investigations ranging from assaults, homicides, weapons possession and the distribution of various forms of CDS. After starting his career as a Patrolman with the Ocean Township Police Department for 7 years, Lieutenant Long accepted a position as a Detective with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. One there, Long has been assigned to the Litigation Unit, Narcotics Strike Force (OCNSF) and is currently assigned to the Major Crime Unit. In his time with OCNSF, Long has conducted CDS, firearms, and gang-related investigations, both as a case agent and undercover operative. Lieutenant Long has been the Affiant on search warrants, wire-tap investigations, resulting in the arrest and successful prosecutions of those individuals. Additionally, Long has been qualified numerous times by the Superior Court of New Jersey in the field of Narcotics and the means and methods of narcotics distribution activities. Additionally, Long has earned a MD from FDU and continues to teach various course topics and prepare presentations and lesson plans on the topics of death investigations, police officer involved shootings, active shooter response, narcotics investigations / identification, gang identification and investigations, developing sources of investigative information and firearms / tactics. Long was previously an adjunct professor at both OCC and Rowan College at Burlington County.

February 7th @2:30 pm - Maple Hall Studio: Investigative Genetic Genealogy

Cairenn Binder, MS is the Assistant Director of the Ramapo Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center. Binder has been at the forefront of IGG since its inception, applying genetic genealogy to identify human remains with the nonprofit organization DNA Doe Project from 2018-2023. In 2022, she co-founded Coast to Coast Genetic Genealogy Services to fulfill the need for additional IGG practitioners to generate leads in violent crimes. She began working at Ramapo in October 2022, helping to launch the IGG center in December 2022. Her casework has been featured on BBC, ABC, NBC, Fox, Oxygen, and CourtTV, in addition to digital media.

February 14th @1:00 pm - Tiernan Lecture Hall 2: Forensic Applications of Portable Spectroscopy

Brooke Kammrath, PhD is a professor of Forensic Science, Executive Director of the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science, and Consulting Criminalist with a demonstrated history of working in higher education and with scientists in industry/ government labs to develop solutions to forensic problems. Kammrath is skilled in microscopic, spectroscopic, chromatographic and chemometric analytical methods. She is a strong research professional with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) focused in Forensic Science Specialization, Criminal Justice from CUNY Graduate Center. Kammrath is the past-president of the New York Microscopical Society (NYMS), membership chair for the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS), and on the Governing Board of the Eastern Analytical Symposium (EAS). She is also the co-editor of the two-volume book Portable Spectroscopy and Spectrometry and co-author of the book Blood Traces. In addition, she co-authored 2 laboratory manuals, 7 book chapters, 20 journal articles, 1 encyclopedia article, and over 100 professional conference presentations.

March 6th @2:30 pm - Maple Hall Studio: Forensic Investigations

Amber Weeks, RN, FNE, D-ABMDI is currently working as the Chief of Forensic Investigations at the Delaware County Office of the Medical Examiner in PA, as well as working as a per diem ER nurse at Atlanticare Regional Medical Center in AC, NJ. Weeks is a licensed forensic nurse in NJ also, as well as a nurse specialist for DMAT. She began her career as a death investigator in 2016 at the Southern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office after she graduated from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL with a bachelor’s degree in Forensic Anthropology. While working at SRMEO, Weeks wanted to expand her expertise and went back to school to obtain a second Bachelor's degree in Nursing through DU in Philadelphia, PA. Now, Weeks is currently working on her doctoral degree in Family Nurse Practitioner at Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu, HI where her goal is to utilize her degree at the Medical Examiner’s Office and Public Health department of health liaison with the community focusing on the effects of these deaths on the community including mental health, preventative care, or even the effects of certain exposures to death.

March 20th @2:30 pm - Remote: https://njit.webex.com/meet/dfisher: Crime Scene Processing

Brian Turner, MS is currently employed by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office as a Crime Scene Technician II. Brian is an IAI Certified Crime Scene Investigator and IAI Certified Tenprint Examiner. He holds a B.S. in Biology from Ramapo College of New Jersey and a M.S. in Forensic Science from the University of New Haven. He is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Forensic Science program at OSU. He is an Adjunct Professor at Broward College and an instructor with Tritech Forensics teaching a variety of classes and webinars in the areas of Tenprints. Brian began his career as Tenprint Examiner for Broward County Sheriff’s Office in the BIU. Turner was promoted to Fingerprint Analyst III after passing the IAI Tenprint Certification. As a Fingerprint Analyst III, Brian’s duties included training all incoming fingerprint analysts in the science of friction ridge skin. Brian transferred into the Crime Scene Unit and has been there ever since. Brian became a member of the IAI Tenprint Identification Science and Practice Subcommittee. He assists with the planning and execution of Tenprint Courses offered at the Educational Conferences of the IAI. In 2022, Brian was selected to serve on the FDIAI Crime Scene Subcommittee and in 2023 was elected the FDIAI Region 5 Director.

April 10th @1:00 pm -Tiernan Lecture Hall 2: Trace Evidence

Isabel Sánchez Meló, MS is currently an associate scientist/senior specialist at Bristol Myers Squibb. After obtaining her BS and MS in Applied Physics from Universidad de La Laguna, she went on to University of New Haven for an MS in Forensic Science. After this, Sanchez Melo was working at Curia with the title of Research Scientist II - Microspectroscopy.

April 22nd @6:00pm - Remote: https://njit.webex.com/meet/mtl29: Tattoo Inks

Dr. Michelle Miranda is the Acting Director and Chair of the Center for Criminal Justice Studies at Farmingdale State College (the State University of New York). Dr. Miranda is a generalist forensic scientist and an expert in tattoos and tattoo inks. She is the author of Forensic Analysis of Tattoos and Tattoo Inks (CRC Press, 2015).