FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 19, 2012
Contact: Mary Thomasson, Marshall University Forensic Science Center 304-691-8961
Marshall University Forensic Science professor presents research at international meeting
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Dr. J. Graham Rankin, professor of the Marshall University Forensic Science Graduate Program, presented research results at the International Symposium of Fire Investigation Science and Technology (ISFI 2012) meeting at the University of Maryland, College Park, Oct. 15-17.
ISFI 2012 was
the fifth presentation of this biennial professional symposium emphasizing the
application of modern fire science and technology to fire investigations and
analyses.
ISFI 2012
accepted more than 60 papers covering the entire spectrum of fire investigation
science and technology. Fire investigation scientists and experts from 10
countries across four continents presented papers. The international gathering
was organized by the National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI).
Rankin’s presentation
is based on research by Dana Greely, MSFS (May 2012) who is currently working
as a trace evidence chemist for the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office in
Cincinnati, Ohio. At the Tri-State Fire Academy in Huntington, Greely and Bob Sullivan, Certified
Fire Investigator for the Cabell County Prosecutor’s Office, performed a number
of control burns of gasoline and kerosene on carpet resulting in “pour
patterns” sometimes found at fire scenes where such liquids were used as
accelerants. Her subsequent measurement of the residual liquids in the
burned carpet has overturned the “traditional wisdom” about where to best
sample pour patterns at a fire scene.
Greely
previously presented her research at a meeting of the West Virginia Chapter of
the International Association of Arson Investigators in the fall of 2011 and at
the American Academy of Forensic Science in Atlanta last February. “Her
presentation in the fall 2011 led to an opportunity to do a full scale burn of
a house in Parkersburg used for fire training,” Rankin said. Results of
that full scale burn confirmed the smaller scale tests at the West Virginia
Fire Academy in Huntington and are included in the presentation at the ISFI
2012 meeting.
This research
was supported by the cooperative agreement “Interpretation of Ignitable Liquid
Residues in Fire Debris Analysis: Effect of Competitive Adsorption, Development
of an Expert System and Assessment of the False Positive/Incorrect Assignment
Rate,” project number 2010-DN-BX-K272 through the National Institute of
Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The project is
slated to continue through 2013. Five Marshall graduate students
currently are participating in the project along with Dr. Nicholas Petraco, an
associate professor at the City University of New York. Rankin is the
principal investigator of the project.
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