Forensic DNA Biology

Dr. Elkins is Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Towson University where she teaches in the Masters of Science in Forensic Chemistry Program. Previously, she was the Director of Forensic Science and Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Metropolitan State College of Denver. She has her Bachelor of Science in Biology, Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry and her PhD in Chemistry with an emphasis on Biochemistry. Focused on the Forensic DNA field, she has developed a network of contacts in crime laboratories throughout Colorado and the Four Corners region and looks forward to extending her network in the Baltimore/DC area.

1. Pipetting2. Serology3. Sampling Biological Evidence for DNA Extraction4. DNA Extraction5. Determination of quality and quantity of DNA using agarose gel electrophoresis6. Determination of DNA quality and quantity using UV-vis spectroscopy7. Determination of DNA quantity by fluorescence spectroscopy8. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) quantitation of DNA9. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer design (in silico)10. Testing designed PCR primers in multiplex reactions11. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of short tandem repeat (STR) loci using a commercial kit12. Capillary electrophoresis of short-tandem repeat (STR) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products from a commercial multiplex kit13. Computing random match probability from DNA profile data using population databases14. Mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection15. Analysis of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence data using bioedit16. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) extraction17. Y-STR PCR amplification18. Human genetic analysis: paternity or missing persons cases and statistics19. Low copy number stochastic results20. Using in silico methods to construct a short tandem repeat (STR) deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence for cloning21. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction from botanical material and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification22. Social, ethical and regulatory concerns23. Selected forensic DNA biology case studiesAppendix: Allele frequencies of CODIS loci