Geyer_Week3Assignment1

Heather Geyer
LBSU 302
Week 3,Assignment 1
February 3, 2016


Wambaugm,Joseph (1989).The Blooding. Retrieved from

personal library.

The Blooding is the story of the first DNA search conducted. In 1980, DNA collection                     and quantification was in its infancy. A serial rapist and murderer, located in England,                       launched a manhunt that spanned over three years. Over four-thousand men were tested                       for their genetic profiles in order to locate the subject. Through process, the first genetic                       profile data base was founded.

My assessment of The Blooding is that it provides much needed background pertaining to                   DNA and how it was first used to solve cases. My initial assessment indicates that it does indeed pass the CRAAP test and the information found in the book is relevant to my research on touch DNA. The sections detailing the collection / preservation process will be valuable in that a comparison can be made between past practices and the new techniques being used today. 

Reasearch Notes:

1. Began searching the Leatherby Libraries online catalogue.

2. Remembered that I had a copy of The Blooding by Joseph Wambaugm.

3. In doing my research on touch DNA collection processes, I decided the I may need some background information about DNA beginnings.

4.located the book in my library

5. located the sections pertaining to background DNA

6. Using the Leatherby Library I found alot of journal Articles pertaining to cases using evolving touch DNA processes. 

7. I made notes of these for further study. 

Week 1, Assignment 2 Introduction

Salutations,
My name is Andy Geyer and this is my very first ever blog post *applause*. I have managed to obtain an Associates Degree in Science and one as well in the Arts. Together, they add up to a bachelors degree but unfortunately that is not how this school stuff works. This is my first semester at Brandman University and  I am a transfer from Sacramento State. The reason for the switch is, at Sac State, I was a Forensic Biology major  and  I realized (a bit late in the game) that I could not see myself sequestered away in a lab for the rest of my life. I felt like a little bit of my soul was lost every time I did a DNA prep. I decided that I would be happier in the field so here I am, a Criminal Justice majior with a forensic concentration.  In order to become a CSI I will need to become an officer...with a gun...let that sink in.

My research will be focused on a relatively new forensic tool that is just now beginning to take hold. Touch DNA until now has been a myth. However, recent  advances in quantifying DNA with qPCR has open the door to new opportunities.  One such advance is creating a genetic profile from even the smallest amount of DNA left at the scene of a crime. As a CSI, I will be involved directly in the collection and tracking of articals  taken from the local of a crime. Touch DNA is very delicate and must be collected and preserved in a particular manner. New techniques will need to be explored and identified in order for the evidence to  make it to the lab without contamination. I would like to identify new techniques in this area of evidence collection and preservation.

I have taken research classes before and I hope this class will hone the skills I have already aquired from my previous classes. Im glad to be here. Lets do this!