Trent Student One of Five International Applicants Accepted to Prestigious Forensic Science & Criminology Summer Program
Ph.D. student to present their research on high-resolution mass spectrometry applications in forensic science
Amanda Orr, Ph.D. candidate in the Environmental & Life Sciences Graduate Program at Trent, received one of five awards to attend a week-long program at the University of Lausanne in Les Diablerets, Switzerland this summer. The 25-year-old will showcase her research at Trent University on the international stage in the forensic sciences. Lausanne’s summer program for forensic science and criminology integrates theory and practice and offers specialized workshops and networking opportunities to bring doctoral students with top forensic practitioners in the field.
“I am very excited at the opportunity to present my research at one of the oldest and well-known forensic science schools in the world. I will be able to communicate my research in developing biologically relevant forensic materials to a niche, yet relevant group,” Ms. Orr says
Ms. Orr’s research is in materials biotechnology. She is developing functional DNA-containing materials that can be used for a variety of applications, including forensic research and training. Ms. Orr is conducting her research in the labs of Trent faculty Dr. Paul Wilson and Dr. Theresa Stotesbury, who are experts in the research and development of forensic blood substitutes. She also works very closely with Dr. Naomi Stock of Trent’s Water Quality Centre to develop methods for analyzing forensically relevant samples using the Bruker SolariX XR FTICR mass spectrometer, the first spectrometer of its kind in Canada.
This award precedes Ms. Orr’s most recent accomplishment. Earlier this month, she was awarded one of three Canadian Society of Forensic Science’s Educational awards. This award recognizes deserving post-graduate students training in forensic science and is awarded at the national level on the basis of scholarship and aptitude for the field.