DNA Academy


                               

W.
Mark Dale, Director                                                                                                                                       Dr.
Donald Orokos, Associate Director

[email protected]                                                                                                                                  [email protected]

518-437-3791                                                                                                                                                         518-442-4308                                                                                                                            Northeast Regional Forensic Institute

http://www.albany.edu/nerfi

DNA Academy

(SWGDAM and ASCLD/LAB International ISO/IEC, 2005 compliant)

1. Course Description

This is an intense 21-week
class in which the students have an option to earn 12 Graduate Credit Hours from the University at
Albany
in
Albany,
New York
.

o
Weeks 1-4                    Study
of
Butler,
J.,
2nd Ed. (2005),
Forensic
DNA
Typing
and assigned readings.

o
Weeks 5-8                    Lectures and demonstrations
of
extractions, amplifications, CE & evidence handling.

o
Weeks 9-12                  Hands on training at NERFI
UAlbany
DNA
Academy
.

§
Competency tests #1 and #2 Extractions and
Amplifications.

o
Weeks 13-14                 Statistics, Ethics, software
applications, and Quality Assurance.

o
Weeks 15-18                 Hands on training at NERFI
UAlbany
DNA
Academy
.
PCR/STR.

§
Competency #3 requires the student to
analyze a sample with all methods to final analyses. 

o
Week 19                       Statistics
and mixture interpretations.

o
Weeks
20-21
                 Moot
court preparation and Moot court
, recorded and
critiqued.

o
Final Competency Testing in home
laboratory.

o
Forensic scientists
may also attend single units of the
DNA
Academy

for Professional Development credit.

2. Goals/objectives

The
course
curriculum is designed
to provide quality forensic education from an academic environment.  The NERFI program will
prepare
a new forensic scientist for casework in 6 months.  Typically, mentor training is inefficient and
competes
with casework laboratory operations.  Serology is not included in this curriculum,
but will be offered in other programs.
The methods are customized to be the same as the home laboratory of the
new employee.  The supervisors of the
home laboratory actively work with NERFI staff to ensure the program follows
local protocols.  Basic competencies
acquired are:

o
Organic and Chelex Extraction.

o
Real Time PCR.

o
Capillary Electrophoresis (AB
310, 3130 and Genemapper ID), mixture interpretation, report writing.

o
Court room testimony.

o
All University at Albany
facilities are available for the students.

o
Libraries, computer class rooms, food
services and recreation facilities.

o
Housing is available either on campus
or at
private hotels adjacent to the campus.

o
The student completes all SWGDAM training
guidelines for analyses of cases and samples.

o
Optional Opportunity:  The student can earn 12 graduate credit hours
from the University at
Albany
with a B or better grade for all assignments, quizzes and tests.

 4. Required Texts and Assigned Readings

Butler, J., 2nd Ed. (2005), Forensic DNA Typing and a wide variety of
assigned readings made available from the
NERFI UA www library.

5.  Costs:  Contact NERFI for a
customized quotation.

6.  Date:
Next
classes to begin January 2006 and June 2006.

7.  Registration
and Information
: Contact W. Mark Dale
at [email protected]