2011 Francine and Michael Saferstein Memorial Lectures
May 13, 2011
Speaker: Prof. James Landers, Depts. Of Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering and Pathology and the Emily Couric Cancer Center, University of Virginia
Topic: Integrated Microfluidic Systems for Genetic Analysis: Exploiting the Microscale for Ultrafast Forensic DNA Interrogation
To mark the 12th annual Francine and Michael Saferstein Memorial Lectures, the Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis and the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University invited James Landers, professor of chemical engineering and pathology at the University of Virginia, to discuss Integrated Microfluidic Systems for Genetic Analysis: Exploiting the Microscale for Ultrafast Forensic DNA Interrogation.
In 2006, Landers and his research team showed the first true evidence that microfluidic technology could provide a “lab-on-a-chip” solution for real-world analysis, i.e. sample in, analysis out. In his lecture, Landers discussed the paradigm shift that microfluidic technology stands to bring to the forensic DNA analysis through lab-on-a-chip devices. “It is a deep honor to give this lecture in memory of your wife and son,” Landers told Saferstein. “It is truly a pleasure to have met you, and I hope this lecture will do justice as a memorial.”
This lecture series is named after forensic consultant Dr. Richard Saferstein’s wife and their 3-and-a-half-year-old son. Both were killed when a bomb exploded in the garage of their home in 1978.
Saferstein is a forensic science consultant and retired Chief Forensic Scientist of the New Jersey State Police Laboratory. “I want to thank (Barnett Institute Director) Dr. Barry Karger for his personal support and the support for this lecture,” said Saferstein. “This lecture series is a memorial series and also an outgrowth of my desire to support research and education in the forensic sciences.”
Karger calls the lecture series a very successful venture – noting that some of the most famous people in the field of forensic science have participated in the Francine and Michael Saferstein Memorial Lectures.