Press Releases 2007

JFHAA Hosts Seminar on Solving Crime Using Forensic DNA

The Jamaica Fulbright-Humphrey Alumni Association (JFHAA), supported by the U.S. Embassy, is pleased to present the third in its alumni series of quarterly seminars.

This seminar is set for Wednesday, June 6, 2007 and will be held at the Physiology Lecture Theatre, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona. The guest speaker will be Fulbright Researcher, Dr. Wayne McLaughlin.

Dr. McLaughlin is a Forensic DNA Analyst and Expert Forensic Witness with degrees in Microbiology and Biochemistry. He is noted for his recent establishment of a new independent Forensic DNA Laboratory at UWI under the name Caribbean Genetics (CARIGEN), where he serves as Director. Dr. McLaughlin is also a recipient of the Silver Musgrave Medal for Science, serves the UWI as the head the Department of Basic Medical Science and a senior lecturer, and is Deputy Chairman of the National Commission on Science and Technology, Jamaica – Bio-safety Committee.
Forensic DNA is increasingly becoming the method of choice for law enforcement officials in the United States and the United Kingdom as it has become tried and proven at offering the most conclusive evidence for securing convictions in criminal cases as suspects’ DNA samples are matched to blood, hair, saliva or semen. The science has also led to several exonerations of formerly convicted suspects as well as the identifications of human remains etc.
The seminar’s topic Solving Crime using Forensic DNA Science is timely even as Jamaica looks towards the drafting of legislation to govern the science.
The JFHAA is an association of professionals who have been beneficiaries of U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright scholarships and Humphrey fellowships administered by the U.S. Embassy in Kingston. The mission of the JFHAA is to contribute to national development by initiating and participating in activities that foster advancement in education and the development of a civil society, while promoting mutual understanding through liaison with organizations of a similar nature.