Two women smiling in a science lab with shelves and equipment in the background.

Forensic science professor Melinda McPherson (left) and senior student Madison McGregor. (Photo from Columbia College)

Posted August 5, 2021

Forensic Science, Students

Madison McGregor, a former CSAFE Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) intern, was featured in a recent story on Columbia College’s CC Connected.  The article, McGregor Searches for Consistency in Forensics, described how McGregor uses her instruction from Columbia College and an internship with CSAFE to explore the future of forensic science.
McGregor, a senior in biochemistry, participated in CSAFE’s summer 2020 REU program and researched the varying differences in testing procedures among 15 different laboratories around the region, specializing in firearms and tool mark examination.

The article also discussed when Melinda McPherson, associate professor of forensic science at Columbia College, took McGregor and other students to an educational conference of the Missouri Division of the International Association of Identification. There, they listened to a presentation by Alicia Carriquiry, director of CSAFE. In the article, McPherson described the impact of the talk:

“It was one of those presentations where you were just flabbergasted at how amazing it is,” McPherson said, recalling taking a break between sessions and walking around the hotel grounds with McGregor. “We were just dreaming, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if you could work with them? This is amazing, and we really need to get more involved in this.’ Fast forward a year and change, and it happened.”

Read the full article at https://connected.ccis.edu/2021/07/mcgregor-searches-for-consistency-in-forensics/.

Read more about McGregor’s REU experience at https://forensicstats.org/news-posts/csafes-2020-summer-interns-thrive-despite-covid-19/.

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