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For further information, please contact Kaitlan Thyssen, Coordinator, Recruitment, Community Outreach and Engagement.
FASS in the Class: The Off-Campus Visit
Bring SFU and FASS to your classroom with our guest speaker opportunities!
We have a roster of highly successful FASS graduate students who are keen to share their research and career journeys with your students. Each speaker will bring a unique perspective to their presentation and will add value to the learning experience by sharing their knowledge and expertise in a humanities and social sciences subject.
Presentations are subject to change and limited to availability.
Brushing Up on Fingerprints: DNA Fingerprinting and Crime Scene Investigation
Ideal for: Law Studies, Explorations in Social Studies, and Science
Forming in the womb, each person holds an identifying marker - their fingerprint! Unique to the individual, no two persons to date have been found to hold identical fingerprints. Due to this, crime scene investigation typically involves the examination and comparison of fingerprints to identify who may have been involved in a crime. Topics in this discussion will include tentative and positive forms of identification, Ident officer roles, fingerprints and how they form, biometrics, and fingerprint alteration. A hands on activity will also be included to allow participants to get the chance to identify, dust, and lift their own prints!
Content Warning - this presentation will touch on some sensitive content including: crime scene investigation, case examples, and fingerprint alteration. Although some content may be challenging for some viewers, information is only shown for the sake of learning and will be relayed in a respectful and lighthearted manner.
Speaker
Passionate about teaching and learning, Payten Smith (she/her) is currently completing her Masters degree at Simon Fraser University and loves to share the knowledge she has obtained with anyone who will listen. Obtaining her undergraduate degree with honours at Simon Fraser University, Payten currently studies wrongful convictions and exoneree resource access, availability and effectiveness post release. In other words, she looks to share the stories and challenges of those who were wrongfully convicted of crimes they did not commit. Starting out in the sciences, Payten is interested on how science has been applied in legal realms and how new discoveries impact old findings. Payten is also the co-supervisor for the Forensic Entomology Lab at SFU's Centre for Forensic Research, and dedicates a large portion of her time to public outreach. Being a past varsity athlete on the SFU Women's Wrestling team, Payten has also competed at multiple Provincial, National, and International events - and currently works for BC Wrestling Association. If you look her up on Youtube, you will most likely find matches that she lost - funny how they never posted the ones she did well in.