On Wednesday, November 16, 2011, Katherine Stang, Aresh Kabirnavaei, and Andrew Roller, all students in the Master of Forensic Science program, presented theses to the forensic seminar class. The following paragraphs will summarize each topic. Katherine Stang presented her thesis entitled Problems of forensic identification and use of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Short Tandem Repeat (STR) technology is a forensic analysis that examines specific regions or loci present on nuclear DNA. There are 13 major loci that the FBI uses as the standard for the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). More recently single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have received much attention for their use in forensic DNA testing. An SNP array is a variation at a single site in DNA and is the most abundant variation in the human genome with over four million identified in the human genome. Some of the advantages of SNPs are their high presence in the genome, their use in lineage testing due to low mutation rates, and their use in degraded samples using short amplicons. Ms. Stang presented the following case study as an example of the use of SNPs in degraded DNA samples: A charred femur bone severely degraded by time and environmental conditions was found, and although STR failed to type the sample, SNP succeeded. Ms. Stang said further work is needed in the area of ​​SNPs and should include agreement on how SNPs should be used in forensic laboratories, further studies to determine best practices, and research in the area of ​​sexual assault evidence. Next, Aresh Kabirnavaei presented his thesis titled “Microscopic Characteristics of Carpet Fibers Classified and Indexed to Aid in Identification of Queried Fibers.” According to M...... half of the paper ......r 3 mm in diameter. Medium-velocity impact spatter usually produces stains between 1 and 3 mm in diameter and can be caused by blunt trauma or stabbing. High-velocity impact spatter stains are generally less than 1 mm in diameter and can be produced by gunfire. Reconstructing a crime scene using medium velocity impact sketches can provide information on directionality, point of convergence, and area of ​​origin. Blood spatter analysis can also be used to corroborate witness testimony about events that occurred at a crime scene. Error associated with BPA includes human error, nonuniform formation, and rotational offset. Mr. Roller concluded that BPA experts need to remember to only testify about things they cannot rule out and that more work should be done to determine a universal method for BPA with consistency across crime scenes and different analysts.