“Animal Hair Identification” with Jason Beckert

Inter/Micro 2010: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday and Friday, July 15 and 16

This two-day workshop will be taught by Microtrace reasearch microscopist Jason Beckert and will be held at McCrone Research Institute, 2820 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago.

The workshop will introduce the techniques and practice of animal hair identification by microscopy. Lectures, demonstrations and practical laboratory sessions will guide students through the fundamentals of hair microscopy and address the following topics:

• Mammalian taxonomy
• Necessity and assembly of a reference collection
• Microscopic hair anatomy
• Most useful books for hair identification
• Low magnification examination for color, shape, banding and dimensions
• Examination of the cuticle, preparation of casts
• Examination of the medulla, infiltration and staining
• Examination and preparation of cross-sections
• Criteria for identification

Cost: $200 Workshop participants must register for the conference as well. Fee includes lunch and refreshments for both days of the workshop.

Class size is limited, so please register early.

Jason Beckert is Research Microscopist at Microtrace in Elgin, Ill., where he enjoys answering analytical questions that require the amalgamation of information from a wide variety of scientific disciplines. His current research involves the identification of various types of particles through the use of microscopical, microchemical and instrumental techniques. Jason studied animal hair microscopy under the direction of leading forensic microscopist Skip Palenik for the past several years and continues to teach and attend workshops across the country. Currently he is visiting instructor and teaches classes on this subject at the McCrone Research Institute in Chicago. Jason received his B.S. in Biology from Cornell University, where he concentrated in ecology and evolutionary biology as well as genetics and developmental biology. While studying and working under the direction of Dr. Peter De Forest, he acquired his M.S. in Forensic Science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY). His masters thesis was the first to demonstrate the identification of various species of forensically relevant blow flies and flesh flies using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP); a PCR-based tool used in nuclear DNA and genetics research.