08.27.08

New Method for Processing Rape Kit Evidence

Posted in Forensics, Jacob Canon, The Oscar Show, UVa College of Arts & Sciences, University of Virginia, biology, genetic, technology at 11:04 am by Jacob Canon

In today’s show, adapted from an article written by Fariss Samarrai, senior news officer for UVa’s Office of Public Affairs, we discuss the research of Jessica Voorhees Norris, a Ph.D. candidate in forensic chemistry at UVa, who has developed a method for handling rape kit evidence that reduces part of the DNA analysis time from 24 hours to as little as 30 to 45 minutes.

With approximately 250,000 items of sexual assault evidence mired in three- to 12-month backlogs as they await analysis in U.S. forensic laboratories, there is an alarming nationwide need for a time-efficient way to get this work done.  And according to Jessica Voorhees Norris, a Ph.D. candidate in forensic chemistry, she has found a better way. She developed a method for handling rape kit evidence that reduces part of the DNA analysis time from 24 hours to as little as 30 to 45 minutes and improves the sperm cell recovery rate by 100 percent. If her method is adopted by forensic labs – and the results accepted by courts – the backlog could potentially be reduced within months.

Norris, who conducted her research in the lab of UVa chemistry professor James Landers, long ago realized that new methodologies would be needed to keep up with the growing accumulation of unanalyzed samples. She devoted her doctoral research to developing more effective and time-efficient methods.

Norris said, “There is an overwhelming demand for DNA analysis of sexual assault evidence, but laboratories have neither the funding nor the manpower to handle the caseload in a timely manner. Juries have come to expect DNA evidence in sexual assault cases, but forensic labs are not able to perform in a timely and efficient manner due to limitations in the currently used technologies.”

When a woman is sexually assaulted and comes forward to the police, a sample is taken and then sent to a forensic lab. In high-profile cases, the analysis is usually performed immediately, though overnight incubation is required to achieve a result. In most routine cases, though, the sample is put into storage, sometimes for as long as a year, before it finally reaches its turn in the cycle to be analyzed or when the case approaches a court date. The sample may degrade during the waiting period, resulting in a compromised finding.

Lab technicians must perform a number of steps to get their results. First, female and male cells must be removed from the swab with a special detergent. DNA from the vast number of epithelial cells from the victim must be separated from the far fewer sperm cells from the perpetrator. To do this, cells must sit overnight in an enzyme that bursts open the relatively fragile female cells to release their DNA for analysis. After the female DNA is removed, the highly durable sperm cells are burst open using stronger reagents.

Once the DNA is extracted, profiles, in effect, are generated for both the victim and the attacker. It is a time-consuming process, one that has been in use for more than two decades. Norris’ method streamlines the method for separating the male and female DNA fractions, eliminating the need for the overnight incubation while doubling the recovery of sperm cells.

Norris said, “This new process works extraordinarily well and could be implemented in forensic labs today. Unfortunately, getting labs to adopt a new protocol and getting legal systems to accept a new technology may take several years. In the meantime, the backlog of unanalyzed samples will continue to grow.”

Norris noted that forensic science is not simply about proving guilt. She said, “Forensic science is about finding the truth in a timely manner.  It is about using science to identify the guilty and exonerate the innocent.”

You’ve been listening to the Oscar Show, I’m Jacob Canon. Join us for our next show, when we discuss the research of Ron Williams, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, and his teams research of how to make more intelligent climate control systems, to aid in energy efficiency.

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08.20.08

UVa Remains Leader in Graduating Black Students

Posted in African, Education, Jacob Canon, The Oscar Show, UVa College of Arts & Sciences, University of Virginia at 11:04 am by Jacob Canon

In today’s show, adapted from an article written by Anne E. Bromley, Senior Writer, Editor for UVa’s Office of Public Affairs, we discuss UVa’s outstanding graduation rates among African-American students at all public universities in the nation.

For the 14th straight year, the University of Virginia’s African-American students posted the highest graduation rate among those at all public universities in the nation, according to the annual compilation published in the winter 2007-08 issue, of the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. The journal reports that U.Va.’s graduation rate of 87 percent makes it “the leader by far in successfully graduating black students” at flagship state universities.

William Harvey, U.Va.’s vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity, pointed out, “when comparing other Association of American Universities member institutions, the U.Va. graduation rate is the only public institution in the top 10.”

The next closest public universities are the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of California-Berkeley, both with 73 percent, and the University of Michigan, with 70 percent. The national average is 44 percent, compared to 63 percent for white students.

The journal, using data from the National Collegiate Athletic Association, deliberately highlights public universities because three-fourths of African-American students in college attend them.

Overall, U.Va. ranks 19th nationally, behind 18 private universities and colleges of varying sizes. The top group comprises 28 schools with black graduation rates of 86 percent to 96 percent, postaed by Harvard. In addition to comparing black and white students at highly ranked institutions, the journal analyzes the data several other ways, comparing by gender, comparing historically black colleges and universities to predominantly white institutions and comparing different types of institutions.

U.Va. reflects a trend across the country: African-American women’s graduation rates are surging ahead of their male counterparts. According to data from U.Va.’s Office of Institutional Assessment and Studies, 91 percent of black women graduate in a six-year period, compared to 83 percent of black men. The University’s overall graduation rate is about 93 percent, which includes white and Asian-American students.

Nationally, the graduation rate for African-American women rose to 48 percent compared to 37 percent for African-American men. Peter Yu, assistant dean of African-American Affairs said, “We need to do more for males. Women utilize support services and resources much more than males.” One of the key factors in the success of black students at U.Va. is the Office of African-American Affairs’ nationally known Peer Advisor Program. Associate dean Sylvia Terry, founder and director of the program, said, “the Peer Advisor Program picks up where the Admissions Office leaves off.” She credits the University’s Office of Admissions to the integral part it plays in recruiting the best students.

Terry said, “We want them to be successful and continue the excellence they bring to our institution. Our Office of Admissions is phenomenal in its work in recruiting students. They are attentive to students in responding to questions, presenting opportunities and working with parents. Our office picks up in the summer writing families and inviting t hem to the University of Virginia family.”

Dr. Maurice Apprey, who has headed African-American Affairs since 2006, recently said his office’s latest initiatives are designed to set the bar higher for black students, urging them to reach beyond the goal of graduating and improve their academic performance, take full advantage of all of the University’s opportunities and increase the number going on to graduate and professional schools. Despite the low national average graduation rate, the good news for African-Americans is that those who graduate have a median income close to that of white college graduates.

Terry noted one of the ideas of Freeman Habrowski, president of University of Maryland in Baltimore County, a leader in diversity in higher education: “the importance of recruiting the family when attracting [minority] students to predominantly white institutions. She said, “We have done this for years.”

You’ve been listening to the Oscar Show, I’m Jacob Canon. Join us for our next show, when we will well discuss the research of Jessica Voorhees Norris, a Ph.D. candidate in forensic chemistry at UVa, who has developed a method for handling rape kit evidence that reduces part of the DNA analysis time from 24 hours to as little as 30 to 45 minutes.

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08.13.08

Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Grant

Posted in Biology at the University of Virginia, Brain Tumor, Cancer, Jacob Canon, Pediatric, Skalak, The Oscar Show, UVa College of Arts & Sciences, University of Virginia, biomedical engineering, physical health at 11:04 am by Jacob Canon

In today’s show, adapted from an article written by David Foreman, writer for UVa’s Health System Media Relations Department, we look at University of Virginia researcher; Richard J. Price, who has received a three-year grant from The Hartwell Foundation to further his research on an innovative method to treat pediatric brain tumors.

Technical advancements in the past decade have made it possible to extend the basic principles of non-invasive, high-intensity, focused ultrasound for destroying organ-confined tumors. However, ultrasound beam aberrations and localized non-specific heating created by the skull are impediments to brain tumor treatment, which could be especially profound in developing children.

But a University of Virginia researcher, Richard J. Price, has received a three-year grant from The Hartwell Foundation to further his research on an innovative method to treat pediatric brain tumors. Price will receive $100,000 annually for three years, and is the first U.Va. scientist to receive a Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Award.

Frederick Dombrose, Hartwell Foundation president said, “It is an honor for The Hartwell Foundation to provide financial support to this outstanding researcher. The competition for awards this year was remarkable, making the final selection very difficult.”

Price aims to use much lower power levels by deploying “ultrasound-activated” delivery agents comprised of chemotherapeutic drug-bearing nanoparticles adhering to gaseous microbubbles, the size of red blood cells. After injection into the bloodstream and traveling to the site of the tumor, the microbubbles will receive pulsed, focused low-intensity ultrasound treatment that will not heat the skull but will cause the microbubbles to release their contents and thereby initiate destruction of the tumor.

Price said, “By activating the nanoparticles with ultrasound, we can hopefully get a more targeted and more sustained release of the chemotherapy drugs. This will potentially provide for fewer treatments with the same efficacy.”

Pediatric tumors respond well to radiation therapy, which is the conventional option according to Price. However, in very young children (less than 4 years old), the side effects of radiation are particularly debilitating, for example permanent cognitive deficits, learning disabilities, and psychological disorders, because the brain is still actively growing.

Price said, “… the clinician is faced with a difficult Catch 22 – wait until the child is older and risk that the tumor can’t be controlled, or treat at an early age knowing that there will be permanent damage. Because our treatment approach obviates the need for radiation, these side-effects from radiation are not a concern. Children, who are most sensitive to these side-effects, stand to benefit the most.”

Price is an internationally recognized authority on the behavior of small blood vessels and their interaction with drugs and ultrasound-targeted therapeutics. He is a pioneer in the area of microbubble interactions with capillaries.

Thomas C. Skalak, chairman of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the School of Medicine said, “This new project will allow him to harness that prior expertise with a new concept for brain tumor therapy that could revolutionize our ability to help patients with this disease. It is a terrific example of how biomedical engineering can help bridge the gap between complex diseases and the new technologies needed to treat them.”

Dr. Sharon L. Hostler, interim vice president and dean of the School of Medicine said, “We are very grateful for The Hartwell Foundation’s generous support of our research approaches in children’s health. Dr. Price’s work on pediatric brain tumors may bring new hope and treatment options to children and families facing cancer.”

You’ve been listening to the Oscar Show, I’m Jacob Canon. Join us for our next show, when we will well discuss the University of Virginia’s outstanding graduation rates among African-American students at all public universities in the nation.

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08.06.08

Educating Students to Be Global Citizens

Posted in Education, Jacob Canon, Relationships, The Oscar Show, UVa College of Arts & Sciences, University of Virginia, ethics, sociology at 11:04 am by Jacob Canon

In today’s show, adapted from an article written by Rebecca P. Arrington, Assistant Director of Media Relations, we look at the annual Walter A. Ridley Distinguished Lecture at the University of Virginia, held in April in the Rotunda’s Dome Room.

“In an increasingly diverse nation and interconnected world, educators must teach students to be global citizens committed to justice for all people,” a leading voice in multicultural education told a audience at the annual Walter A. Ridley Distinguished Lecture at the University of Virginia. The Ridley Lecture Series honors U.Va.’s first African-American graduate, who received his doctorate in education from the Curry School in 1953 and went on to a distinguished career in higher education administration.

According to James A. Banks, director of the University of Washington’s Center for Multicultural Education and the Kerry and Linda Killinger Professor of Diversity Studies, “schools across the nation and the world are becoming increasingly diverse due to immigration.”

Banks said, “there were 191 million migrants worldwide in 2005, and one in every five children in the U.S. is the child of an immigrant. If current trends continue, the number of persons of color in U.S. public schools will equal or exceed the percentage of whites within one to two decades — a situation that is already true in six U.S. states.”

In Banks lecture, titled “Diversity in America: Challenges and Opportunities for Educating Citizens in Global Times,” He stressed that this increased diversity requires changes in the way students are taught.

Banks said , “Because of the way in which people are moving back and forth across national borders today, we must educate students to function across borders, to become global citizens and to develop cosmopolitan values and commitments.”

He added that this focus on global citizenship requires educators to look beyond a curriculum limited to the “testing and assessment” of basic academic proficiency.

Banks went on to say, “All students of course need to master basic skills in reading, writing and math. However, these skills are necessary, but not sufficient. I am deeply concerned about education that is narrowly defined as academic achievement in basic skills. … Reading, writing and arithmetic are only important if they serve to make students humane.”

Banks said that students should be taught not only “the ability to master, access and use factual knowledge, but also the ability to challenge assumptions, to interrogate and reconstruct knowledge” and learn “to know, to care, and to act,” the three goals of global citizenship education. This type of teaching will educate “students’ heads, but also their hearts,” and create “transformative” citizens who are prepared to take an active role in their society and work for social justice.

Banks said, ‘The notion of simple patriotism to one nation has become obsolete and our society needs to accept the multi-dimensional nature of diversity. A person is not simply a citizen of one country or a member of one ethnic group. Instead, one’s identity incorporates a variety of factors, including nation and race, but also factors such as sexual orientation, religion, language and class.”

Banks encouraged educators to nurture three levels of identification in their students: cultural, national and global. This will help create a necessary balance between unity and diversity because, according to Banks, “unity without diversity leads to hegemony, and diversity without unity leads to chaos.”

This balance between respecting a student’s individual, cultural background and at the same time, encouraging national and global identification is what Banks said will ultimately nurture students who are global citizens and answer the question, “How can we educate our students so they grieve for people dying in Darfur and Iraq as much as they do for our own?”

You’ve been listening to the Oscar Show, I’m Jacob Canon. Join us for our next show, when we will well discuss a University of Virginia researcher has received a three-year grant from The Hartwell Foundation to further his research on an innovative method to treat pediatric brain tumors.

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