Project:

An Analysis of Weed Species for Potential Forensic Application

Students:

Kanav Dani, Aiden Ackerman

Institution:

John Jay College, CUNY,

Mentors:

Richard Li

Abstract:

Forensic botanic investigations involve the analysis of the DNA of various plant species located at crime scenes, in hopes of potentially finding leads or clues that can progress the investigation. This can include the placement of certain suspects at crime scenes through the analysis of seed particles or pollen that was found on their clothing. DNA sequences of randomly collected weed samples will be analyzed and compared to the GenBank nucleotide database using BLAST search. Through this proposed study, we hope to identify the species of weeds collected and discuss their potential usage in forensic investigations.

Poster:

Team samples: