Hane Awarded the George W. Chin Memorial Scholarship

Kimberly Hane, a senior Forensic Science and Genetic Engineering double major, has been awarded the George W. Chin Memorial Scholarship, which includes $2,000 and an Associate membership for one year in the NEAFS organization. The review committee felt she was "a well deserving candidate for this scholarship, with strong recommendations from [her] advisors, and well thought out aspirations and goals." In addition to being a strong academic, Kim is a lab assistant in the Department of Biological Sciences and has been conducting forensic DNA-based research in the laboratory of Dr. K. Joy Karnas, Professor of Biology, since her first semester at Cedar Crest. Her primary research project focuses on the use of quantitative PCR for crime scene bloodstain identification, but she has also been advancing a second study examining the use of oral cavity specific microbes to differentiate expirated and impact blood spatter. Kim has previously been awarded research grants from the Pennsylvania Academy of Science and Beta Beta Beta Honor Society to conduct these research projects, and she hopes to present her data in regional and national meetings this year. She will be applying for PhD programs in Molecular Biology and Genetics to continue her academic pursuits after graduation.