6-Jul-2015

STEM teenagers learn about the math and science of TrueAllele®

Pittsburgh, PA

Twenty high school summer campers from Grow a Generation visited Cybergenetics to learn about the TrueAllele forensic mixture analysis technology. In their 90 minute 2015 STEM Careers Tour of our Pittsburgh facility, chief scientist Dr. Mark Perlin explained how TrueAllele works. Chocolate cake was served.

Dr. Perlin introduced Bayes probability as the way scientists update their beliefs based on data. He described the STR technology used to generate DNA data. He showed how genotypes are inferred objectively from data using Bayes law, and are then compared to calculate match statistics. The mixture evidence example came from the Boston Marathon bombing case, where TrueAllele was used to separate and identify two brothers found in a five-person DNA mixture inside a glove.

• Cybergenetics part of the 2015 STEM Careers Tour - Blog