14-Apr-2017

Speaking science to students at Penn State Beaver

Monaca, PA

On April 7, Cybergenetics Dr. Mark Perlin spoke about "Science & sorcery in forensic DNA evidence" at Penn State Beaver's honors class on Science in our world: certainty & controversy. The talk was open to the public, and part of the university's new series about the impact of science on the world.

The talk described DNA controversies and how seeking certainty weakens forensic science. One case example was a double homicide that might have been prevented through better DNA methods. In a live acoustic rendition of his Threshold song, the speaker sang about how society is harmed by suboptimal science.

Afterwards, Biology faculty Drs. Stephanie Cabarcas-Petroski and Cassandra Miller-Butterworth wrote to thank Dr. Perlin. They said, "We truly appreciate the time you took to come to Beaver to meet with our students, and give such a unique and informative seminar. The students appreciated your efforts to engage them, and appreciated how you presented the content in an interesting and captivating manner."

Links

• Science & sorcery in forensic DNA evidence - Cybergenetics
• New speaker series explores scientific controversy and certainty - Penn State Beaver
• Threshold - Soundcloud