WCU Stories      March 5, 2020

Western Carolina University will help celebrate the 10th anniversary of the North Carolina Science Festival when it presents “Advances in Forensics: Workshop in Investigative Genetic Genealogy.”

The event will take place April 24, in the Blue Ridge Residence Hall’s Meeting Room A from 1 to 5 p.m. It is an official event of the N.C. Science Festival, which is presented by the Biogen Foundation.

The workshop, which is limited to the first 40 registrants, is free and open to those 15-years-old and older. Participants should have a basic understanding of principles of genetic inheritance. Those interested can register HERE.

Diahan Southard, founder of Your DNA Guide, will lead the workshop through a mock case designed to demonstrate the principles of family tree construction from genetic data, ultimately leading to the identification of a probable “suspect.” Southard also will host a one-hour lecture in “Investigative Genetic Genealogy” from 9 to 10 a.m. in the A.K. Hinds University Center, Room 315. No registration is required for the lecture.

The event is one of hundreds held across the state in April showcasing science, technology, engineering and mathematics to people of all ages. The N.C. Science Festival was founded in 2010 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.