Student Activity Session: Dan Russel

Dan Russel, an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) agent, spoke to a group of about 90 students and faculty at CUSAC's Undergraduate Activity Session on Friday, August 1.  Russel explained to the audience that he began working for the OSBI in the area of drug analysis, but now specializes in DNA evidence (biological material,  like blood, semen, saliva, and hair).  He debunked a lot of myths propagated by television shows like the CSI series which are apparently based on a little bit of truth mixed with a lot of Hollywood "splash."  It simply is not the case that crimes are solved in one hour.  It isn't even possible to analyze DNA evidence in an hour; it takes much longer than that. Russel solicited the assistance of two volunteers from the audience to demonstrate how a crime involving a victim being beaten with a baseball bat might occur.  He then discussed the use of fluid dynamics principles and basic trigonometry in blood-splatter analyses conducted by  OSBI agents, as well as the use of genetics, probability, and population  statistics in DNA analyses.