Faculty Credentials

Kelsie Dawn Bryand (F) - Vita

• Eleven years experience as Forensic Science Department Coordinator. Taught Chem 440 lab and basic chemistry labs for three semesters. Taught CRIJ/FORS 3366 for eight years.
• Nine peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals, reviewed two book chapters

Patrick Buzzini (F) - Vita

• Casework experience in trace evidence (University of Lausanne, switzerland)
• Appointed member of the Chemistry/Instrumental Analysis Scientific Area Committee, Organization of Scientific Areas Committees (OSAC), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
• 2017-2018 Program Chair of the Criminalistics section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS)
• Organized multiple training and continuing education courses to forensic science practitioners nationally and internationally.
• Member of the Education Committee of the American Society of Trace Evidence Examiners (ASTEE)

Joan A Bytheway (F) - Vita

• Twenty years experience as a Forensic Anthropologist. Sixteen publications in high impact, peer-reviewed journals on forensic anthropology and taphonomy topics. Over 20 Oral and Poster presentations in forensic anthropology and forensic taphonomy.
• Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology.
• Founder and Director of the Applied Anatomical Research Center (AARC) (formerly the Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science (STAFS) facility) in 2008. A willed-body donor program.
• Forensic Anthropology consultant for multiple law enforcement agencies.

Elizabeth Ann Chesna (P) - Vita

• Doctoral Teaching Fellow in Forensic Science (18+ graduate hours in forensic science).
• Ten week internship at the Austin Police Department Crime Laboratory (DNA Section) - 2015
• Graduate teaching assistants have at least 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline. Each is directly supervised by the tenure-track faculty member serving as course coordinator. They receive in-service training and their teaching performance is formally reviewed each semester by the graduate program director.
• Completed the equivalent of a Master of Science in Forensic Science at SHSU (44 graduate credit hours) (Spring 2016).
• Three peer-reviewed publications/presentations in journals or at national scientific meetings.

Kyleen Elizabeth Elwick (P) - Vita

• Completed a ten-week internship at the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory in Delaware (2015).
• Doctoral Teaching Fellow in Forensic Science (18+ graduate hours in forensic science).
• Key personnel/scientific contributor on federally funded research from the National Institute of Justice - Award #2015-DN-BX-L066 (Enhanced Sample Preparation and Data Interpretation Strategies for Massively Parallel Sequencing for Human Identification in Missing Persons and DVI Casework)
• Eight peer-reviewed publications/presentations in journals or at national scientific meetings.
• Graduate teaching assistants have at least 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline. Each is directly supervised by the tenure-track faculty member serving as course coordinator. They receive in-service training and their teaching performance is formally reviewed each semester by the graduate program director.
• Completed the equivalent of a Master of Science in Forensic Science (44 graduate credit hours) effective Spring 2016.

David A Gangitano (F) - Vita

• Forensic scientist (1993-2002). Federal Police-National Atomic Energy Commission (Argentina). Areas of expertise: Forensic biology/DNA, CSI, Chemistry and Toxicology.
• 24 peer-reviewed publications (international journals): Forensic Genetics, Forensic Botany, Behavioral Genetics, Neuroscience, Neurourology and Endocrinology.5 non peer-reviewed publications in Journal of Forensic Sciences. Over 35 international scientific presentations at international meetings.
• Post-doctoral Associate. Dept. of Neuroscience. Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX)(2003-2005)/ Research Associate. Scott Department of Urology. Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX)(2006-2007)/ Adjunct Assistant Professor of Urology. Scott Department of Urology. Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX)(2008-2009)
• Iberoamerican Working Group of DNA (GITAD). Founding member since 1998.American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Member since 2008. Society for Neuroscience (2003-2006)

Sheree Robyn Hughes-Stamm (F) - Vita

• Principal Investigator on externally funded grants from the National Institute of Justice and other sources totaling approximately $1.2M.
• Publication of 18 peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals and over 50 proceedings at scientific meetings.
• Commissioner, Texas Forensic Science Commission, 2014 - 2016 Vice Chair, Texas Forensic Science Commission, 2016 - present
• Member: American Academy of Forensic Sciences(2010-current),International Society of Forensic Genetics (2016-current), Association of Forensic DNA Analysts and Administrators (2015-current, Australian & New Zealand Forensic Science Society (2008- current)
• SHSU College of Criminal Justice Research Excellence Award. 2016-2017

Sarah Kerrigan (F) - Vita

• Principal Investigator on externally funded grants from the National Institute of Justice.
• Former State Crime Laboratory Director.
• Laboratory Director of ABFT, ASCLD/LAB, ISO/IEC-17025 accredited laboratories.
• Former President of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists, 2010-2011.
• American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Board of Directors, 2017-present; Toxicology Section Chair, 2015.
• Journal of Analytical Toxicology, Editorial Advisory Board, 2003-present.
• Journal of Forensic Sciences, Editorial Advisory Board, 2009 - 2017; Associate Editor, 2017-present.
• Texas Forensic Science Commission, 2007-2015 & 2017-present; Vice Chair, 2012-2015.
• Forensic Science Standards Board (NIST/USDOJ), 2014-present.

Bobby Lee LaRue (F) - Vita

• I have taught courses in molecular and cellular biology and genetics for the past ten years.
• I have co-authored 19 publications in the areas of genetics, forensic molecular biology, and statistical population genetics. I have also given 31 presentations, invited talks, continuing education seminars, and presentations at national, and international conferences, meetings, and symposiums.
• I am the principal investigator of externally supported research in the area of applied human genetics.

Madeline Jean Swortwood (F) - Vita

• Former post-doctoral fellow at National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program at National Institutes of Health
• Former forensic toxicologist at Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner toxicology laboratory
• More than 19 peer-reviewed publications in Drug Testing and Analysis, Clinical Chemistry, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, Bioanalysis, and Journal of Chromatography A
• Principal Investigator on externally funded grants from the National Institute of Justice and Forensic Science Foundation

Esirioghene Thea Tasker (P) - Vita

• Seven peer-reviewed publications/presentations in journals or at national scientific meetings.
• Graduate teaching assistants have at least 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline. Each is directly supervised by the tenure-track faculty member serving as course coordinator. They receive in-service training and their teaching performance is formally reviewed each semester by the graduate program director.
• Completed the equivalent of a Master of Science in Forensic Science (44 graduate credit hours) effective Spring 2016.
• Doctoral Teaching Fellow in Forensic Science (18+ graduate hours in forensic science).

Sparks P Veasey (F) - Vita

Chi Chung Yu (F) - Vita

• Over Thirty (30) peer-reviewed scientific research articles published in the field of Analytical Chemistry and Forensic Science.
• Over eight (8) years of working experience as a forensic crime scene investigator and a forensic scientist at Forensic Science Center, Taipei City, Taiwan.
• American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS), USA, 2007-2010: Associate Member; 2011-2014: Member; 2014-current: Fellow. Association for Crime Scene Reconstruction (ACSR), member, 2014-present. International Association for Identification (IAI), USA, 2007-current. American Chemical Society (ACS), USA, 2006-current. Taiwan Academy of Forensic Sciences (TAFS), Taiwan, Consultant to the Board of Directors, 2017-current.
• Certificate of Physical Significance of Bloodstain Evidence , Herbert Leon MacDonell, Corning, New York, 2001.Certificate of Fatal Arson and Fire Investigation, Henry Lee, New Haven, Connecticut, 1996.
• Diplomate of the American Board of Criminalistics.
• Principal Investigator on externally funded grants from the National Institute of Justice