Forensic Entomology Workshop

Dr. K. C. Kim, professor of entomology and curator of the Frost Entomological Museum on the Penn State University Park campus, will be the certified forensic entomologist leading the course. Dr. Kim is also the director of the Center for Biodiversity Research and has been actively involved in Pennsylvania and Korean biodiversity issues, including the preservation of Korea's demilitarized zone for conservation and peace.

Dr. Jason Byrd, a bureau chief for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and director of Development for the William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine, and Dr. John Wallace, professor of biology at Millersville University, will also be teaching sections of the workshop.

Trish Hunt, a Penn State entomology graduate student, is the workshop coordinator and will be assisting throughout the course.

This course is designed for forensic investigators to learn how to collect specimen samples and field data in a way that will be scientifically valuable and thus credible for use in court. Enrollees will get hands-on experience in both field and laboratory sessions, including field collection of specimens and environmental data on the animal model and examination of adults and larvae of major corpse-inhabiting insects.

The course will include an introduction to the basics of entomology and principles of forensic entomology as well as an overview of forensic entomological investigation with an opportunity to study the details of a simulated crime scene in the experimental field.

The second session will provide an overview of the natural history of carrion-feeding arthropods with an emphasis on flies and maggots and the ecology of the succession of the necrophagous arthropod community. Students will collect insect specimens and environmental data at the scene and conduct laboratory work to learn and practice how to identify necrophagous insects. Reference specimens of all stages of common forensic insects will be available for study.

The third session will include an overview of the postmortem interval (PMI) analysis and students will have an opportunity to calculate PMI of the specimens they collected and identified. For enrollees who specifically request it in advance, an optional session may be held on taxonomy and identification of common blowflies.

For registration, contact the College of Agricultural Sciences Conferences and Short Courses Office.

If you have specific questions concerning course content, contact Dr. Kim at kck@psu.edu.