\;In Murder by Degrees\, Dr. Lydia Weston works alongside police to investigate the suspicious death of Anna Ward\, a young chambermaid found in the Schuylkill River. This event explo res the collaboration between medicolegal investigators and forensic scien tists in solving mysteries.
\nForensic anthropology\, the study of h uman skeletal material in criminal investigations\, was Kori&rsquo\;s firs t love in science\; initially enchanted with the poetic names of various s keletal features\, this first gateway opened up the larger scientific worl d of histology\, morphology and pattern recognition\, and taphonomy\, and eventually led to a lifelong career in forensic science. Kori will review her most favorite aspects of forensic anthropology including the analysis of human bone microscopy in age-at-death estimation\, human vs. non-human skeletal features of the skull and pelvis\, and some fun facts about anima l scavenging of human remains. She&rsquo\;ll also share some thoughts on w orking with the dead: the challenges and rewards of this unusual line of w ork and provide a glimpse into how one attempts to be a somewhat functiona l human when their day job is working violent person crime cases.
\nSari will also be reviewing the role of the medical examiner and Medicoleg al death investigator within Deschutes County. **The presentation will include photographic and descriptive examples of challenging scenes a nd bodily changes that professionals encounter in real life. Recommended f or ages 18+** \;
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K ori Barnum is a Senior Forensic Scientist with the Oregon State P olice Forensic Laboratory in Bend. She has twenty years of forensic experi ence as a Firearms Laboratory Technician\, Forensic Biologist\, Crime Scen e Analyst\, and Advanced Bloodstain Pattern Analyst\, and is a statewide t rainer for new Crime Scene Analysts. She routinely provides forensic evide nce identification\, collection\, and preservation training to law enforce ment agencies and the medical forensic community\, and has presented at mu ltiple national conferences on improving collaboration and technical proce sses between forensic labs and the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) co mmunity. Her academic background includes a B.A. in English Literature\, a B.S. in General Science\, and a M.A. in Anthropology focusing on human bo ne microscopy related to age-at-death determination\, forensic anthropolog y\, and genetics. She served as an adjunct professor of Anthropology at Po rtland State University from 2012-2015\, and is a member of the American A cademy of Forensic Sciences\, the International Association for Identifica tion\, and the Northwest Association of Forensic Scientists.
\nSari Ourada \, MS\, BSN\, RN\, SANE-A was educated at the University of Illin ois at Chicago and Northern Illinois University. She has practiced nursing for more than 20 years in a variety of fields including pediatrics\, publ ic health\, and emergency medicine. She became interested in forensics whe n reading Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs novels in high school\, but w aited until 2017 to begin practicing as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner fo r Central Oregon. She is currently one of two SANE educators in our region responsible for training prospective SANE nurses\, first responders\, vic tim advocates\, and district attorney staff about the medical aspects of s exual assault and/or strangulation cases. In 2023\, she took on a second g ig as a medicolegal death investigator for Deschutes and Crook counties.&n bsp\; She is a current member of both the International Association of For ensic Nurses and International Association of Coroners and Medical Examine rs organizations. \; \;
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\nMurder by D egrees \;is a thrillingly atmospheric tale of intrigue\, featuring a brilliant female doctor who&rsquo\;s ahead of her time. Set i n Philadelphia\, 1875\, the debut novel by Ritu Mukerji\, Dr. Lydia Weston is preparing for the start of a new term at Woman&rsquo\;s Medical Colleg e of Pennsylvania\, when the body of a young woman is fished out of the Sc huylkill River. The death is ruled a suicide\, but Lydia is suspicious. As the investigation unfolds\, Lydia puts to use all her diagnostic skills a nd autopsy table acumen to pursue the killer. \;
\nRitu Mukerji \;was born in Kolkata\, India\, and raised in the San Francisco Bay area. From a young age\, she has been an avid reader of mys teries\, from Golden Age crime fiction to police procedurals and the novel s of PD James and Ruth Rendell. She received a BA in history from Columbia University and a medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Tho mas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. She completed residency training at the University of California\, Davis and has been a practicing interni st for fifteen years. She lives in Marin County\, California\, with her hu sband and three children.
\nLearn more about \;A Novel Idea \;here.
\nQuestions? Contact \;b eccar@dpls.lib.or.us
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