News Archive | Forensic Science

Nicole Novroski of the UTM Forensic Science program has been selected as an Advisory Committee member for the International Symposium on Human Identification (ISHI). A series of videos that highlight Dr. Novroski's career and teaching are available on the ISHI YouTube channel. (June 28, 2022)

Nicole Novroski interviewed by CBC News about the methods investigators can use to identify a young girl whose body was recently found (June 7, 2022)

2021

Unearthing an ugly past: Forensic experts on the challenge of searching former residential school sites (July 23, 2021)

Faculty Highlight: UTM Forensic Biologist and Assistant Professor Dr. Nicole Novroski recently published an article in the International Symposium on Human Identification (ISHI) on results from preliminary evaluations of the ForenSeq DNA Signature Prep Kit for phenotype prediction accuracy in a subset of first and second generation admixed Canadian individuals.

Class Highlight: The students of FSC430 are featured in UTM News, as fourth year student Nera Topcagic discusses a new student run forensic journal called Voices of Forensic Science. (May 2021)

Student Highlight: FSC Student (now alumna) Bethany Krebs was featured in UTM News for her fascinating independent research project using a sandblaster to more effectively detect fingerprints. (April 2021)

Staff Highlight: Earlier this month, our very own Forensic Librarian, Joanna Szurmak, published her fantastic think-piece, Accentuating the Negative: Why Eco-pessimism Has Become Elite Religion, in the winter 2021 edition of the Breakthrough Journal.

Alumni Highlight: FSC Program alumna (and now graduate student in the Department of Anthropology), Noor Abbas, has published a co-authored study Frontiers in Psychology, titled Pandemic Nightmares: COVID-19 Lockdown Associated With Increased Aggression in Female University Students' Dreams (March 2021)

In Memoriam: The Forensic Science Program, and the University of Toronto Community, is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Meruba Sivaselvachandran, an alumna from the UTM Forensic Science Forensic Psychology Specialist Program. A Tribute Wall has been published for those wishing to send their best wishes and messages to Meruba's family. (February 2021)

Forensic epistimologist professor Rasmus Rosenberg Larsen was recently featured on the podcast All You Humans to discuss the art of teaching. (Febriuary 2021)

Forensic Science recent alumna Filbert Yung recently published his FSC481 Internship research in the journal Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology. This work was completed under the supervision of Dr. Jayantha Herath, the Deputy Chief Forensic Pathologist at the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service. (January 2021)

2020

Forensic Science recent alumna Adrienne Chiang's fourth year internship on Cannabis testing featured on UTM News (June 2, 2020)

Forensic Anthropology graduate student Jenna Schall publishes significant research in Forensic Science International (April 2020)

In an interview with Maclean’s Dr. Vivienne Luk and Dr. Karen Woodall shed light on the agonizing drug addiction of Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of the Anne of Green Gables novels (February 12, 2020)

Forensic Science Outreach Program featured in UTM News (February 25, 2020)

Forensic Biology Alumna Rachel Shadoff featured in UTM News article, Testing FBI-endorsed forensic DNA kit in Canada's genetic melting pot. (January 6, 2020)

2019

Forensic Science Alumna Charlotte Le Fèvre featured in Identification Canada (December 2019)

Revisiting ‘The Psychopath Test’: New research by Professor Larsen gives diagnosis a failing grade (November 6, 2019)

Nicole Novroski of the Forensic Science Program is featured in UTM's #MeetTheNewProfs campaign (September 23, 2019)

Nicole Novroski is interviewed by CBC, in a feature on Forensic Geneaology - A Cold Case Revolution. (September 18, 2019)

Dr. Rosenberg Larsen was recently interviewed by the Etobicoke Guardian for his perspective on con artists, and the complexities of trying to create an appropriate psychological profile. (September 26, 2019)

UTM Forensic students Sandy Wang and Jackie Han, were recently featured in the science journal M Magazine, for their internship research, in an article titled, "Rethinking Sobriety Testing: Does standard assessment fully capture one’s impairment level?" (page 26). (Spring 2019)

Nicole Novroski presented at the 2019 International Symposium on Human Identification. Read all about her speaker feature Under the Microscope . (September 2019)

Dr. Novroski and colleague Frank Wendt have recently published an article in Forensic Science International: Genetics (September 2019).

Dr. Rosenberg Larsen and colleague, Dr. David Sackris (Arapahoe Community College), recently published an article in The Journal of Value Inquiry critiquing a well-known philosophical theory that defines "aesthetic experience" (September 2019).

Forensic Alumna Jocelyn Huang brings her skills to Youthlink Calgary. (Summer 2019)

2018

The forensic science program was featured in the University of Toronto's student newspaper, The Varsity. (December 2 2018)

The Forensic Science Program is proud to have been an open source sponser of Forensic Psychology professor Dr. Rasmus Rosenberg Larsen's latest publication: False-Positives in Psychopathy Assessment: Proposing Theory-Driven Exclusion Criteria in Research Sampling.

Tracy Rogers shared her path through research and forensic anthropology, and as a consultant with the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, for the podcast "View to the U: An Eye on UTM Research". (September 2018)

Third year student Allana Braga, in the Forensic Anthropology Specialist Program, was featured in a segment on Daily Planet. (April 19, 2018)

Student research from the University of Toronto Mississauga reveals new information about Indigenous homicides in Ontario. The study by Navneet Aujla, a fourth-year student with UTM’s Forensic Science program, confirms and updates 20-year-old conclusions that Indigenous people are more likely to be victims of homicide compared to the general population, and pinpoints homicide hotspots in the province. (April 11, 2018)

2017

Forensic professor Joel Cahn was featured in The Medium, discussing the importance of experience in an education of forensic science, and what students can gain in the fourth year internship course. (October 16, 2017)

Professor Emeritus Jerry Melbye has been selected as one of 50 outstanding contributors to the legacy of the campus in celebration of UTM's 50^th anniversary (January 24, 2017)

October 2017: Forensic Law Professor Enzo Rondinelli Appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice

On October 11th, 2017, UTM sessional law professor Enzo Rondinelli was called to be one of the ten new judges appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice. We are extremely proud to congratulate professor (now Justice) Rondinelli, who has been an adjunct professor at the Osgoode Hall Law School since 2003, and teaches FSC360: Evidence, Law and Forensic Science in Canada at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

Justice Rondinelli was called to the bar in 1997, and most recently worked with the Pro Bono Law Ontario-Supreme Court of Canada Assistance Program, the Pro Bono Inmate Appeal Program and the Legal Aid Ontario Committee. Earlier this summer, Justice Rondinelli won the Ontario Bar Association Award of Excellence in Criminal Justice.

Chief Justice Lise Maisonneuve has assigned Justice Rondinelli to preside in Toronto, and we are very fortunate to have him in such an honourable position within our legal system!

August 2017 - The 21st Triannual meeting of the International Association of Forensic Sciences (IAFS)

In August, a number of students and faculty attended the 21st Triannual meeting of the International Association of Forensic Sciences (IAFS).

Our students represented UTM Forensic Sciences through a variety of excellent presentations and posters. Congratulations to everyone pictured, and those we missed!

April 2017 - Forensic Science Day

Congratulations to the FSC481Y Internship Class of 2017 for successful Forensic Science Day presentations!

Faculty, mentors and students gather at the Blind Duck after a successful day of presentations (2017)

The cupcakes are always a hit! Post-presentation feasting at the Blind Duck (2017)

Faculty fun at the Blind Duck! (2017)

Food and feedback at the Blind Duck with teaching assistant Ashley Smith (PhD candidate) and FSC481Y Internship students (2017)

Mentor Eugene Liscio (P.Eng) and FSC481Y Internship students at the Blind Duck, planning their next great research projects! (2017)

April 2016 - Forensic Science Day

Congratulations to the FSC481Y Internship Class of 2016 for successful Forensic Science Day presentations!

"If the law has made you a witness, remain a man of science. You have no victim to avenge, no guilty or innocent person to convict or save - you must bear testimony within the limits of science."
- Dr. P.C.H. Brouardel, 19th Century French Medico-Legalist

January 24, 2017 / (Updated March 6, 2017)
News

Professor Emeritus Jerry Melbye has been selected as one of 50 outstanding contributors to the legacy of the campus in celebration of UTM's 50th anniversary

November 2015 - Coffee with a Cop

On Friday November 27th between 12pm and 2pm, police officers from the Peel Regional Police will be in the Davis meeting place with coffee and timbits. This is a unique opportunity for students who are interested in policing or related fields. The officers will be there to answer questions and talk about how they developed into their roles.

There is no sign up or registration required, just show up and have a coffee and timbits on us!

Click here for more information.

April 2015 - Forensic Science Day

Congratulations to the FSC481 Internship Class of 2015! Our annual Forensic Science Day and 20th Year Celebration was a great success. Click here for photos of the event. To read the full article on our event, click here and enjoy!

March 2015

The University of Strathclyde will be holding an info session on their MSc/PgDip/PgCert in FORENSIC SCIENCE on Tuesday, March 31st, 2015, 12 noon - 1 pm, in DV1092A.

2015 Toronto Police Service Forensic Identfication Services 25th Educational Coference "Forensic Examination The Silver Lining" MAY 12th - May 15th, 2015.

For conference/registration information click here.

JOB ALERT: Toronto Police Service is now accepting applications for “Crime Scene Tech Support, Forensic Identification Services" (JOB ID #3236)

To view the job description, requirements and rated competencies, click here.

Please Note: Interested candidates must apply for this position online. No hard copies will be accepted. (Please use PC, Internet Explorer)

June, 2014

Congratulations to our class of 2014!

June, 2014

Wanted to tour the CSI House on campus but couldn't make it out to our events? Eugene Liscio has put together a video using laser scanner software that showcases all three floors of the house.

February, 2014

Job alert: York Regional Police is hiring for 9 Forensic Identification Assistants. Job details here.

January, 2014

Over the holidays, CTV News aired a clip showcasing the CSI Club at Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute, an afterschool program that was designed by a forensic science alumni and current M.Sc. student at UTM, Jessica Lam.

CTV Toronto: School making science cool

November, 2013

UTM's CSI House was featured in the very first "Where We Work" series.