Just Science

In episode four of the 2019 R&D season, Just Science interviews Dr. Suzanne Bell, Professor and Chair of the Department of Forensic and Investigative Science at West Virginia University, to discuss a method for consistent single-shot detection of organic and inorganic gunshot residue. Smaller crime labs often face a lack of resources and don’t have the funds for the most current equipment used in the detection of gunshot residue. With that in mind, Dr. Bell and her team have created a way to detect GSR using a machine already found in most toxicology departments: a liquid chromatography mass spectrometer. Listen along as she discusses a method for using LC/MS to detect organic and inorganic gunshot residues from the same sample in this episode of Just Science. This season is funded by the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence.