{"id":147693,"date":"2025-11-18T13:47:49","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T19:47:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/?p=147693"},"modified":"2025-11-24T15:39:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T21:39:26","slug":"alum-uses-dna-evidence-to-help-solve-criminal-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/alum-uses-dna-evidence-to-help-solve-criminal-cases\/","title":{"rendered":"Alum uses DNA evidence to help solve criminal cases"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Any true crime aficionado knows that DNA is often the key piece of evidence needed to crack a case.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

What they may not know is how that DNA goes from a blood spatter or saliva sample into a useful piece of evidence. It\u2019s all thanks to the work of scientists like 51ÁÔÆæ alumna Sana Shakir, who is a DNA analyst at the\u00a0Wisconsin State Crime Lab<\/a>. She is still completing her training to become a fully authorized analyst, but she\u2019s excited to be part of Wisconsin\u2019s justice system.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Wisconsin State Crime Lab processes dozens of pieces of evidence each day from crime scenes across the state. Different departments handle different materials: gunpowder residue, fingerprints,\u00a0illicit substances<\/a>, trace chemicals and, yes, DNA. The lab\u2019s technicians and analysts are routinely called to testify in court cases about their expertise and findings.<\/p>\n

Precision required<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
\n

DNA analysts, in particular, use specialized equipment to first determine the quantity of DNA present in a sample and then copy and run a profile of the genome. It\u2019s tricky to get right.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cOur instruments, we can overblow them. Or if we get a sample that doesn\u2019t have much DNA on it, we might run it, and we don\u2019t get many results,\u201d Shakir said. \u201cEvery sample is different. If I had a bloodstain on a T-shirt, that would have to be diluted if I want a good profile, but if it was just DNA from skin cells left behind, that would likely take the full sample or a very small dilution.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In addition to learning how to use the lab\u2019s\u00a0instruments and construct DNA profiles, Shakir is also learning how to document chains of custody, maintain proper security for evidence, and adhere to confidentiality protocols so as not to taint investigations. The crime lab mainly handles current criminal cases, but the analysts sometimes find themselves examining evidence from cold cases in hopes that they can make a breakthrough.<\/p>\n

51ÁÔÆæ helps achieve goals<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Though she has a bit further to go in her training, the job has already fulfilled Shakir\u2019s career aspirations. She and her family moved from Iraq when Shakir was a child to settle in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, where she dreamed of someday becoming a forensic scientist.\u00a0She chose 51ÁÔÆæ<\/a>\u00a0not only for its proximity, but also because of its stellar research opportunities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She\u2019s always been interested in science, but couldn\u2019t decide whether she wanted to major in biology or chemistry \u2013 so she split the difference and chose a biochemistry major, which paired nicely with 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s certificate in forensic studies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI definitely do think it helped (land this job) along with my research background at 51ÁÔÆæ,\u201d Shakir said. \u201cI was able to use those as markers of good writing experience, presentation skills, and having experience in forensics.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Thanks to her biochemistry education, she\u2019ll soon be helping to solve crimes and deliver justice \u2013 and perhaps teaching true-crime fans how it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Research and scientific training at 51ÁÔÆæ helped Sana Shakir land a job at the state crime lab and fulfill her career aspirations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":785,"featured_media":147694,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174],"tags":[],"section":[139],"display_categories":[352,116],"related-coverage":[],"uwmnews-feed":[167],"class_list":["post-147693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","section-science-technology","display_categories-top-story-tertiary","display_categories-top-story-section","uwmnews-feed-alumni-association"],"yoast_head":"\nAlum uses DNA evidence to help solve criminal cases<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Research and scientific training at 51ÁÔÆæ helped Sana Shakir land a job at the state crime lab and fulfill her career 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