KINGSTON, R.I. – April 23, 2007 – Peter M. Vallone, a research chemist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, is scheduled to speak at the University of Rhode Island’s Forensic Science Seminar Series Friday, April 27.

Free and open to the public, the program runs from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in Pastore Hall, 51 Lower College Road, Room 124.

Vallone’s presentation is titled “Advances in the Field of Forensic DNA Typing.”

His project, Multiplex Assay Development, has the ability to detect multiple genetic markers in a single tube or reaction. The advantages of this development include a reduction in the amount of enzyme/reagents consumed, a simplification of data analysis, and the collection of more information per unit time.

Another project Vallone has worked on is called Typing Mitochondrial and Y-chromosome SNP markers. The typing of SNP, or single nucleotide polymorphism, throughout the genome can assist in genetic mapping, disease association studies, and evolutionary studies. The location of these markers on the Y-chromosome will provide information on tracing human migration patterns and evolution.

Vallone received his bachelor of science degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1992, where he also received his doctorate in chemistry in 1999. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the standards institute in the biotechnology division from 1999 to 2001.