On Thursday August 20, In2science hosted the third in our new series of fascinating webinars. Our presenter was Anastasia Bickley, who is currently in the first year of her PhD at Deakin University. Anastasia is also one of our most committed mentors, having completed four placements at Bellarine Secondary College. Anastasia enthusiastically shares her love of forensic science with her mentees, often bringing in demonstrations and telling stories of real-world applications of this discipline.
Anastasia’s goal is to update arson research and help to make it less time sensitive. She explained how the longer the time is between gathering evidence from a fire and analysing it, the less accurate that information will be. She is focused on bushfires and how campfires can lead to them, concealment of accelerants, and what leads people to not follow the laws surrounding safe fire lighting. During her field work, she was able to locate evidence of past fires, both legal and illegal, and took samples to identify the fuel used. Her methods have led to quicker and more accurate identification of accelerants used, particularly in illegal fires which could potentially cause disastrous bushfires.
Anastasia captivated the crowd with her results and a glimpse into her PhD ambitions. The In2science team can’t wait to see what discoveries she makes next!
