Grace Marino

Biography

Hi! My name is Grace Marino and I am from Birmingham, Alabama. I graduated from Auburn University with a B.S. in Laboratory Science. My interest in forensic science stems from watching Criminal Minds and other similar shows. After I graduated from Auburn, I had the opportunity to intern at a forensics lab in Alabama and the experiences that I had made me even more excited to work in this field.

I chose to attend Penn State because of the well-rounded curriculum, the hands-on approach to learning, and the experienced faculty. I also wanted a change of scenery from Alabama, where I have lived my whole life. In my free time, I enjoy reading, watching shows on Netflix, listening to music, traveling, and occasionally running.

I chose to do my research here with Dr. Holland. The project that I am working on aims to determine if there is a correlation between bone density and mitochondrial DNA yield. We are using a micro-CT scanner to figure out the density of the bone samples and because of this, I am initially investigating whether or not the irradiation from the scanning process is damaging the DNA or affecting the yield in any way.