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Scenes from The University of Rhode Island

URI’s Martin Bide to discuss textile forensics Sept. 24

Media Contact: Dave Lavallee, 401-874-5862

KINGSTON, R.I. -- September 20, 2004 -- Martin Bide, an internationally renowned textile chemist, will speak about the forensic analysis of textiles as part of the Forensic Science Seminar Series offered by the University of Rhode Island.

The discussion will take place on Friday, Sept. 24, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in Room 124 of Pastore Hall on the Kingston campus. The lecture is free and open to the public; refreshments will be served prior to the start of the discussion.

Bide and fellow textiles Professor Margaret Ordonez created a fiber database of more than 1,800 samples for the FBI Research Center as part of a $134,000 contract with the agency. They oversaw the dyeing of materials that were then prepared on a slide, microscopically photographed, and digitally stored on compact discs. The FBI was interested in the database project because fibers and materials play crucial roles in forensic investigations.

Aside from his work with the FBI, Bide has spent over a decade working with researchers at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to prevent problems associated with artificial arteries. He used techniques related to textile chemistry to create materials that can be used in vascular surgeries but prevent common setbacks like blood clot formation, infection, and rejection.

The former chair of URI’s Textile, Fashion Merchandising, and Design Department is a fellow of the Society of Dyers and Colourists and a member of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists where he has just finished a three-year term as the New England regional vice president.

The Forensic Science Seminar Series is a semester-long program offered by the University of Rhode Island Forensic Science Partnership. The series, which is entering its fifth year, lasts through Dec. 10.