KINGSTON, R.I. — October 26, 2006 — A professor of the Hebrew University’s Casali Institute for Applied Chemistry and former brigadier general of the Israeli police department will speak at the next session of the University of Rhode Island’s Forensic Science Seminar Friday, Nov. 3 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Pastore Hall, Room 124. Professor Joseph “Yossi” Almog’s talk, entitled “Tracking the Suicide Bomber,” is free and open to the public.

Yossi was the creator of the first scientifically based forensic lab in Israel. There, he worked on designing chemicals that combined with the tiny amounts of amino acids found in the secretions from glands on fingers and palms. He directed the forensic science unit for 16 years, before returning to academia. He joined the Hebrew University, establishing its forensic chemistry research group, while still working closely with his former police unit.

Since being with the university, Yossi’s team has been responsible for the development of a highly sensitive fluorescent compound whose glow reveals the ridges of latent fingerprints on many types of paper, including forged bank notes, newspapers and letters. He and his colleagues have worked extensively on portable explosives testing kits, which are now widely used to detect traces of explosives in the field. In 2005, he was awarded the prestigious Lucas Medal by the American Association of Forensic Sciences.