PLACE: 

SPEAKER:
Bruce Weir
North Carolina State University

TITLE:
Are DNA Profiles Unique?

ABSTRACT:
When DNA profiles are found to match between an evidentiary stain and a person suspected of having contributed to that stain, it is customary to attach some numerical weight to the match. This may simply be the probability of finding the profile in a random member of the population, or it may be the conditional probability of the profile given that it has been seen already. In either case, the numbers have become so extreme that they may lack credibility. The FBI now does not provide numbers but implies a definite identification of the contributor of the stain. The basis for this conclusion, and some possible problems with it, will be discussed.
 

COFFEE: 3:45 p.m., 104 Snedecor Hall