Candidate Profile

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EXPERTISE
Criminology & Law Enforcement
Forensics & CSI
History - General
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH:
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Gary Koverman is a forensic scientist with his PHD in molecular biology and has worked for over 30 years in forensic laboratories in Ohio, Colorado and New Mexico. He has examined many world class crimes and is still working in his own private business in New Mexico.

Dr. Gary Koverman is an expert in DNA, blood, body fluids, controlled substances, arson, paint, fibers, soil, blood spatter and crime scene investigation. His expertise in a wide variety of forensic fields gives depth and understanding to many forms of physical evidence.

He has lectured various law enforcement police agencies in the area of forensic science and has taught at universities in Ohio, Colorado, and New Mexico. Mr. Koverman has testified in court as an expert witness over 1000 times. He has published various articles in forensics such as Anabolic Steroids, Gypsum Weed Identification, Identification of Cocaine and Methamphetamine mixtures and MDMA Quantification. He is a past fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Scientists, the Midwest Association of Forensic Scientist, The California Association of Criminalists and the Southwest Association of Forensic Scientists.

Dr. Koverman is also a great student of history and enjoys seeking out relevant historical events with a fresh forensic perspective.


TALKS
1. Forensic Science: DNA Testing Decoded: How do the forensic scientists do it? The technology of Forensic DNA testing is explained in everyday layman’s language including automated DNA analysis now in use by crime laboratories around the country. An in depth description of the National DNA (CODIS) database is also included in this lecture.

2. Forensic Molecular Photofitting: This technique uses DNA to map the genes that are linked to skin pigmentation and facial structure which means a person's face could emerge from the analysis. Now police cannot only match a suspect to the crime scene but identify his gender, ancestry, facial appearance, height eye color all from a tiny drop of blood. The process has already been used to help identify and convict serial killer Derek Todd Lee who murdered seven women in Louisiana.

3.Touch DNA: This procedure doesn’t require you to see anything, no blood or semen at all. It only requires seven or eight cells from the outermost layer of our skin to obtain a complete DNA profile. Called "Touch DNA" or "Contact Trace DNA,” Touch DNA refers to the DNA that is recovered from skin (epithelial) cells that is left behind when a person touches or comes into contact with items such as clothes, a weapon, telephone, door knob, or other objects.

4. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR): The man, Kary Mullis, who invented the forensic method to be able to analyze a few cells of DNA and produce millions of DNA copies was paid a mere $10,000 by the Cetus Corporation and now lives a meager existence. PCR or DNA copying will be discussed in layman’s terms and its effect on forensic science worldwide.

5. The CSI Effect: The CSI effect can best be described as a phenomenon where television “educated” jurors are more likely to not convict someone who is guilty because procedures and techniques they observed from the fictional television show were not applied in the case. This talk will explore the ramifications of forensic science shows on public’s expectations.

6.Rapid DNA- No chemistry experience is needed and this machine can provide DNA CODIS results in under 2 hours. Police may do away with fingerprints at crime scenes and can identify a suspect quickly with perfect results. Crime investigation will never be the same.

7. The Madrid Bombing: If the defendant’s fingerprint matches a latent print from a crime scene then fingerprint experts claim with absolute certainty that the latent print was left by the defendant to the exclusion of all others. They even deny that that it is even possible for a trained examiner who follows proper procedures to reach the wrong conclusion. This testimony might lead one to conclude that there never has been a documented case where a qualified fingerprint examiner has made an erroneous identification. Is Brandon Mayfield really guilty?

8. Blood Spatter: DNA tells us who and this exciting technique tells us how. Is the crime scene a real suicide or is it really a murder? This talk will explore how crime scene investigators can reconstruct the events that took place at the time of the crime by examining the geometry of tiny blood droplets.

9. Jon Benet Ramsey: The brutal murder of 6-year-old Jon Benet Ramsey on Christmas night in 1996 shocked America to its core. Just as the Lindbergh baby kidnapping and murder seven decades earlier had shaken the nation's consciousness. This murder – of a beautiful and talented child in a wealthy Boulder, Colo., home – renewed every parent's worst nightmare: No child was truly safe, not even tucked in at home on Christmas night. This is a renewed examination of the evidence from a forensic scientist that actually worked on the case while working for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

10. DNA Discovery: The use of forensic evidence such as DNA may seem commonplace in modern times, but it wasn't always so. The first murder conviction that used DNA evidence to prove the guilt of a defendant involved the murder of two teenage schoolgirls in Leicestershire, England and the forensic evidence actually proved the innocence of the main suspect.

11. O J Simpson Just on the blood evidence alone, there's only one out of 57 billion chance that Simpson is innocent. Fifty-seven billion is approximately 10 times the current population of the entire world. What went wrong?

12. DNA Ancestry. Ancestry DNA interests and submissions have almost become viral. Are they accurate, how are they conducted, what can they tell you about your health, are they our destiny, are they private or are your results subject to government and police intelligence. The author gives a brief scientific explanation of all of the above.

13. Caribbean Pick-pocketing---- Pick-pocketing is a form of larceny that involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person or a victim without them noticing the theft at the time. It may involve considerable dexterity and a knack for misdirection. A thief who works in this manner is known as a pickpocket. The author will describe the many methods of pickpockets as well as prevention and safety.
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14. The Ghostly Cemetery of Christ the Church Barbados. The cemetery of the Christ Church Parish Church in Oistins, Christ Church, Barbados is just like any other cemetery: its got headstones, crosses, flowers on grave sights, crypts, and it’s share of ghost stories. However, unlike other cemeteries, its ghost stories might be true; and if they’re not, they might hide something else just as mysterious.

15. George Washington: George Washington, the first U. S. president and "father of our country" is well known for his heroic exploits but little is known of his struggles with his health and the archaic medical practices which led to his death. Most people believe Washington died from a sore throat but a re-examination of the medical practices of that time opens the door to surprising facts that we never learned in school.

16. Abraham Lincoln: The question isn't who shot Abraham Lincoln. Before the advent of modern education every schoolboy - and girl - knew the answer. But the answers to a couple of other questions surrounding the assassination of the Civil War president are still dogged by doubts 150 years later. Was John Wilkes Booth really shot in 1865 or did he live into the 20th century and last seen in carnivals as late as 1976?

17. James Garfield: James A. Garfield gets cut down in the honeymoon of his presidency. He received a bullet from the scheming assassin (Guiteau) which placed Garfield in the buttery fingers of the nineteenth-century medical profession, sometimes literally. Doctors wore the same coat from surgery to surgery, proudly displaying their blood-encrusted wares. Germ theory was mocked, anesthetics had just been invented, and beefsteak enemas were ubiquitous. What? He died? We must be kidding. Alexander Graham Bell’s newly invented telephone technology may have helped but who knew how to use it properly?

18. William McKinley: Did McKinley die from a bullet fired at the New York Exposition in 1901 or did other strange and unfortunate events lead to his demise? Thomas Edison was there demonstrating his newly invented x-ray machine. The operating gynecologist couldn’t find the bullet and perhaps his inexperience contributed to the 25th president’s death.

19. Zachary Taylor Did old rough and ready really die of natural causes as president or was he poisoned. His body was exhumed 150 years later. What did the Oak-ridge Laboratory results find?

20.Christopher Columbus-Did Columbus discover America? Was he the first to locate America by sea? Was Columbus the first European to create a settlement in the Americas? So what did this famous person really do?

21.Caribbean Islands-From the Bahamas to Trinidad and Tobago, the beaches and customs of the island people will be discovered with a view of the culture and history of this wonderful tropical paradise.
CRUISE HISTORY / EXPERIENCE
Worked with Compass Speakers and Sixth Star and been on many cruises with them. Worked on Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth, QE2, Royal Caribbean, and Princess Cruises.Reagent, Oceana
RECENT PAST CRUISES COMPLETED
The following recent Cruise History has been recorded for this candidate.
SHIP REF CRUISE DESCRIPTION NIGHTS SAILING FROM DEPARTURE DATE
Silver Shadow SS240323S12 Asia Cruise 12 Singapore Saturday, March 23, 2024
Sky Princess Y331 15-Day Tropical Passage 15 Southampton Friday, November 10, 2023
Grand Princess A335 (sector) Hawaii, Tahiti & South Pacific Crossing (partial) 13 Papeete, Tahiti Sunday, October 8, 2023
Caribbean Princess B331 10-Day Classic Canada & New England 10 New York Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Celebrity Reflection RF230423 Spain & Bermuda Transatlantic Cruise 13 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Sunday, April 23, 2023
Diamond Princess M306N (part) Pacific Crossing to Japan (Part Cruise) 13 Honolulu, Hawaii Saturday, February 18, 2023
Emerald Princess E301 15-Day Panama Canal - Ocean to Ocean 15 Los Angeles, California Sunday, December 18, 2022
Celebrity Silhouette SI221205 Eastern Caribbean 10 Miami, Florida Monday, December 5, 2022
Sky Princess Y230 14-Day Iberian Passage 14 Southampton Saturday, October 29, 2022
Majestic Princess 8239 Sector Hawaii, Tahiti & South Pacific Crossing 13 Los Angeles, California Saturday, September 24, 2022
Enchanted Princess N211 14-Day Northern Europe Passage 14 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Saturday, April 9, 2022
Celebrity Constellation CS220328 Aruba, Bonaire, & Curacao Cruise 11 Tampa, Florida Monday, March 28, 2022
Celebrity Reflection RF211226 Eastern Caribbean & The Bahamas Cruise 7 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Sunday, December 26, 2021
Celebrity Reflection RF211127 Eastern Caribbean & The Bahamas Cruise 7 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Saturday, November 27, 2021
Celebrity Reflection RF211120 Mexico, Jamaica & Grand Cayman Cruise 7 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Saturday, November 20, 2021
Golden Princess 5935 Sector Hawaii, Tahiti & South Pacific Crossing 13 San Francisco, California Saturday, September 28, 2019
Golden Princess 5911 Sector Hawaii, Tahiti & South Pacific Crossing 19 Auckland Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Pacific Princess K902 World Cruise Sector - Panama Canal 15 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Saturday, January 5, 2019
Star Princess 9838N Andes & South America Cruise 16 Los Angeles, California Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Island Princess 2802 Panama Canal Ocean to Ocean Cruise 15 Los Angeles, California Tuesday, January 9, 2018