ChemImage Corp., a provider of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) technology, has announced an educational collaborative partnership with the Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute (FNSSI) in The College of Arts and Sciences. The partnership focuses on providing students with an opportunity to work directly with HSI technology in SU laboratories.

This past April, Jeffery Beckstead, director of product development for the forensic line of business at ChemImage, presented a lecture on HSI technology at FNSSI. The presentation included real-world application examples of how HSI technology can be a powerful imaging tool for forensic examiners.

Since then, ChemImage has provided FNSSI with an HSI Examiner 200 QD system, which features advanced HSI hardware and software that is used to nondestructively examine questioned documents and security documents, such as banknotes, passports and tax stamps. ChemImage has also set-up internship opportunities with FNSSI to give students hands-on learning opportunities with this new technology and to assist in the method development and validation of its current and next-generation HSI systems.

“After attending Dr. Beckstead’s lecture, I was excited to be offered an internship at ChemImage to work with their system,” says Christina Amendola, a master’s student in forensic science. “It has been great, learning the capabilities of this technology. I look forward to working more with the system when I return to SU.”

John Belechak, COO and forensic line of business manager at ChemImage, says, “This partnership provides a great opportunity for SU and our company to educate students about HSI technology before they start their professional careers. Our goal is to create a center of excellence for HSI at the University that places students at the forefront of new advancements in the field of forensics.”

ChemImage and FNSSI plan to structure a cooperative research agreement, with the goal of establishing how HSI technology can be utilized in other possible forensic application areas.

“This collaboration will enable an assessment of the extent of hyperspectral technology and will determine new uses for hyperspectral imaging,” says FNSSI Professor Kevin Sweder. “The large diversity in research experience at FNSSI will also enable advancement of uses and technological development far outside the present technology. We at FNSSI look forward to educating future practitioners in new technologies so that they may elevate the scientific rigor of all forensic and national security science disciplines.”

About ChemImage
ChemImage Corporation, a leader in hyperspectral and Raman chemical imaging technology provides innovative instrumentation, analysis software, contract services and expert consulting to government, industrial and academic organizations. The company’s proprietary, state-of-the-art imaging technology has many applications, including defense, security, pharmaceuticals, forensics and biomedical diagnostic research, which can reveal critical chemical and biological information from a variety of material systems.

ChemImage’s headquarters are located in Pittsburgh, PA, where it pioneers research and development, as well as providing engineering and manufacturing which develops innovative products for the global marketplace.

About FNSSI
The Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute (FNSSI), housed in Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences, generates new approaches to address issues of import to forensic and national security practitioners and agencies. Additionally, FNSSI seeks to improve the scientific underpinnings of techniques currently in use. While the approaches taken by FNSSI scientists are manifold, a major technological approach to be developed is hyper-spectral imaging.