President Doug Person called the meeting to order. He then asked Bret Johnson to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Father Michael Mahoney shared a powerful message about the true meaning of Christmas, emphasizing the importance of receiving and being changed rather than just giving.
Sunshine Report:
Jennifer Pence circulated two holiday cards that will be sent to Bill Tiedeman and Mike Kimball. We miss both of them as they recover from health issues.
Paul Watermulder asked us to keep Alan Drummer, who is currently undergoing tests at UCSF due to a recent health scare, in our thoughts and prayers.
Guests & Visitors:
For their first visit, Leila Saadeh and Paulo Filho joined us. They own a janitorial service in Burlingame. Also for his first visit was Burlingame resident Dan Conway. Susan Baker introduced her guest Will Strohl.
“Don’t Miss This”
Jay Miller discussed the importance of the Rotary magazine, highlighting its global reach of 1.2 million people and encouraging members to engage with its content. He highlighted one of the many interesting articles in the December issue.
Announcements:
Jennifer Pence informed the Club about our renewed social media efforts through Facebook and LinkedIn. She introduced Lara Pankova, who is tasked with enhancing the club's online presence on these sites. Jennifer made a call for members' engagement to maximize reach, focusing on liking, sharing, and commenting on posts.
Program:
Bret Johnson introduced his colleague, Sheri Olson. She is Vice President of Thermo Fisher Scientific's human identification business. Sheri presented on the role of forensic science in criminal justice and humanitarian efforts. She shared her experience in transitioning from clinical diagnostics to forensics, highlighting the importance of DNA technology in solving crimes and identifying missing persons.
Sheri discussed the evolution of forensic science, focusing on DNA technology and its applications in solving crimes. She explained how DNA profiling has advanced from early methods to the current 24-marker system, which significantly increases the power of discrimination. Burlingame highlighted the importance of DNA databases, such as CODIS, in solving crimes and mentioned that Thermo Fisher provides products and services to support forensic DNA analysis. She also described the work of the HID Professional Services team, which offers validation services and support to forensic labs worldwide, emphasizing their expertise and commitment to quality.
She discussed the role of forensic scientists in law enforcement and highlighted the importance of DNA technology in solving crimes, identifying victims, and preventing future offenses. She shared information on one of the notorious California criminals who was finally identified through familial DNA.
Sheri also addressed concerns about the potential misuse of DNA technology for nefarious purposes, emphasizing that the laws governing its use are strict and that the technology itself cannot determine biogeographical ancestry.
