Lectures on Tap - "A Scientist Walks onto a Jury: What DNA Really Proves"

📍 Location: Exact address given in confirmation email

🧠 Lecture: "A Scientist Walks onto a Jury: What DNA Really Proves"

🎤 Speaker: PhD Candidate, Corena Loeb

DNA can be a deciding factor in criminal cases, and research shows jurors often view it as the most important type of evidence when deciding a verdict. But what does DNA really prove—and what are its limits?

Join us for an eye-opening evening as Corena Loeb, a PhD Candidate in the Corey Lab at Harvard University, explains the current state of genetic testing in forensic labs and how it compares to cutting-edge techniques used in academic research. You’ll learn how DNA evidence is generated, where errors and uncertainties can creep in, and what could be done to bring forensic practices closer to the best available technologies.

After serving on her first jury in 2025, Corena became fascinated by the gap between the genetic testing she uses every day to study how hearing works and develop gene therapies for hearing loss, and the tests that can determine guilt or innocence in court.

Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌

Agenda

6:30 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key.

6:55 PM – Host introduction

7:00 PM – Lecture begins

7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

8:00 PM – Have 1:1 time with the speaker, mingle with fellow guests, and order another round

8:30 PM – Wrap up.