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Southern Oregon University

Department of Chemistry

Mary W. Carrabba

Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Science 258
1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, OR 97520

E-Mail: carrabbam@sou.edu

Office Phone: (541) 552-6405

Fax: (541) 552-6415

 

Education:

 

Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry 1995, The George Washington University

M.F.S. (Master of Forensic Science) 1985, The George Washington University

B.S. Criminology 1983, Southern Oregon State College

B.S. Biochemistry/Biophysics 1982, Oregon State University

Experience:

 

Joined the SOU Chemistry Department in 2006

Founded Rogue River Spectroscopy, LLC 2005

Engineer 1997-2002, Hewlett-Packard Analytical & Development Labs

Chemist 1991-1997, FBI Laboratory

Visiting Scientist 1988-1990, FBI Forensic Science Research & Training Center

 

Teaching Areas:

 

General Chemistry Laboratory (Ch 204/5/6)

Forensic Investigation (Ch 300)

Instrumental Analysis (Ch 425/525) with Laboratory (Ch 426/526)

Advanced Instrumental Analysis Laboratory (Ch 427)

 

Research Interests:

 

Vibrational (IR and Raman) spectroscopy

Microscopy and microspectroscopy (UV-visible, IR, and Raman)

Forensic chemistry

 

Professional Organizations, Affiliations, and Activities

 

Society for Applied Spectroscopy

Editor, Spectroscopists' Calendar column, Applied Spectroscopy

Organizing Forensic Technical Section

Awards Committee, chair-elect

Treasurer 1999-2001

Baltimore-Washington Section Chair 1995-96

Coblentz Society

            President-elect

            Governing Board member 2002-05

American Chemical Society

 

Current research and publications

 

Current research:  Analytical characterization of adhesive labels for use in counterfeit and diverted pharmaceutical case work.

This project is being conducted in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Forensic Chemistry Center (FCC).  In the majority of suspect counterfeit and diverted pharmaceutical product cases, the focus of analysis is on the actual product (e.g. tablets and capsules).  In cases involving products suspected of being counterfeited, the majority of methods used can reveal differences in the product formulation and level of active.  This allows for differentiation between the authentic product and the suspect counterfeit product and this information can ultimately be used to source suspect product formulations.  The analysis of diverted products is more difficult, since in most cases, the product is authentic and the focus of analysis shifts to product degradants.  If the diverted product has been poorly handled or stored the number and levels of degradants present in a suspect product may be higher; however, in many cases of product diversion, the products exhibit little or no evidence of degradation.  In these cases the focus of the examination turns to the packaging components.

 

In cases of product diversion, chemical analysis of the packaging components can provide evidence that a product has been mishandled, relabeled or resealed.  Methods are being developed to analyze product labels and their adhesives which employ image analysis (IA), optical microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) analysis.  It is anticipated that the physical and chemical information obtained from these methods can be used to detect and source counterfeit and diverted products based on the adhesive labels present on the packages.

 

Publications:  Mary W. (Tungol) Carrabba

 

Tungol, M.W., "Infrared Microscopy as a Failure Analysis Tool in the Thermal InkJet Cartridge Industry", Microsc. Microanal. 5 (Suppl 2:  Proceedings), 62-63 (1999).

 

Kirkbride, K.P. and Tungol, M.W., "Infrared Microspectroscopy of Fibres," in Forensic Examination of Fibres, 2nd Edition, J. Robertson and M. Grieve, Eds., Taylor & Francis, London (1999), pp. 179-222.

 

Lewis, I.R., Daniel, N.W., Jr., Chaffin, N.C., Griffiths, P.R., and Tungol, M.W., "Raman Spectroscopic Studies of Explosive Materials:  Towards a Fieldable Explosives Detector," Spectrochim. Acta A 51, 1985-2000 (1995).

 

Tungol, M.W., Bartick, E.G., and Montaser, A., "Forensic Examination of Synthetic Textile Fibers by Microscopical Infrared Spectrometry," in Practical Guide to Infrared Microspectroscopy, H. Humecki, Ed., Marcel Dekker, New York (1995), pp. 245-285.

 

Tungol, M.W., Bartick, E.G., and Montaser, A., "Polarized Infrared Microscopical Analysis of Single Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Fibers," in Advances in Forensic Sciences – Proceedings of the 13th Meeting of the International Association of Forensic Sciences Dusseldorf, B. Jacob and W. Bonte, Eds., Verlag Dr. Koster, Berlin (1995), Vol. 4, pp. 231-234.

 

Bartick, E.G., Tungol, M.W., and Reffner, J.A., "A New Approach to Forensic Analysis with Infrared Microscopy:  Internal Reflection Spectroscopy," Anal. Chim. Acta 288, 35-42 (1994).

Tungol, M.W., Whitehurst, F.W., and Keagy, R.L., "Analysis of Plastic Bonded Explosives I:  An Analytical Scheme for the Separation and Characterization of Components," in Proceedings of the International Symposium on the Forensic Aspects of Trace Evidence, June 24-28, 1991, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Laboratory Division, U.S. Government Printing Office (1993).

Tungol, M.W., Bartick, E.G., and Reffner, J.A., "Forensic Applications of Microscopical Infrared Internal Reflection Spectroscopy," in 9th International Conference on Fourier Transform Spectroscopy, J.A. Bertie and H. Wieser, Eds., Proc. SPIE Vol. 2089, 460-461 (1993).

 

Bartick, E.G. and Tungol, M.W., "Infrared Microscopy and its Forensic Applications," in Forensic Science Handbook, Vol. 3, R. Saferstein, Ed., Prentice-Hall, New York (1993), pp. 196-252.

 

Tungol, M.W., Bartick, E.G., and Montaser, A., "Forensic Analysis of Acrylic Copolymer Fibers by Infrared Microscopy," Appl. Spectrosc. 47, 1655-1658 (1993).

 

Tungol, M.W., Bartick, E.G., and Montaser, A., "Spectral Data Base for the Identification of Fibers by Infrared Microscopy," Spectrochim. Acta 46B, 1535E-1544E (1991).

 

Tungol, M.W., Bartick, E.G., and Montaser, A., "Analysis of Single Polymer Fibers by Fourier Transform Infrared Microscopy:  The Results of Case Studies,"J. Forensic Sci. 36, 1027-1043 (1991).

 

Tungol, M.W., Bartick, E.G., and Montaser, A., "Development of a Spectral Data Base for the Identification of Fibers by Infrared Microscopy," Appl. Spectrosc. 44, 543-549 (1990).

 

Singer, S.M., Northrop, D.M., Tungol, M.W., and Rowe, W.F., "Infrared Spectra of Buried Acetate and Rayon Fibers," Biodet. Res. 3, 577-587 (1990).

 

Tungol, M.W., Montaser, A., and Bartick, E.G., "FT-IR Microscopy for Forensic Fiber Analysis:  The Results of Case Studies," in 7th International Conference on Fourier Transform Spectroscopy, D.G. Cameron, Ed., Proc. SPIE Vol. 1145, 308-309 (1989).