Marshall University’s Forensic Identification Association (MUFIA) will host their second annual Women’s Expo Thursday in the Cabell Huntington Hospital Atrium. Attendees may shop at over 20 different vendors and non-profit organizations and enter to win raffle prizes.

“This expo is to educate the public on the forensic science program, and it helps the Forensic Identification Association raise money to attend a conference,” Amber Payne, administrative assistant for the Marshall University Forensic Science Master’s Program, said.

Vendors LuLaRoe, The Pottery Place and Mary Kay, along with several others, will have merchandise for sale at the expo. The event is free to the public, but MUFIA will sell “bingo cards” for an entry into multiple raffles.

“These organizations, the Forensic Identification Association and Zeta chapter of Delta Delta Epsilon, want to give the community more insight into our program,” Payne said. “I think a lot of people aren’t aware of the program; we don’t have many people from the tri-state enrolled in our program.”

The MUFIA is a student organization composed of forensic science graduate students in Marshall’s nationally recognized master’s degree program.

According to the Council of Forensic Science Educators, Delta Delta Epsilon is a national honor society dedicated to recognizing and supporting excellence in scholarship in the forensic sciences. The purpose of Delta Delta Epsilon is to advance academic achievement, advance the fields of forensic science and foster community understanding of forensic science.

Last year’s Women’s Expo was at Pullman Square in downtown Huntington, with several local vendors and exhibitions for dance classes, massages and makeup.

“This year we’re in the Cabell Huntington Hospital Atrium, which is part of the Marshall University Medical Center,” Payne said. “This is a great time and place to showcase the programs, specifically forensic science, at Marshall.”

Brooke Estep can be contacted at [email protected].