R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar: Building CURIES, a uranium fingerprint library for nuclear forensics
September 14, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
At the Museum
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Talk: Building CURIES, a uranium fingerprint library for nuclear forensics
Speaker: Dr. Tyler Spano,
When: Monday, September 14, 2026, 12:00–1:00 p.m.
Where: Art Theater and online via Zoom
Tickets: Free. Museum admission not required.
Nuclear forensics is exactly what it sounds like: think CSI: Crime Scene Investigation for radioactive materials. Nuclear forensics researchers seek to determine the origin and history (provenance) of nuclear materials found outside of regulatory control. Speaker Dr. Tyler Spano’s research involves looking for unique “fingerprints” in uranium materials that can give clues into what the sample is, where it may have come from, and what processes it has been through. CURIES (the Compendium of Uranium Raman and Infrared Experimental Spectra) serves as a “fingerprint” library. Using expert analysis in combination with machine learning, CURIES can be used to identify known and unknown nuclear materials.
Registration is required to attend R.W. Moriarty Science Seminars. Register here to attend in person or click here to join us via Zoom.
Upcoming R.W. Moriarty Science Seminars
Learn about scientific discoveries directly from the experts in the field. Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s scientific research staff and invited speakers discuss their latest findings on numerous scientific topics at the R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar series.
