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Impending Winter Storm

Due to the impending storm, all classes and activities at Kean’s main campus in Union, Kean Ocean and Kean Skylands will operate remotely on Sunday, January 25, and Monday, January 26. 

The University will observe a Winter Wellness Day on Tuesday, January 27, following the storm. Classes and activities will not run, and employees are not expected to work. 

Due to ongoing power problems at the Kean Ocean Gateway Building, all classes and activities at Kean Ocean will also be conducted remotely on Friday, January 23, and Saturday, January 24. This only applies to Kean Ocean. 

Only essential personnel should report to work as scheduled during the remote period or on Tuesday. Employees with questions about their status should consult their supervisor. 

Keanu’s Kitchen will remain open for residential students on the Union campus from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday. 

All vehicles parked on the Union campus must be relocated to the Vaughn-Eames overnight parking lot by 6 p.m. on Saturday to allow for storm cleanup. Vehicles parked elsewhere on campus are subject to relocation. 

Denise Gemmellaro, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Office Location
George Hennings Hall, C-130
Email
mgemmell@kean.edu
Phone
(908) 737-3657
Denise Gemmellaro

Dr. M. Denise Gemmellaro received her Ph.D. in Entomology from Rutgers University, with a dissertation in Medico-Legal Forensic Entomology, which is the application of the study of insects to forensic investigations. She has been involved in the field of forensic entomology for several years, during which she has trained state police, FBI, pathologists, lawyers and other professionals in the field of forensics, as well as undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. Gemmellaro’s research is focused on using insects (maggots) in forensic investigations to establish time of colonization, movement of the bodies and potential presence of illegal substances in the body; moreover, she is conducting research in other areas of forensic, such as forensic molecular biology and forensic entomotoxicology. Dr. Gemmellaro is a Diplomate and current vice-chair of the American Board of Forensic Entomology, (ABFE) and a member of several forensic societies, among which the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), the Entomological Society of America (ESA), the North America Forensic Entomology Association (NAFEA), the European Association for Forensic Entomology (EAFE). 

Selected Publications

  • Gemmellaro, M.D., Anderson S.G., Hamilton G.C., Weidner L.M., 2025. Food preferences of adult male and female Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Canadian Society of Forensic Science Journal, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/00085030.2025.2548060 

  • Defilippo, F., Gemmellaro, M.D., Grisendi, A., Tranquillo, V., Lavazza, A., Dottori, M. and Moreno, A., 2025. Formulation and evaluation of the efficacy of an artificial larval diet for rearing various species of flies under laboratory conditions. Frontiers in Insect Science, 5, p.1630472. https://doi.org/10.3389/finsc.2025.1630472 

  • Gemmellaro, M.D., Anderson, G.S., Hamilton, G.C., Domínguez-Trujillo, M. and Weidner, L.M., 2025. Species Richness and Distribution of Calliphoridae Along an Elevation Gradient in Sicily (Italy) and Ecuador. Insects, 16(5), p.498. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16050498 

  • Gemmellaro, M.D., Forzisi E.G., Anderson S.G., Hamilton G.C., Weidner L.M., 2024. A Geometric Morphometric Analysis of Wing Variations in Shape and Size of Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Environmental Entomology. p.nvae018. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvae018 

  • Raise, G. and Gemmellaro, M.D., A review on the effects of heavy metals on the development of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae). 2023. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Forensic Science, p.e1503. https://doi.org/10.1002/wfs2.1503 

  • Gemmellaro, M.D., 2020. Remote approach to crime scene investigations and forensic science. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 48(6), pp.650-651. 

  • Gemmellaro, M.D. and Weidner, L.M., 2019. The Professional History of Forensic Entomology. In Forensic Entomology (pp. 547-554). CRC Press. 

  • Gemmellaro, M.D., Hamilton, G.C. and Ware, J.L., 2019. Review of molecular identification techniques for forensically important Diptera. Journal of medical entomology, 56(4), pp.887-902.