Sister Dr. Mary Virginia Orna plans to uncover her analysis of the mysterious Shroud of Turin in her lecture and slide show presentation of “The Shroud of Turin and Other Mysteries: Unraveling of Art and Archeology Through Science” at the Columbus Museum of Art.”The lecture is an opportunity to observe how a woman has unraveled secret ancient art and archeology using chemistry,” said Raquel Diaz-Sprague, executive director of the Association for Women in Science of Central Ohio and colleague of Orna.Orna is an internationally renowned chemist and art expert, a retired chemistry professor from the College of New Rochelle and currently the editor of Chemical Heritage magazine based in Philadelphia.”The most interesting thing that I have discovered on my journey is forgeries about medieval manuscripts which I will talk about in my talks,” Orna said.One of the topics that is questionable is the Shroud of Turin, which was the 7 foot long sheet that was believed to have covered Christ at his burial. The shroud is covered with the impression’s of Christ’s blood.Some believe that the shroud was a forgery by Leonardo da Vinci, according to Diaz-Sprague. It is believed by some that Da Vinci painted on the imprints of Christ.There are also possible flaws in the carbon dating of the shroud because of fire damage to the shroud in 1532.Orna’s lecture will also encompass other findings during her year long study in Isreal and Italy.Orna’s archeological work in Israel involved the studying of ancient pigments and dyes found on excavated materials from caves in the Judean Desert and the ancient fortress of Masada.While in Italy, Orna examined medieval artists’ manual recipes for the valuable blue pigments.”I was interested in blue pigments because they were scarce during the middle ages,” Orna said. “Back then they had to make blue pigments because the natural blue pigments were too expensive.”Orna developed her interest in dies and pigments while teaching a course for art majors. She worked with New York University to develop a research course using dyes and ancient pigments, particularly blue pigments.With a doctorate in analytical chemistry from Fordham University, Orna has had many worldly experiences in archeology and chemistry.Joining the Fulbright Fellowship in Israel, Orna taught at the Hebrew University and helped the Israel Antiquities Authority solve problems through chemistry. She has also done work at the Cairo Museum in Egypt and has been invited to speak in Australia and New Zealand. Orna believes that being a catholic sister in the order of St. Ursula has helped her in many ways abroad. “It has been helpful to stay in convents around the world when I do my art and archeological work,” Orna said.Diaz-Sprague and Paul Mollard, the assistant educator of publication for the Columbus Museum of Art invited Orna to lecture at the museum along with the Gabrielle Munter exhibition, a German expressionist painter to focus on women in art, running until June 21. The lecture will be held on May 8, at 7 p.m..”The Shroud of Turin and Other Mysteries: Unraveling the secrets of Art and Archeology through Science” is sponsored by the Columbus Museum for Art and the AWISCO.The AWISCO is a nonprofit organization with goals to promote participation, equity and recognition for women in all areas of technology.