Recent News
AAFS Fellow Sheri Mecklenburg Receives the Richard J. Phelan Public Service Award
Source: Pamela A.W. King, JD, Section Secretary On July 17, 2017, at the 19th Annual Pro Bono Public Service Awards Luncheon, Sheri Mecklenburg (Fellow, Jurisprudence Section) was recognized by the Chicago Bar Association as one of the “unsung heroes in the legal profession.” The Richard J. Phelan Public Service Award honors attorneys who have dedicated a significant portion of […]
Criminalistics Section News – Ready, Set, …
Program Chair Patrick Buzzini and Co-Chair Noelle Umback are eager to begin reviewing the plethora of abstracts submitted for the upcoming 2018 AAFS annual meeting in Seattle, WA. They have lined up 30 reviewers in various areas of criminalistics who will dedicate their time and expertise to help select the best abstracts. If you are […]
Standards Development: The Scoop on Scope
Source: Mary C. McKiel, PhD, ASB Communication Liaison This is the first in a series of articles that will delve into the inner workings of standards development that are underway through the American Academy of Forensic Sciences’ subsidiary, the Academy Standards Board (ASB). The purpose is to share information with the broader AAFS community on […]
President’s Message – July 2017
Source: Betty Layne DesPortes, JD, MS, 2017-18 President As President of the Academy, I have had the honor of talking to a wide variety of audiences about forensic science and the mission of the Academy. I often describe the greatest strengths of the Academy as the extensive knowledge base of our members and their level […]
Croatia – The Center of Attention of World Science
Source: Dragan Primorac, MD, PhD, ISABS President The Tenth ISABS Conference on Forensic and Anthropologic Genetics and Mayo Clinic Lectures in Individualized Medicine The jubilee Tenth International Society for Applied Biological Sciences (ISABS) Conference on Forensic and Anthropologic Genetics and Mayo Clinic Lectures in Individualized Medicine was held in Dubrovnik, Croatia, June 19-24, 2017, with […]
Section News
Criminalistics Section News – Ready, Set, …
Program Chair Patrick Buzzini and Co-Chair Noelle Umback are eager to begin reviewing the plethora of abstracts submitted for the upcoming 2018 AAFS annual meeting in Seattle, WA. They have lined up 30 reviewers in various areas of criminalistics who will dedicate their time and expertise to help select the best abstracts. If you are […]
General Section Call for Papers
Sources: Gina Londino, MS, Program Chair and Steven L. Downs, MFS, Program Co-Chair General Section members, it is time to submit your abstracts for presentations at the 70th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. The AAFS annual meeting will be held February 19-24, 2018, in Seattle, WA, at the Washington State […]
AAFS Policy Statements
Statement from the AAFS Board of Directors on the National Commission on Forensic Science
Source: AAFS Board of Directors The American Academy of Forensic Sciences wholeheartedly commends its membership who provided expertise, wisdom, and guidance to the National Commission on Forensic Science (NCFS) since its 2013 origin. There are 14 Commission Members, 3 Ex-Officio Members, and numerous sub-committee members who are also members of the Academy and the work […]
Science Matters
General Section Theme Article
Source: Dayle L. Hinman, BS Our Future Reflects Our Past: The Evolution of Forensic Science Many people spend their careers immersed in the day-to day-activities and challenges of their chosen profession. Special indeed are those individuals who have the ability to share effectively their knowledge and abilities to better the wider professional community. Remarkable is […]
AAFS Fellow Randy Hanzlick Appointed to the NCFS
The Department of Justice and the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced the appointment of Randy Hanzlick, MD (AAFS Fellow, Pathology/Biology Section), to the National Commission on Forensic Science (NCFS). Dr. Hanzlick also accepted the invitation to serve as the NCFS Medicolegal Death Investigation subcommittee co-chair alongside NCFS Commissioner John […]
President's Messages
President’s Message – July 2017
Source: Betty Layne DesPortes, JD, MS, 2017-18 President As President of the Academy, I have had the honor of talking to a wide variety of audiences about forensic science and the mission of the Academy. I often describe the greatest strengths of the Academy as the extensive knowledge base of our members and their level […]
President’s Message – June 2017
Source: Betty Layne DesPortes, JD, MS, 2017-18 President Forensic science is a field with no borders, and it is a field that provides a vast platform for collaboration among scientists throughout the world. Meetings and conferences this spring and summer have highlighted these characteristics. The AAFS has been well represented at these meetings, but I […]
AAFS News
AAFS Fellow Sheri Mecklenburg Receives the Richard J. Phelan Public Service Award
Source: Pamela A.W. King, JD, Section Secretary On July 17, 2017, at the 19th Annual Pro Bono Public Service Awards Luncheon, Sheri Mecklenburg (Fellow, Jurisprudence Section) was recognized by the Chicago Bar Association as one of the “unsung heroes in the legal profession.” The Richard J. Phelan Public Service Award honors attorneys who have dedicated a significant portion of […]
Croatia – The Center of Attention of World Science
Source: Dragan Primorac, MD, PhD, ISABS President The Tenth ISABS Conference on Forensic and Anthropologic Genetics and Mayo Clinic Lectures in Individualized Medicine The jubilee Tenth International Society for Applied Biological Sciences (ISABS) Conference on Forensic and Anthropologic Genetics and Mayo Clinic Lectures in Individualized Medicine was held in Dubrovnik, Croatia, June 19-24, 2017, with […]
Young Forensic Scientists Forum Fundraising
Source: Vienna C. Lam, BA, Financial Liaison Chair YFSF Finance Fundraising for next year’s Young Forensic Scientists Forum (YFSF) has begun! This year, the Financial Liaison Chair is Vienna Lam from the Centre for Forensic Research at Simon Fraser University. Vienna hopes to raise enough money to cover the cost of the YFSF workshop for […]
Staff Corner
2018 Annual Meeting Registration Available Soon
Registration will soon be available for the 2018 AAFS Annual Scientific Meeting. The online registration system requires payment with a credit or debit card. Please contact Tracie McCray (tmccray@aafs.org) with any questions regarding the registration process.
Improved Search Feature on AAFS Website
We are pleased to announce the launch of a new “Committees” search feature page on the AAFS website. In addition to up-to-date contact information, you will be able to see any member’s current participation in all AAFS committees. To access this new feature, go to http://www.aafs.org/about-aafs/aafs-commitees/. Let us know if you have any questions by contacting Jeff […]
AAFS Standards Board
Standards Development: The Scoop on Scope
Source: Mary C. McKiel, PhD, ASB Communication Liaison This is the first in a series of articles that will delve into the inner workings of standards development that are underway through the American Academy of Forensic Sciences’ subsidiary, the Academy Standards Board (ASB). The purpose is to share information with the broader AAFS community on […]
2017 Membership Review for the AAFS Standards Board Consensus Bodies
Source: Teresa Ambrosius, ASB Technical Coordinator Each year, the AAFS Standards Board (ASB) reviews the membership rosters for the active consensus bodies. We must ensure that there are between 7 and 25 members and that the membership reflects a good distribution across our interest categories (defined on the application form). We had hundreds more applicants […]
In Memoriam
Walter Hrynkiw, PhD: Fellow of the Toxicology Section, May 2017
David T. Stafford, PhD: Retired Fellow of the Criminalistics Section, June 2017
Nanette G. Galbraith, BS: Retired Fellow of the Questioned Documents Section, January 2012
Clyde Bevis, BA: Retired Fellow of the Criminalistics Section, January 2017
Bruce Hyma, MD: Member of the Pathology/Biology Section, April 2016
FSF Contributors
Michael Ward, PhD: Up to $50 - “Board Member” of the Toxicology Section
Joel Mayer, PhD: Up to $50 - “Board Member” of the Toxicology Section
Joseph Howard, BS: Up to $50 - “Board Member” of the Toxicology Section
Anthony Costantino, PhD: Up to $50 - “Board Member” of the Toxicology Section
Paula Childs, PhD: Up to $50 - “Board Member” of the Toxicology Section
YFSF News
Young Forensic Scientists Forum Special Session 2018
Sources: Amanda R. Hale, MA, YFSF Special Session Chair and Zain Bhaloo, MSc, YFSF Special Session Co-Chair The 2018 YFSF Special Session is coming along great. This year’s Special Session organizers, Amanda Hale (arhale@ncsu.edu) and Zain Bhaloo (zainbhaloo.yfsf@gmail.com), want to thank everyone who volunteered to present at this year’s meeting! There were many fantastic volunteers […]
Wake Up to Professional Development… and Bacon!
Source: Alex Krotulski, MSFS, Breakfast Session Chair YFSF Breakfast Session This year’s Breakfast Session Chair and Co-Chair, Alex Krotulski and Erin Houston, have been hard at work planning the 2018 Breakfast Session set to take place in Seattle, WA. The chairs have come up with a creative theme and agenda for the session, started to […]
FSF News
2017 FSF International Association of Forensic Sciences (IAFS) Scholarship Recipient Announced!
Source: Lucy A. Davis, BHS, Chair, FSF International Association of Forensic Sciences (IAFS) Scholarship Committee The Forensic Sciences Foundation (FSF) is pleased to announce the 2017 recipient of the FSF IAFS Scholarship–Gulnaz T. Javan, PhD. Dr. Javan, Member of the AAFS General Section, is an Assistant Professor of Forensic Science at the Alabama State University. […]
2017 FSF Emerging Forensic Scientist Award Winners: D’Nisha D. Hamblin and Lindsay Glicksberg
The 18th Annual Forensic Sciences Foundation (FSF) Emerging Forensic Scientist Award paper competition was hosted in New Orleans, LA. The following presenters were selected as the 2017 winners by a panel of judges: D’Nisha D. Hamblin, MSFS, was selected for her presentation entitled Evaluation of a New Technology for the Collection and Analysis of Breath Components […]
FEPAC News
FEPAC Calls for Comments on Proposed Updates to Forensic Science Standards
Source: Nancy J. Jackson, AAFS Director of Development and Accreditation Pursuant to the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC) Policies & Procedures, Policy 4.10 Review of Standards states that FEPAC is tasked with conducting ongoing and comprehensive reviews of its accreditation standards in order to verify that they adequately evaluate educational quality and are relevant […]
FEPAC Proposes Forensic Investigation Standards – Call for Comments
The Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC) is asking for your comments on and reaction to the proposed standards shown below for academic programs in forensic investigation and related areas. Background: FEPAC has recently been discussing the possibility of expanding the scope of its accreditation activities to areas other than classic forensic science/criminalistics. A […]