Source: Jeri Ropero-Miller, PhD, Past Presidents Council Chair, Awards Committee Chair The nomination period for 2021–22 Academy-wide awards has opened. Please consider submitting nominations for the following awards. Past Presidents Council Award for Outstanding Early Career Achievement in Forensic Science Summary of Criteria: The recipient must be an Associate Member, Member, or Fellow of the […]
Source: Vincent Villena, MS, AAFS Regional Association Committee Chair One of the objectives of the Academy is to “encourage collaboration in the forensic sciences.” The Regional Association Committee under the Criminalistics Section consists of representatives from each of the eight regional forensic organizations in the United States. The Committee would like to hear your opinions […]
Source: Rich Press, Public Affairs Specialist, NIST In the shadow of COVID-19, an older epidemic continues to rage. More than 81,000 people died of drug overdoses in the United States in the 12 months ending last May. That is the highest number ever recorded and a nearly 20% increase from the same period one year […]
As an incentive to attend the 2021 AAFS Annual Business Meeting and their individual Section Business Meetings, all Fellows and Members in attendance were automatically entered in a random drawing to receive a complimentary meeting registration to attend the 2022 AAFS Annual Scientific Meeting in Seattle, WA. Below is a list of the lucky recipients! […]
The International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) is hosting The Value of Forensics webinar Thursday, April 8, 2021. This webinar will explore the systemic benefits to be gained by investing in forensic science. The expert panel will discuss various ways forensic science adds value to the criminal justice system though a positive impact on […]
The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Past Presidents Council (PPC) is pleased to announce that nominations are open for the 2021–22 Outstanding Early Career Achievement in Forensic Science Award. The purpose of this award is to recognize outstanding contributions to forensic science research, education, and/or practice during the recipient’s early professional career. The recipient […]
Source: John A. Williams, PhD, Chair, 50th Anniversary Committee A member of the Anthropology Section has put forth a challenge for section members, from Student Affiliate to Fellow, to donate one dollar for each year of membership. All funds generated through this challenge will be used for the section’s 50th anniversary celebration in February 2021 […]
Source: Cheryl Hunter, Membership Coordinator If you have not yet made your 2021 dues payment, there is still time before the deadline. The deadline for 2021 dues payments is May 31, 2021. After this date, your membership will be suspended and the Journal of Forensic Sciences online access will be disabled and hard copy orders […]
Source: Cheryl Hunter, Membership Coordinator The Membership Department is working diligently to prepare correspondence for your new status and is hoping to mail the notification letters in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, dues notice have been uploaded to your online account portal. You may access your invoice and pay your dues by […]
Sources: Vincent P. Villena, MS, RAC Chair, and Thomas A. Brettell, PhD, NJAFS President and Representative to the RAC The seventh organization we are featuring in this month’s Regional Association Committee (RAC) update is presented by Thomas Brettell, President of the New Jersey Association of Forensic Scientists (NJAFS). NJAFS was founded in 1991 with the […]
The American Academy of Forensic Sciences has partnered with Amazon Smile, as a non-profit organization, which allows the public to shop online on behalf of the AAFS. A percentage of the proceeds from each purchase you make while using Amazon Smile will go directly to assisting the AAFS in providing resources to forensic efforts around […]
Source: Cheryl Hunter, Membership Coordinator All registrants of the AAFS Annual Scientific Meeting are starting to receive the link to the Section Business Meetings. The Section Business Meetings will be held via Zoom. The links provided are for attendees only and may not be forwarded or shared with anyone other than the attendee. As a […]
Source: Betty McEntire, PhD, CEO, American SIDS Institute The American Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Institute invites qualified investigators to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) for a research grant related to Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID). Applicants must have a faculty appointment or the equivalent at a United States-based university, hospital, research institution, or […]
Carol E. Henderson, JD, will be honored posthumously at the 73rd American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Annual Scientific Meeting with the Academy’s highest honor—the R.B.H. Gradwohl Medallion. The Gradwohl Medallion is intended to honor one who has made exceptional contributions to the field of forensic science. The criteria for the Gradwohl Award were set […]
The AAFS Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Pathology/Biology Section Fellow Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran, MD, has been named as the recipient of the 2021 Distinguished Fellow Award. The award will be presented to Dr. Sathyavagiswaran at the 2022 Annual Business Meeting in Seattle, WA. Dr. Sathyavagiswaran was elected into membership in the Pathology/Biology Section […]
The Forensic Research Committee (FRC) of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) announce three awards for 2021: 2nd Annual Innovation Award: the objective is to acknowledge operational scientists who incorporate cutting-edge techniques to the practice of forensic science, and call attention to their work. Outstanding Evaluation/Validation Award: the goal is to recognize an […]
Source: Kenneth E. Melson, JD The United States Justice Department has published a statement on the 2016 President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) Report, Forensic Science in Criminal Courts: Ensuring Scientific Validity of Feature-Comparison Methods. The statement is a response to PCAST’s claims regarding what it described as forensic “feature comparison methods.” […]
Source: Rich Press, Public Affairs Specialist, NIST The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is launching an interlaboratory comparison study aimed at helping labs make the accurate Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) measurements needed to distinguish between hemp and marijuana. For this study, NIST will send samples of hemp and marijuana plant material to labs that will […]
Source: Cheryl Hunter, Membership Coordinator With the section business meetings being conducted virtually the week prior to the AAFS Annual Meeting, it is imperative that members register by the pre-registration deadline. You MUST be registered for the annual meeting in order to attend the section business meetings. Your attendance is critical in order to achieve a […]
Pursuant to AAFS policies, specific documents must be provided to the Voting Members of the Academy prior to the Annual Business Meeting. The following documents are available online through the secure member log-in portal on the AAFS website: 2021 Applicants List 2021 Proposed Bylaws Amendments 2020 Audit Report 2020 Annual Business Meeting Minutes To access these […]