Source: Tracie McCray, AAFS Accounting Assistant The AAFS 69th Annual Scientific Meeting Pre-Registration deadline is Wednesday, January 18. The deadline is firm. Attendance at all Special Functions (workshops, special sessions, and breakfast and luncheon seminars) is by pre-registration only. Registration forms received after January 18 will be processed at the on-site registration rates and no […]
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 […]
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 […]
Source: Tracie McCray, AAFS Accounting Assistant The “Accompanying Spouse” registration policy has been updated. An “accompanying spouse” registration is available for an additional fee of $50. This reduced fee is intended for spouses, family members, or other traveling companions who are not members of the forensic science or legal community and cannot be used for colleagues, […]
Source: Tracie McCray, AAFS Accounting Assistant Registration will launch during the second week of November. Registration rates are detailed below. Save money by registering before the Pre-Registration Deadline of Wednesday, January 18, 2017. Registration rates increase on Thursday, January 19, 2017, and Special Function registration will no longer be available. The Pre-Registration Deadline is FIRM and some […]
Don’t Miss This Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium! Scientific research is being used to strengthen forensic science disciplines and develop new methods and tools for crime laboratories. Learn about the latest findings/developments during the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium (formerly referred to as the NIJ Grantees Meeting). This […]
UPDATE: AAFS regrets that Howard Schmidt is unable to serve as the keynote speaker for this year’s Interdisciplinary Symposium during the 68th Annual Scientific Meeting in Las Vegas. However, AAFS is delighted to announce that Dr. Nancy Rodriguez, Director of the U.S. National Institute of Justice, has agreed to deliver the keynote address titled “Strengthening Forensic Science at […]
Source: Joanna Collins, Section Secretary Change is inevitable; you can adapt and overcome or you can resist and risk becoming unnecessary and obsolete. President Weedn’s theme for the 2016 Annual Meeting of Transformation: Embracing Change could not be more fitting as the mantra for the General Section and the overall field of forensic science. The […]
AAFS President Weedn’s theme for this coming year is Transformation: Embracing Change. This is particularly relevant for psychiatry and behavioral science and presents a challenge that is, perhaps, unique to the behavioral sciences when compared to some of the other “hard sciences” involved in the AAFS. To borrow from the terminology of Dr. Henry Nasrallah, […]
Source: Marla Carroll, 2016 IDS Co-Chair Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas! So say the signs entering the self-proclaimed “Entertainment Capital of the World.” In keeping with that spirit, one of the feature acts for the AAFS 68th Annual Scientific Meeting will be the Interdisciplinary Symposium. A slate of marquee names have been confirmed for a very […]
Sources: John Nixon, MBA, Section Chair, and David Pienkowski, PhD, Section Program Chair The Engineering Sciences Section is “transforming and embracing change” as will be shown by the new organizational design and enhanced content of our scientific sessions at the AAFS Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. Six oral presentation sessions will enrich attendees’ knowledge regarding: […]
Objectivity, Cognitive Bias, and Multimedia Forensics Source: Jeff M. Smith, MS Cognitive bias is the brain’s influence on the decision-making process leading to error. This fascinating field of research looks at how people react in specific situations and gives names to their deviations in judgment, perceptual distortions, and illogical interpretations. “Contrast effect,” “clustering illusion,” and […]
Source: John J. Lentini, BA, Section Chair The theme of this year’s Academy meeting, Transformation: Embracing Change, could not be more appropriate or timely. Today’s forensic scientists are living in interesting times. The profession is changing rapidly, and those who do not embrace change are destined to be run over by it. It has been […]
Source: Angi M. Christensen, PhD, Section Secretary Forensic anthropologists know a thing or two about transformation. We know it as evolution. Not only have we studied it as academics, we have experienced it as a discipline. We understand the driving principles and underlying forces, and we know the potential consequences. In the context of anthropology […]
You are invited to submit an abstract for presentation at the 68th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. The annual meeting will be held February 22-27, 2016, in Las Vegas, NV, at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. The theme for the upcoming meeting is “Transitions: Embracing Change.” The deadline for […]
Source: Jim Caruso, MD, Section Secretary As members of the Pathology/Biology Section, the vast majority of us have backgrounds that include, well…biology. It is very difficult to get through a biology course, at least at the basic level, without an exposure to evolutionary theory. President Victor Weedn has declared the theme of the 2016 Annual […]
Source: Thomas W. Vastrick, BS, Section Chair We are in a time in which substantive changes to the forensic sciences are being made at unprecedented levels and speed. History teaches us that tumultuous movements often include unintended over-swings of the pendulum that result in counterproductive, unforeseen actions and just plain bad ideas being swept in […]
Source: Iain A Pretty, DDS, Section Chair “A man with conviction is a hard man to change. Tell him you disagree and he turns away. Show him facts or figures and he questions your sources. Appeal to logic and he fails to see your point” – Leon Festinger; When Prophecy Fails I was delighted when […]
Source: Sarah Kerrigan, PhD, Section Secretary As part of President Martell’s meeting theme Celebrating The Forensic Science Family, he identified three sub-themes, one of which was “Honoring Our Mentors and Traditions.” The 2014 theme focused more on mentorship and education for the next generation of forensic scientists but in “Honoring our Mentors and Traditions,” I […]
Source: Adam J. Freeman, DDS, Section Program Chair I was thrilled when I read President Martell’s theme for the 2015 meeting, Celebrating the Forensic Science Family, and his three planks to this platform: (1) Honoring Our Mentors; (2) Learning from Each Other; and, (3) Stimulating Our Future. This year the Odontology Section will celebrate its […]