Source: Betty Layne DesPortes, JD, MS, AAFS President The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) looks forward to working with the Justice Department and others to advance forensic science. Forensic science is a crucial tool in the search for the truth that must be available to all participants in the justice system. Collaboration with the […]
Source: Betty Layne DesPortes, JD, MS On May 13, 2017, I had the honor of speaking at the commencement exercises for the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Forensic Sciences. This Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC) -accredited program had 45 Bachelor of Science graduates and 15 Master of Science graduates for 2017. When I […]
Source: Betty Layne DesPortes, JD, MS, AAFS President The Department of Justice (DOJ) has requested public comment on how the Department should move forward to evaluate and improve the underlying science of forensic evidence, improve the operational management systems of forensic science service providers, and improve the understanding of forensic science by legal practitioners. The […]
Source: Mary McKiel, PhD The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Standards Board (ASB) standardization work began a little more than a year ago with the process of establishing and populating Consensus Bodies (CB) to conduct the work of standards writing. Since that time, progress has been outstanding. There are 33 standardization projects well underway […]
Source: C. Ken Williams, MS, JD, Criminalistics Section Board of Directors Representative The Department of Justice extended an invitation to the AAFS to attend the 13th Meeting of the National Commission on Forensic Science (NCFS) in Washington, DC, on April 10-11. As the Criminalistics Section Board of Directors Representative, I was given the privilege of […]
Source: Brad Wing, MS, Secretariat, AAFS Standards Board As you may know, in 2015 the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) agreed to establish the Academy Standards Board (ASB) for the development of forensic standards when approached by the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC). The ASB has been up and operational since the beginning […]
Source: Julie A. Howe, MBA, 2017 Annual Meeting Program Chair The 2017 meeting looks to be popular, with more than 1,300 submissions for all sections, scientific sessions, and workshops, in addition to breakfast and luncheon seminars. The Plenary and Interdisciplinary Sessions promise to be interesting with a focus on the meeting theme, Our Future Reflects […]
Source: Karolyn L. Tontarski, MS, Section Chair With 2016 speeding by, the 2017 AAFS Annual Scientific Meeting will be here before we know it! Abstracts are in and selections have been made, so we already know the meeting in New Orleans will be loaded with lots of amazing presentations. Criminalistics Section Program Committee Chair Kristy […]
Bradford J. Wing, MS, Secretariat, AAFS Standards Board SDO is a term meaning Standards Development Organization. OSAC stands for the Organization of Scientific Area Committees. The AAFS has established an SDO called the AAFS Standards Board (ASB) that works closely with OSAC to develop voluntary consensus standards, technical reports, and best practice recommendations. OSAC is […]
Last week, Susan Ballou, the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST’s) program manager for forensic science, attended the opening of the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Dundee in the United Kingdom, where she had the opportunity to meet The Royal Family members Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke […]
Source: Brad Wing, MS The American Academy of Forensic Sciences Standards Board (ASB) has notified candidates of their selection for four Consensus Bodies: Disaster Victim Identification, DNA, Friction Ridge, and Wildlife Forensics. Approximately every two weeks, the ASB will announce selections for more Consensus Bodies. The next group will include: Anthropology, Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, Firearms […]
Sources: Stephanie Domitrovich, JD, PhD, Section Chair, and Pam King, JD, Section Secretary Jurisprudence Section members have been very busy around the country participating in training others in the forensic science community on a variety of topics, as well as contributing to the evolution of forensic science in which we are all involved. Following are […]
The American Bar Association (ABA) Criminal Justice Section and the Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics brings together expert academics, prosecutors, defense lawyers, judges, scientists, and others to discuss forensic evidence and its impact on criminal justice. Speakers include representatives from the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and […]
Source: Dan T. Anderson, MS, Section Chair Rounding out the last of the disciplines to report on how wonderful the AAFS 68th Annual Scientific Meeting in Las Vegas was…would be, of course, Toxicology. “Recovery” is a word that is still being used and it’s a month later! A tremendous thanks to our Section Program Chairs […]
Source: Vincent J. Desiderio, Jr., MS, Section Secretary As is typical, the AAFS Staff did a phenomenal job planning the AAFS 68th Annual Scientific Meeting that was held just a few short weeks ago in Las Vegas, NV. The entire week was jam-packed with meetings, receptions, and, of course, terrific scientific content. It is hoped […]
Source: Linton A. Mohammed, PhD, Section Chair The 2016 AAFS Annual Meeting was held in Las Vegas, NV. The Questioned Documents Section had one workshop which was conducted by Tom Vastrick and Ellen Schuetzner. The workshop received widespread praise from all who attended. Congratulations to Tom and Ellen for their hard work on the workshop and […]
Source: Julie A. Howe, MBA, Program Chair The 2016 Annual Scientific Meeting was well attended with more than 4,500 attendees with more than 650 international attendees from 69 countries taking part in annual meeting activities in Las Vegas. In addition, there were 121 exhibiting companies in attendance. The warmer temperatures were appreciated by those from […]
Legislation: Source: Victor Weedn, MD, JD, AAFS 2015-16 President It seems that frustration has been growing within Washington circles about the lack of forensic science reform. Simultaneously, in the wake of more police shootings, there has been increasing consensus for a need for criminal justice reform that may subsume forensic science reform. Regardless, this year […]
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 […]
Source: Marcus K. Rogers, PhD, Section Secretary By the time this month’s newsletter is released, it will be one month before the annual meeting in Las Vegas. The program committee has done an excellent job of reviewing the submissions and this year’s program looks like another home run for our section. The Digital & Multimedia […]