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 […]
Source: Andrew M. Baker, MD, 2016 Annual Meeting Program Chair It’s a cold day in early December as I write this—and by the time you read this, we will be into the New Year—but I’m already excited about the AAFS 2016 Annual Scientific Meeting. The flights are booked, my registration is submitted, and the hotel […]
Source: John P. Kenney, DDS, MS Registration for the 68th Annual Scientific Meeting in Las Vegas is available online. The pre-registration deadline is January 27, 2016. An outstanding group of papers has been selected by Section Program Chair, Adam Freeman. The American Society of Forensic Odontology (ASFO) Program on Tuesday will cover important work accomplished […]
Source: Victor W. Weedn, MD, JD, 2015-16 AAFS President The AAFS 68th Annual Scientific Meeting to be held in Las Vegas from February 22-27 is now right around the corner!! It is being held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, which is located a little way off the strip and is not too near […]
Source: John J. Lentini, BA, Section Chair If you have not yet registered for the 2016 Annual Scientific Meeting, you should do so today. The pre-registration deadline is January 27. Forms must be received by this date to qualify for the pre-registration rate and to register for Special Functions (workshops, breakfast seminars, luncheons, and special […]
Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations Sources: Victor Weedn, MD, JD, CFSO Liaison and Beth Lavach, CFSO Advocate The primary news concerning forensic science reform legislation is that it appears that there is more significant discussion than in the past between the Republicans and Democrats and between the House and the Senate. This would suggest that […]
Source: Victor W. Weedn, MD, JD, 2015-16 AAFS President Gearing up to become a Standards Development Organization (SDO) is dominating the myriad of activities of the Academy, but appropriately so. Standards-setting is a dominant activity in the forensic sciences community and the Academy has the strength and depth to step into a critical supportive role […]
Source: Karolyn L. Tontarski, MS, Section Secretary It’s fall when everyone’s thoughts should be turning to…making sure their plans are coming together to attend the AAFS 68th Annual Scientific Meeting in Las Vegas (February 22-27, 2016)! With the Transformation: Embracing Change meeting theme, you can be certain the meeting will be energizing and thought-provoking. […]
Source: Julie A. Howe, MBA, 2016 Annual Meeting Program Co-Chair President Weedn’s theme of Transformation: Embracing Change could not be more fitting as the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for forensic science efforts progress and the AAFS is making huge strides to become an American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited Standards Development Organization (SDO), […]