Source: Susan M. Ballou, MS, 2018-19 President During my undergraduate studies, one of my professors queried the class with the question: Would you allow ten suspected murderers to be released to ensure an innocent person wouldn’t remain in prison? Due to the passage of time, I cannot emphatically state the question is correctly phrased, but […]
Source: Susan M. Ballou, MS, 2018-19 AAFS President Disney World® opened to the public in 1971. As the first guests passed through the entryway onto magical Main Street, the majestic railroad soared above. Ahead, Cinderella’s castle promised entrance into a dream world of rides and shows. Walt Disney knew how to give each guest the […]
Source: Susan M. Ballou, MS, 2018-19 President In Havana, Cuba, in 1947, “the father of forensic pathology,” Dr. Rutherford B.H. Gradwohl, met with Dr. Israel Castellanos, the Director of the Cuban National Identification Office. They met to plan the first meeting of the Pan-American Medical-Legal Congress, which convened in St. Louis, MO, in 1948. Later […]
Source: Susan M. Ballou, MS, 2018-19 President In 1992, a 23-year-old woman disappeared from her home. A recent graduate of Harvard University who aspired to working in the corporate world, she inexplicably failed to show up at work one day. While her family members tried to find her, police searched the area around her home […]
Source: Susan M. Ballou, MS, 2018-19 President Under the direction of 2017-18 President Betty Layne DesPortes, the 70th AAFS Annual Scientific Meeting proved to be both exciting and educational. Let us now look forward to our next meeting in February 2019. I welcome you to what I know will be a tremendous and engaging year […]
Source: Betty Layne DesPortes, JD, MS, 2017-18 President For this month’s President’s Message, I would like to run the President’s Editorial article that was published in the January 2018 issue of the Journal of Forensic Sciences, Vol. 63, No. 1 There are No Sides in Forensic Science When I became President of the Academy, the first […]
Source: Betty Layne DesPortes, JD, MS, 2017-18 President The pre-registration deadline for the 70th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in Seattle, WA, is January 24. Please register today; workshops and special sessions are filling up quickly. The theme for the Seattle meeting is “Science Matters,” and the focus will be […]
Source: Betty Layne DesPortes, JD, MS, 2017-18 President The Annual Meeting is fast approaching and now is the time to finalize your flight, hotel, and meeting arrangements. Pre-registration offers significant savings so do not miss the pre-registration deadline of January 24, 2018. Workshops and special sessions fill up quickly, so register as soon as possible […]
Source: Betty Layne DesPortes, JD, MS, 2017-18 President At our annual meeting in Seattle, we will be celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. We have come a long way since that first American Medicolegal Congress in 1948, in St. Louis where the assembly approved a motion to pursue the formation of […]
Source: Betty Layne DesPortes, JD, MS, 2017-18 President On October 19, 2017, I had the pleasure of attending the preview reception at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum celebrating the opening of the exhibit Murder is Her Hobby: Frances Glessner Lee and The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death. The exhibit contains 19 meticulously […]
Source: Betty Layne DesPortes, JD, MS, 2017-18 President Scientific evidence is a powerful tool in the search for the truth and the pursuit of justice. As forensic scientists, we have a duty to ensure our results and opinions are valid and reliable. Standards and best practice guidelines provide the foundation for our work and […]
Source: Betty Layne DesPortes, JD, MS, 2017-18 President The week of August 21-25, 2017, I had the pleasure of attending the 21st Triennial Meeting of the International Association of Forensic Sciences (IAFS) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The opening ceremony highlighted the global span of the 1,440 delegates from 86 countries and 6 continents. IAFS President Michael Pollanen […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 Message to the Membership: On March 7, 2017, the AAFS Board of Directors requested input from the membership on two pieces of legislation proposed by the Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations (CFSO), of which AAFS is a member. The two pieces of federal legislation concerned: (1) the […]
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE One month into my term as your President, I am even more thankful to Immediate Past President John Gerns for his leadership and mentorship. Without John’s diligent planning, the New Orleans meeting would not have been a success in his absence. Without his transparency about the issues and decisions he faced during his […]
Source: John E. Gerns, MFS, 2016-17 President As summer comes to an end and fall begins knocking on our door, I have just returned from a part of the world where spring is beginning — I am speaking of New Zealand. This year, the AAFS International Educational Outreach Program (IEOP) took place in New Zealand, also […]
Source: John E. Gerns, MFS, 2016-17 President It’s hard to believe that it has already been five months since we all met in Las Vegas! It was an excellent venue for learning new techniques, exchanging ideas, meeting old friends, making new friends, and greeting colleagues. I assure you that our meeting in New Orleans will […]
First, I would like to say how honored and privileged I am to serve as the 67th American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS) President. Thirty-three years ago, I joined the AAFS. I felt privileged to be part of the AAFS organization. As the years passed, my awe of the Academy has never diminished and this […]