Just Human Factors

Professor Tom Busey received his BA from Cornell University and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Cognitive Psychology. In 1994 he joined the faculty of Indiana University in Bloomington, IN, which is the oldest continuously operated Psychology Department in the US [Faculty Page Link]. He began a collaboration with John Vanderkolk of the Indiana State Police in 2002, which has resulted in a range of publications on the mechanisms of perceptual expertise in fingerprint examiners, supported by two NIJ-sponsored grants. Dr. Busey served on the editorial board of NIST’s Expert Working Group on Human Factors and contributes to several ongoing policy-making bodies in forensics. His primary research focus is on the factors that contribute to errors in perceptual decision making in forensics, and include eye tracking, electrophysiology and behavioral research methods [Dr. Busey's Research Website].

Heidi Eldridge has been a forensic scientist for over 12 years, 10 of which have been as a latent print examiner. Heidi is a Certified Latent Print Examiner with the IAI, sits on the JFI Editorial Board, and was a member of SWGFAST until its dissolution. She is now a member of the Friction Ridge Subcommittee of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) and of the Academy Standards Board’s Friction Ridge Consensus Body.  Heidi has been teaching latent print testimony for more than 5 years and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Forensic Science program at the University of Lausanne. She recently left the bench and is now a Research Forensic Scientist with RTI International.