2021 NIJ Forensic Science R&D Symposium

Overview The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCoE) will be assisting the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in hosting the annual NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development (R&D) Symposium on February 16, 2021 from 10:00 AM ET to 5:40 PM…

Just Off The Shelf Forensics

In the final episode of the Case Studies season, Just Science sat down with Tim Schade and Brian Cochran to discuss off-the-shelf crime scene processing products. Budgetary concerns often plague smaller forensic labs and law enforcement agencies. Scene investigators might realize that some of those expensive forensic tools might not be viable or…

Emerging Methods for Body Fluid Analysis

This webinar originally occurred on Thursday, January 14th, 2021 Duration: 1.5 hours The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence hosted a panel of subject matter experts to discuss emerging methods for body fluid analysis. This webinar is broken up into three…

Just Erroneous Identification

In episode seven of the Case Studies season, Just Science sat down with John Vanderkolk and Marcus Montooth of the Indiana State Police to discuss erroneous identification and the Lana Canen case. In 2005, Lana Canen was convicted as an…

Just Identifying Fingerprints Through Photographs

In episode six of the Case Studies season, Just Science sat down with Karen Oswald, Senior Evidence Specialist with the Suffolk County Police Department in New York, to discuss methods for identifying fingers and hands captured in evidentiary photos. As cellphone and camera technologies continue…

Just the Grim Sleeper Serial Killer

In episode five of the Case Studies season, Just Science sat down with Rockne Harmon, forensic consultant and former senior deputy district attorney for Alameda County in California, to talk about familial DNA searching and the case of the Grim…

Just Fingerprints And Lasers

In episode four of the Case Studies Season, Just Science sat down with forensic consultant, author, and instructor Brian Dalrymple to discuss his research and impact on the field of latent print identification. In 1977, a team of researchers developed a…

Just the Jodi Arias Case

In episode three of the Case Studies Season, Just Science sat down with Heather Conner, Latent Print Unit Technical Leader in Mesa Police Department’s Forensic Services, about the investigation of a grisly murder in Arizona. In June of 2008, Travis Alexander was found dead…

Just the Story Behind Bloodstain Pattern Analysis

In episode two, Just Science sat down with Erin Sims, Forensic Lab Manager at the Lincoln, Nebraska Police Department, about bloodstain pattern evidence in forensic investigations. Not all crime scenes will have bloodstains. But when they are present, analysts can…

Just the Impact of Disturbing Media

In episode eight, Just Science interviews Dr. Kathryn Seigfried-Spellar from Purdue University about the impact of disturbing media on forensic professionals. Repeated exposure to violent and graphic media can have long-term negative effects on digital forensic examiners. Dr. Kathryn Seigfried-Spellar is researching the connection between disturbing media and the examiners who analyze it every…