American Academy of Forensic Sciences

Overview

The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE) has partnered with the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) to help ensure the advancement of current forensic science research, practice, and technologies is explored and disseminated to professionals in the scientific and justice communities.

The AAFS is a multidisciplinary professional organization that provides leadership to advance science and its application to the legal system. Membership is comprised of pathologists, attorneys, dentists, toxicologists, anthropologists, document examiners, digital evidence experts, psychiatrists, engineers, physicists, chemists, criminalists, educators, researchers, and others. The objectives of the AAFS are to promote professionalism, integrity, competency, and education; to foster research; to improve practice; and to encourage collaboration in the forensic sciences.

Scroll down to explore some of our most recent collaborations with the AAFS. This partner page is updated regularly. You can also find the most recent deliverables from this partnership by searching “AAFS” in our website search bar.

Events

NIJ Forensic Science R&D Symposium

Humanitarian and Human Rights Resource Center Special Initiative

Webinars

Unseen Threats: A Webinar Series from the AAFS Opioids and Emerging Drugs Ad-Hoc Committee

Following the 2022 AAFS "Unseen Threats" workshop, this three-day webinar series brings visibility and clarity to topics that emphasize emerging drug threats. This series discusses the challenges electronic cigarettes and vaping, polydrug overdose deaths, concealment drug techniques, and illicit tablets generate for the forensic community.

DEIA: What I learned from the AAFS Diversity Outreach Committee

The AAFS Diversity Outreach Committee (DOC) has initiated important conversations and discussions, providing forensic science service providers with valuable insights to re-examine their resources and use them effectively. This webinar is ideal for individuals who are new in the DEIA space, those who are curious about DEIA in the workplace, and those seeking alternative ideas and applications of DEIA in professional settings and in fieldwork. 

The State of Standard Development & Tools for Assessing and Implementing Standards

This webinar introduces the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC) Registry of Standards, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) on Forensic Science, and the Academy Standards Board (ASB). It also includes a roundtable discussion about agencies’ approaches and experiences with implementation of standards.

Humanitarian and Human Rights Resource Center Webinar Series

The webinars in this series highlight projects selected by the International Advisory Council of the HHRRC that further the application of forensic science to global humanitarian and human rights issues.

Podcasts

NIJ Research and Development Podcast Series

  • 2017 Topics | NIJ funded R&D research on one-pot meth, bath salts, gunshot acoustics, and postmortem interval estimation.
  • 2018 Topics | NIJ funded R&D research on skin microbiomes, SNP genotypes, implementing portable mass spec, and CT image databases.
  • 2019 Topics | NIJ funded R&D research on alternative light sources and bruising, infant abuse, age estimations of bloodstains, image cloud platform use, raman microspectroscopy, and entomology.
  • 2020 Topics | NIJ funded R&D research on the analysis of fentanyl compounds and cannabinoids, species identification of skeletal remains, detection of firearm discharge, entomology, interpretation of glass evidence, and the utility of mitochondrial DNA.
  • 2021 Topics | NIJ Forensic Program Managers discuss research and emerging topics in seized drugs and toxicology; impression, pattern, and trace evidence; anthropology and forensic pathology; and DNA and biology.

Strengthening the Forensic Workforce FEPAC Podcast Series

HHRRC Just So You Know Podcast Episodes

Funding for these Forensic Technology Center of Excellence resources has been provided by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this webinar series are those of the presenter(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Contact us at ForensicCOE@rti.org with any questions and subscribe to our newsletter for notifications.

Related Content

Humanitarian and Human Rights Resource Center Virtual Library 2025

← Back to the HHRRC Special Initiative The Humanitarian and Human Rights Resource Center (HHRRC), an organization within the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) supported by the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ’s) Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE), will…
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