All of our webinars, reports, podcast episodes, and other educational resources are available to the public at no cost.
Funding for the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence has been provided by the National Institute of Justice.
2023 Humanitarian and Human Rights Resource Center Virtual Library
← 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…
Age Estimation from the Pubic Symphysis: Back to Basics
← Back to Webinar Series Page Wednesday, January 11, 2023 | 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Eastern Duration: 1.5 hours Overview Estimating age at death is a critical step in the creation of the biological profile of unidentified remains. While…
2023 NIJ Forensic Science R&D Symposium
Overview The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCoE) will assist the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in hosting the annual NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development (R&D) Symposium on Tuesday, February 14, 2023 from 8:30am – 5:00pm ET at the…
Forensic Fractography of Bone: A New Model for Skeletal Trauma Analysis
← Back to Webinar Series Page This webinar originally occurred on November 2, 2022 Duration: 1.5 hours Overview Fractography is a tool for studying material failure. Analysis of cracks and fractures can reveal information about how, why, and where a…
Skeletal Sex Estimation and Practitioner Use of MorphoPASSE
← Back to Webinar Series Page This webinar originally occurred on October 5, 2022 Duration: 1.5 hours Overview Skeletal sex estimation is one of the most important aspects of the biological profile as it narrows the population essentially by half…
Just Using Forensic Art and Anthropology for Identification
Original Release Date: September 30, 2022 In episode four of our Applications of Forensic Science for Human Identification season, Just Science sat down with Katharine Pope, a Research Public Health Analyst at RTI International, Dr. Bruce Anderson, a Forensic Anthropologist…
Transition Analysis 3 Age-at-Death Estimation: Past, Present, and Future
← Back to Webinar Series Page Wednesday, December 7, 2022 | 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Eastern Duration: 1.5 hours Overview Whether the goal is to estimate the age of a single individual or those in a larger skeletal assemblage,…
2022 National Forensic Science Week FTCoE Student Research Poster Session
← Back to Main Page Overview Thursday, September 22, 2022 | Posters will be available at 1:00 PM Eastern Welcome to our virtual poster session! As fall semester begins and in honor of National Forensic Science Week (September 18-24, 2022),…
2022 NIJ Forensic Science Graduate Research Symposium
← Back to Main Page Overview This event originally occurred on September 20, 2022 Duration: 2 hours The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has long hosted an annual Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium in which NIJ grantees present their…
2022 National Forensic Science Week
Overview National Forensic Science Week (September 18-24, 2022) recognizes the contribution that forensic science makes to the criminal justice system. It is an opportunity to celebrate academic programs, forensic professionals, and scientific research in the various forensic disciplines. Throughout the…
Society of Forensic Anthropologists Webinar Series
Overview The Society of Forensic Anthropologists (SOFA) is a non-profit organization comprised of active American Academy of Forensic Science members who are forensic anthropology practitioners. SOFA promotes communication and cooperation among forensic anthropologists and is committed to professional growth and…
Just Forensic Archaeology and Body Dump Sites
Original Release Date: August 19, 2022 In episode three of our Case Studies: Part 1 mini season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Sharon Moses, an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Northern Arizona University, to discuss forensic archaeology and locating…
Developing a Postmortem CT Service: Practical Considerations for Death Investigation Agencies
Date May 2022 Overview This guide will help medicolegal death investigation agencies that are considering adopting postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) make informed decisions. First, the basic questions are outlined that must be considered before approaching architects or gathering information about…
2021 IACME Annual Symposium – Education Modules
Overview The National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence has partnered with the International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners (IACME) to bring the community free, continuing education modules recorded at the 2021 IACME annual symposium held in-person…
2022 NIJ Forensic Science R&D Symposium
Overview The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCoE) assisted the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in hosting the annual NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development (R&D) Symposium on March 1st & 2nd, 2022 from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Eastern.…
2022 Humanitarian and Human Rights Resource Center Virtual Library
← 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) Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCoE), hosted…
2021 Year in Review
A Message from the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence Another year in-the-books and so much has happened! In 2021, the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCoE) hosted a wide range of virtual events and offered online resources amidst an ongoing pandemic. With…
2021 Forensic Science Research Federal Stakeholders Public Meeting
Overview The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in partnership with the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCoE), held a Forensic Science Research Federal Stakeholders meeting on November 8, 2021 from 9:00AM…
2021 National Forensic Science Week Murder Mystery Event
← Back to Main Page Overview As a part of National Forensic Science Week 2021 (September 19-25, 2021), the FTCoE is offered a murder mystery event! Each day of the week, a new evidence-based clue was revealed on the website…
2021 National Forensic Science Week Practitioner Interviews
← Back to Main Page Overview The FTCoE has conducted a variety of written interviews with forensic professionals in various stages of their careers. From recent graduates to retired professionals, the FTCoE showcases real-world perspectives on the current state of…
2021 National Forensic Science Week
Overview National Forensic Science Week (September 19-25, 2021) recognizes the contribution that forensic science makes to the criminal justice system. It is an opportunity to celebrate academic programs, forensic professionals, and scientific research in the various forensic disciplines. Throughout the…
2021 National Forensic Science Week FTCoE Student Research Poster Session
← Back to Main Page Overview As fall semesters are getting back into session and in honor of the upcoming National Forensic Science Week (September 19-25, 2021), the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCoE) would like to highlight student research…
Introduction to the Forensic Anthropology Database for Assessing Methods Accuracy
This webinar originally occurred on August 31, 2021 Duration: 1 hour Overview Data availability is the cornerstone of progression of any scientific inquiry. For forensic anthropologists, the data sources are limited, as they must be contextually appropriate (temporal, geographical, etc.)…
Just Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Pathology Portfolio
Original Release Date: June 18, 2021 In episode three of our 2021 NIJ R&D and Beyond mini season, Just Science sat down with Danielle McLeod-Henning, a physical scientist and program manager in the Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences at NIJ, to discuss Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Pathology. Danielle McLeod-Henning has been the physical…
2021 NIJ Forensic Science R&D Symposium
Overview The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCoE) assisted 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 Eastern to 5:40 PM Eastern. NIJ…
2020 Humanitarian and Human Rights Resource Center Virtual Library
← Back to the HHRRC Special Initiative The Humanitarian and Human Rights Resource Center, an organization within the American Academy of Forensic Science supported by NIJ’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence, hosted this Poster Session as an open meeting where…
2020 Year in Review
A Message from the FTCoE 2020 was a big year for the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence. With five podcast seasons, a full research and development symposium, our first virtual conference, eight reports, and over thirty webinars, we continued to…
Just Blowflies and Extreme Temperatures
In episode five of the 2020 R&D Season, Just Science interviews Dr. Travis Rusch, a postdoctoral research associate at Texas A&M University, about fluctuating temperatures in forensically important blowflies. Forensic entomologists use predictable developmental rates of certain necrophagus insects to estimate time of colonization, postmortem interval, and time of…
Just Skeletal Remains Identification
In episode two of the 2020 R&D Season, Just Science interviews Dr. Heather Garvin, Associate Professor of Anatomy at Des Moines University, about her work with OSTEOID, an online resource for species identification of skeletal remains. Approximately 30-40% of cases involving skeletal remains received by forensic anthropologists end up being…
Online Workshop: 2019 IAC&ME Training Symposium
In 2019, IAC&ME hosted a combined Basic and Advanced Medicolegal Death Investigation course in addition to its general conference program in Las Vegas, Nevada. This year’s program provided another excellent opportunity to learn from some of the best speakers…
2020 NIJ Forensic Science R&D Symposium
Overview The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCoE) assisted the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in hosting the annual NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development (R&D) Symposium on February 18th, 2020 at the 72nd Annual American Academy of Forensic Sciences…
2019 National Institute of Justice Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium
This report was published in RTI Press, a global publisher of peer-reviewed, open-access publications on a broad range of topics. The areas of focus reflect RTI’s multidisciplinary research, our expertise in social and laboratory sciences, and our extensive international activities. Since…
Identification: Just Forensic Microanthropology
<<< back to all podcasts Just Forensic Microanthropology In episode seven of the Identification season, Just Science interviews Carlos Gutierrez, a lecturer at Chaminade University of Honolulu, about the new field of Forensic Microanthropology. After finding an unidentified bone, forensic…
HHRRC – Building Forensic Capacity Post-Conflict: Lessons from Uganda
← Back to Series This webinar originally occurred on March 28, 2019 Duration: 1.5 hours This presentation introduces research conducted in Uganda at the nexus of forensic science and transitional justice, highlighting a large-scale forensic investigation and human identification capacity-building…
HHRRC – Stable Isotope Analysis in a Humanitarian Context
The webinar originally occurred on March 12th, 2019Duration: 1.5 hours This webinar will introduce stable isotope analysis and its validity as analytical tool in establishing the geographic origin and life history of unidentified individuals from forensic and humanitarian contexts. In…
Success Story: Uncovering Key Details of Skeletal Remains through 3D-ID Software
National Institute of Justice and North Carolina State University Date January 2019 Overview When forensic anthropologists investigate unidentified remains, they look for important clues that can help identify the subject. For example, the size and shape of the skull can…
Humanitarian and Human Rights Resource Center Webinar Series
Overview The Humanitarian and Human Rights Resource Center (HHRRC) of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) with support from the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence provides needed resources and support to apply modern forensic science…
Online Workshop: 2018 IAC&ME Training Symposium
This year, the IAC&ME hosted a combined Basic and Advanced Medicolegal Death Investigation (MDI) course in addition to its general conference program in Las Vegas, Nevada. This year’s program provided another excellent opportunity to learn from some of the best…
Conference Proceedings: 2018 Research and Development Symposium
This report was published in RTI Press, a global publisher of peer-reviewed, open-access publications on a broad range of topics. The areas of focus reflect RTI’s multidisciplinary research, our expertise in social and laboratory sciences, and our extensive international activities. Since…
Success Story: Maximizing the Use of Mitochondrial DNA in Identifying Remains and Aiding Missing Persons Casework
National Institute of Justice and the American Registry of Pathology Date April 2018 Overview Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) serves as an important tool in situations where traditional nuclear DNA analysis is unlikely to yield probative information. mtDNA sequencing has traditionally focused…
2018 NIJ R&D Symposium Series Forensic Anthropology
Morning Session I: Forensic Anthropology The NIJ Research and Development (R&D) Program funds both basic or applied R&D projects that will: (1) increase the body of knowledge to guide and inform forensic science policy and practice, or (2) result in…
Just Hairy Isotopes
Just Hairy Isotopes In episode ten of Just Science, funded by the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence , we spoke with Dr. Gwyneth Gordon, from Arizona State University. Dr. Gordon and her team have developed methods to use the isotopic abundance…
HHRRC – Analysis and Conservation of Human Remains in Cambodia
The webinar originally occurred on May 16th, 2017 Duration: 1 hour This presentation provides an introduction to the work conducted in Cambodia to analyze/preserve human remains from violence committed by the Khmer Rouge. Specifically the site of Krang Ta Chan,…
Success Story: Creating an International Databank of Skeletal Biomarkers for Human Identification
National Institute of Justice and University of South Florida Date September 2016 Overview According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Missing Person and Unidentified Person Files, there are approximately 13,500 unidentified individual cases in…
Success Story: Improving Identification of Mexican Hispanic Remains
National Institute of Justice and Texas State University Report Date April 2015 Overview In the United States, the Mexican Hispanic population ranks second in total size, yet Mexican Hispanic individuals often remain unidentified in forensic anthropological cases. The reason? There…