
Just Science Podcast
DNA
DNA evidence has had a significant impact on the criminal justice system. Since the National Commission on the Future of DNA evidence in the 1990s, DNA has evolved into one of the most respected disciplines in forensic science. The DNA season of Just Science focuses on DNA evidence and its use in forensic investigation. Topics include the impact of DNA evidence, the use of familial DNA in investigations, databases, case studies, and strategies to improve workflow efficiencies.
Latest All DNA Episodes
- Just the Impact of Lawfully-Owed DNA Collection
- Just USACIL and Direct-to-DNA
- Just Improving Workflow Efficiency
- Just the Golden State Killer
- Just Investigative Genetic Genealogy
- Just Lean Six Sigma and Your Lab
- Just Genetic Variation
- Just DNA and the Post-Conviction Dynamic
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2019
Special Release: Just CMEC
In this special release episode, Just Science interviews Dr. Hope Smiley-McDonald and Connor Brooks about the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ Census of Medical Examiners and Coroners.
The last Census of Medical Examiners and Coroners was conducted in 2004 and stands as one of the most important resources for budget makers and policy changers. Since then, the realm of MDI has changed dramatically. With that in mind, BJS and RTI International are working tirelessly to create a useful tool that captures all the nuances of this field. Listen in as our guests discuss the development of the survey, the types of data being collected, and the impact that the survey will have on the MDI community.
2019 NIJ R&D
The 2019 NIJ R&D Season of Just Science will focus on the research featured at the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium. Some of these interviews were recorded at the 2019 AAFS 71st Annual Scientific Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. This conference, held by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, is a multidisciplinary professional meeting that provides leadership and opportunities to advance science, foster research, and promote collaboration within the various forensic science disciplines. Some of the episode topics include research with alternative light sources and bruising, infant abuse, age estimations of bloodstains, image cloud platform use, raman microspectroscopy, and much more.
2019 NIJ R&D: Just Imaging Flow Cytometry
Release Date: July 22, 2019
Guest: Dr. Christopher Ehrhardt
2019 NIJ R&D: Just Flies and Their Artifacts
Release Date: July 12, 2019
Guest: Dr. David Rivers
2019 NIJ R&D: Just Raman Spectroscopy and GSR
Release Date: July 4, 2019
Guest: Dr. Igor Lednev
2019 NIJ R&D: Just Putrid Databases
Release Date: June 25, 2019
Guest: Dr. Audris Mockus
2019 NIJ R&D: Just Headspace Solid Phase Microextraction
Release Date: June 20, 2019
Guest: Dr. Jorn Yu
2019 NIJ R&D: Just Screening Blood and Urine
Release Date: June 13, 2019
Guest: Dr. Rebecca Wagner
2019 NIJ R&D: Just Detecting Gunshot Residue
Release Date: June 6, 2019
Guest: Dr. Suzanne Bell
2019 NIJ R&D: Just RNA and Bloodstains
Release Date: May 29, 2019
Guest: Dr. Robert W. Allen
2019 NIJ R&D: Just Fundamental Mechanics and Infant Skull Fractures
Release Date: May 21, 2019
Guest: Dr. Brittany Coats
2019 NIJ R&D: Just Skin Deep
Release Date: May 14, 2019
Guests: Dr. Katherine Scafide and Dr. Daniel Sheridan
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, a campaign designed to raise awareness about sexual violence and provide methods to prevent it. In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Just Science interviewed Pat Speck, a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner and professor at the University of Alabama – Birmingham School of Nursing, about sexual assault testing and victim-centered care.
Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Just the Evolution of Sexual Assault Evidence Collection
Release Date: April 16, 2019
Guest: Dr. Patricia M. Speck
IDENTIFICATION
The Identification season of Just Science will focus on many of the different aspects of identification in forensic investigations. A majority of these interviews were recorded at the 2018 International Forensic Educational Conference in San Antonio, Texas. This conference, held by the International Association for Identification, represents a diverse and knowledgeable membership that meets annually to educate and share techniques, methods, and research into the various forensic science disciplines. The conference features lectures, poster presentations, and workshops dedicated to sharing knowledge and enhancing the forensic sciences. This season will include episodes covering sexual assault kit processing, psychological survival in violent careers, latent print examination, forensic art, microanthropology, and more.
Identification: Just the Double Loop Podcast Crossover
Release Date: April 1, 2019
Guests: Eric Ray and Glenn Langenburg
Identification: Just Forensic Technician Vicarious Trauma
Release Date: March 25, 2019
Guest: Selena McKay-Davis
Identification: Just Forensic Microanthropology
Release Date: March 18, 2019
Guest: Carlos Gutierrez
Identification: Just Improvised Explosive Devices
Release Date: March 14, 2019
Guest: Hillary Daluz
Identification: Just 19 Hours and 300 miles
Release Date: March 7, 2019
Guest: Erin Sims
Just the Molalla Forest Serial Killer
Release Date: February 25, 2019
Guest: Robert Thompson
Just a Modified Direct to DNA Approach to Sexual Assault Kit Testing
Release Date: February 18, 2019
Guest: Caitlin Rogers
Just Drawing Knowledge from a Forensic Artist
Release Date: February 11, 2019
Guest: Suzanne Birdwell
Just the Sole of Impression Pattern Evidence
Release Date: February 4, 2019
Guest: Lesley Hammer
Forensic Advancement
The Forensic Advancement season of Just Science will focus on many areas that challenge forensic leadership within the community. A majority of these interviews were recorded at the 2018 American Society of Crime Lab Directors (ASCLD) Annual Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia. The ASCLD Symposium is an industry-leading conference designed for leaders and managers in the forensic laboratory space. The symposium boasts workshops and plenary talks designed around all aspects of forensic science, but particularly focuses on enhancing leadership and management in a forensic laboratory. This season will include episodes covering performance tools, ASCLD efforts in rapid DNA, return on investment for DNA databases, witness testimony, millennial personnel, laboratory public relations, and more.
Just Mass Casualty Events
Release Date: January 21, 2019
Guest: Richard Marx
Just Blind Proficiency Testing
Release Date: January 14, 2019
Guest: Dr. Peter Stout
Just Transparency in Public Communications
Release Date: January 7, 2019
Guest: Ramit Plushnick Masti
Just a Paradigm Shift for Forensic Scientists
Release Date: December 31, 2018
Guest: Ron Smith
Just Throwing DARTs at the Opioid Crisis
Release Date: December 17, 2018
Guest: Amber Burns
Just Millennials
Release Date: December 10, 2018
Guest: Ben Swanholm
Just ASCLD Rapid DNA Committee
Release Date: December 3, 2018
Guests: Katie Featherston, Brian Hoey, and Jeremy Triplett
Just Psychological Resiliency
Release Date: November 26, 2018
Guest: Dr. David Christiansen
Just FORESIGHT on Sexual Assault Kits
Release Date: November 19, 2018
Guest: Dr. Paul Speaker
Just Cognitive Bias Awareness
Release Date: November 12, 2018
Guest: Dr. Cecilia Crouse
Just the Soul of the Profession
Release Date: November 5, 2018
Guests: John Collins and Jay Henry
2018
Special Release: Medicolegal Death Investigation
Just Science’s Medicolegal Death Investigation season will consist of episodes recorded with guests from the IACME board. This season is to promote the ways in which IACME supports, trains, and aids the community of coroners and pathologists. Episodes will include topics like vicarious trauma, work/life balance, wellness, forensic nurses as coroners, and understanding not only the logistical difficulty of a mass shooting but the strain involved on the justice community.
Click on the titles below to learn more about each episode.
Just Coroners Versus Medical Examiner Systems
Release Date: October 8, 2018
Guest: John Fudenberg
Just Being Vocal About Vicarious Trauma
Release Date: October 1, 2018
Guest: Kelly Keyes
Just So You Know: FTCoE Team
Just Science is releasing a special Just So You Know series in celebration of National Forensic Science Week. Get to know the leadership, scientific, and technical staff that help keep the center running smoothly year round. Guests include Dr. John Morgan, Dr. Jeri Ropero-Miller, Donia Slack, Nicole Jones, Heidi Eldridge, Dr. Megan Grabenauer, Sarah Norsworthy, Nichole Bynum, Katherine Moore, Erica Fornaro, Molly Dix, and Dr. Kelle Barrick.
Click on the titles below to learn more about each episode.
Episode Ten: Molly Dix
Release Date: September 21, 2018
Episode Nine: Erica Fornaro
Release Date: September 21, 2018
Episode Eight: Dr. Kelle Barrick
Release Date: September 21, 2018
Episode Seven: Sarah Norsworthy,
Nichole Bynum, and Katherine Moore
Release Date: September 20, 2018
Episode Six: Heidi Eldridge
Release Date: September 19, 2018
Episode Five: Dr. Megan Grabenauer
Release Date: September 19, 2018
Episode Four: Donia Slack
Release Date: September 18, 2018
Episode Three: Nicole Jones
Release Date: August 18, 2018
Episode Two: Dr. Jeri Ropero-Miller
Release Date: September 17, 2018
Episode One: Dr. John Morgan
Release Date: September 17, 2018
2018 NIJ R&D
Just Science is releasing a season for the 2018 NIJ funded Research and Development. These guests were NIJ awardees that traveled to the annual AAFS Symposium this year in Seattle, Washington. Dive into the community’s efforts to forward science and create a stronger justice system through knowledge. Some of the episode topics include research with skin microbiomes, SNP genotypes, implementing portable mass spec, and CT image databases.
Click on the titles below to learn more about each episode.
Episode Six: Just Genetic Marker Linkages
Release Date: September 10, 2018
Guests: Dr. Michael “Doc” Edge
Episode Five: Just Portable Mass Spectrometer Possibilities
Release Date: September 3, 2018
Guests: Dr. Jamie Wieland and Dr. Christopher Mulligan
Episode Four: Just a Whole-Body CT Image Database
Release Date: August 27, 2018
Guest: Dr. Shamsi Berry
Episode Three: Just Skin Microbiomes as Evidence
Release Date: August 20, 2018
Guest: Dr. David Carter
Episode Two: Just Microhaps Perhaps
Release Date: August 13, 2018
Guest: Dr. Kenneth Kidd
Episode One: Just Speak into the Microbe-phone
Release Date: August 6, 2018
Guest: Dr. Bruce Budowle
Drugs
In this season, Drugs, topics will range from legalization of marijuana in relation to police officers, the opioid epidemic, Electronic Dance Music Festivals, how witnesses’ and victims’ memory of events can be affected by alcohol, current vaping research, drug courts, and much more.
Click on the titles below to learn more about each episode.
Episode Twelve: Just Opioid Financial
Burden on Crime Labs
Release Date: July 11, 2018
Guest: Dr. Paul Speaker
Episode Eleven: Just Classifying Emerging Compounds
Release Date: July 2, 2018
Guest: Dr. Barry Logan
Episode Ten: Just Fentanyl Lab Fads with ASCLD
Release Date: June 25, 2018
Guest: Bruce Houlihan
Episode Nine: Just Solving the Opioid Crisis
Release Date: June 18, 2018
Guests: Dr. Jeri Ropero Miller and Dr. Gary Zarkin
Episode Eight: Just Chasing the E-Cig Dragon
Release Date: June 12, 2018
Guest: Dr. Michelle Peace
Episode Seven: Just Alcohol and Witness Recall
Release Date: June 4, 2018
Guest: Dr. Nadja Schreiber Compo
Episode Six: Just the State of Pathology
Release Date: May 29, 2018
Guest: Dr. Randy Hanzlick
Episode Five: Just Doobious Driving
Release Date: May 21, 2018
Guests: Jennifer Knudsen and Glenn Davis
Episode Four: Just Liver Die
Release Date: May 14. 2018
Guest: Dr. Carl Wolf
Episode Three: Just Electronic Dance Music Festivals
Release Date: May 7, 2018
Guests: Amanda Mohr and Alex Krotulski
Episode Two: Just Drug Courts
Release Date: April 30, 2018
Guest: Preeti Menon
Episode One: Just Field Identification Drug Officer
Release Date: April 23, 2018
Guest: Nancy Crump
2018 IPTES
In this season we will cover content given at the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence’s Impression Pattern and Trace Evidence Symposium. The symposium was held January 22nd -25th 2018 in Arlington, Virginia, it had over 200 onsite attendees and over 400 online attendees. This season will include episodes discussing nature’s patterns, fracture mechanics, juror’s interpretations of testimony, toolmarks, and footwear with each topic discussing real-world examples. If you missed the symposium and wish to watch the archives, please click here.
Click on the titles below to learn more about each episode.
Episode Ten: Just Talking Testimony
Release Date: April 9, 2018
Guest: Xiaoyu Alan Zheng, Henry Swofford, Mr. Chris Fabricant, Dr. Steven Lund, Dr. Hari Iyer, and Dr. Alicia Wilcox
Episode Nine: Just Bayesian Brawl
Release Date: April 2, 2018
Guests: Dr. Jose Almirall, Dr. Steven Lund, Dr. Hari Iyer, Dr. Cedric Neumann, Dr. Daniel Ramos, and Dr. Alex Biedermann
Episode Eight: Just Handwriting Statistics
Release Date: March 26, 2018
Guest: Cami Fuglsby
Episode Seven: Just Consecutively Manufactured Toolmarks
Release Date: March 19, 2018
Guest: Robert Thompson
Episode Six: Just Footwear Size Does Matter
Release Date: March 12, 2018
Guests: Chris Hamburg and Jeff Jagmin
Episode Five: Just Geeking Out on Patterns
Release Date: March 5, 2018
Guest: John Vanderkolk
Episode Four: Just Shoeprint Statistics
Release Date: February 26, 2018
Guest: Andrew Kimble
Episode Three: Just A Juror’s Perception
Release Date: February 19, 2018
Guests: Dr. Alicia Wilcox and Heidi Eldridge
Episode Two: Just Fracture Matches
Release Date: February 12, 2018
Guest: Dr. Ashraf Bastawros
Episode One: Just Nature’s Patterns
Release Date: February 7, 2018
Guest: John Vanderkolk
2017
Special Release: Leadership
In this special release season on Leadership, you will hear interviews highlighting different areas where guests have excelled, along with some of their lessons learned. The season will highlight forensic professionals and teachers of leadership including Ben Swanholm, Jody Wolf, Martina Bison-Huckaby, and Jeremy Triplett. We will discuss their personal philosophies on leadership, how they came to be leaders in their own lives, and what their affiliations have added to the conversation. Stay tuned as Just Science helps to shed light on the complex issues of leadership.
Just So You Know: Leadership Series
Release Date: December 21, 2017
Epsiode Four: Just Guidance Leadership
Release Date: December 18, 2017
Guest: Jeremy Triplett
Episode Three: Just Motivational Leadership
Release Date: December 11, 2017
Guest: Martina Bison-Huckaby
Episode Two: Just Strategic Leadership
Release Date: December 4, 2017
Guest: Jody Wolf
Episode One: Just Servant Leadership
Release Date: November 27, 2017
Guest: Ben Swanholm
Case Studies
In the second season, Case Studies, Just Science interviews the prosecutors, investigators, victims, and crime lab directors that were involved with high profile cases. This season will highlight cases that seemed unsolvable at the time, but with some new technologies and innovation, these criminals were brought to justice. Topics include Munchausen syndrome by proxy, Human Trafficking, Odontology, Atlanta Olympic Bombing, International cases, Louisiana Serial Killer, and many more
Click on the titles below to learn more about each episode.
Episode Nine: Derrick Todd Lee – Baton Rouge Serial Killer
Release Date: October 23, 2017
Guest: Ray Wickenheiser
Episode Eight: Two Murders, One Trace Fiber
Release Date: October 16, 2017
Guest: Dr. Jan De Kinder
Episode Seven: From Teeth to Trafficking
Release Date: October 9, 2017
Guest: Dr. John Kenney
Episode Six: A Gruesome Murder in Mesa
Release Date: October 2, 2017
Guest: Kimberly Meza
Episode Five: Atlanta Olympic Bombing
Release Date: September 25, 2017
Guest: John Collins
Episode Four: A Mother’s Tale – Part 2
Release Date: September 18, 2017
Guest: Mike Weber
Episode Three: A Mother’s Tale – Part 1
Release Date: September 18, 2017
Guest: Mike Weber
Episode Two: A Child’s Injustice
Release Date: September 11, 2017
Guest: Andrew Greenfield
Episode One: Mel Hall – A Sexual Predator
Release Date: September 4, 2017
Guests: Chaz Easterly and Kim Davignon
R&D Symposium
Just Science released a special season for NIJ funded Research and Development. Dive into the community’s efforts to forward science and create a stronger justice system through knowledge. Episode topics include research with one-pot meth, bath salts, gunshot acoustics, and postmortem interval estimation.
Click on the titles below to learn more about each episode.
Just Bath Salts
Release Date: July 17, 2017
Guest: Lindsay Glicksberg
Just One Pot Methamphetamine
Release Date: July 10, 2017
Guest: Dr. Jarrad Wagner
Numbers
The first season of “Just Science,” titled Numbers will give listeners content focusing on issues that forensic scientists are faced with, such as error data or proof of data. We will explore new technologies and systems that provide more efficient ways of delivering quantitative results, as well as the human factors that go into producing solid data.
Click on the titles below to learn more about each episode.
Episode Ten: Just Hairy Isotopes
Release Date: June 26, 2017
Guest: Dr. Gwyneth Gordon
Episode Nine: Just Blood Spatter
Release Date: June 19, 2017
Guest: Dr. Marc Smith
Episode Eight: Just the Facts About Campus Sexual Assault
Release Date: June 12, 2017
Guest: Dr. Christopher Krebs
Episode Seven: Just Dry Bones
Release Date: June 5, 2017
Guests: Dr. Melissa Connor, Dr. Eriek Hansen, and Christiane Baigent
Episode Six: Just Budgets
Release Date: May 29, 2017
Guest: Dr. Paul Speaker
Episode Five: Just DNA Mixture Interpretation
Release Date: May 22, 2017
Guest: Dr. Catherine Grgicak
Episode Four: Just Subjective Probability
Release Date: May 15, 2017
Guests: Dr. Christophe Champod and Dr. Tacha Hicks
Episode Three: Just 3D Optical Topography
Release Date: May 8, 2017
Guests: Dr. Ryan Lilien and Todd Weller
Episode Two: Just Human Factors
Release Date: May 1, 2017
Guests: Dr. Tom Busey and Heidi Eldridge
Episode One: Just Lab Management
Release Date: May 1, 2017
Guest: Barry Fisher
RTI International’s Center for Forensic Sciences presents Just Science, a podcast for forensic science professionals and anyone with an interest in learning more about how real crime laboratories are working to do their job better, produce more accurate results, become more efficient, and solve more crimes. This podcast deals with a range of issues, including leadership in the crime lab, new technologies, sexual assault response, and broader challenges for science and public security. We cover every type of forensic discipline, including DNA, fingerprints, trace evidence, toxicology, controlled substances, crime scene investigation, and much more!
Just Science was developed by RTI International and funded in part by the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence, a program of the National Institute of Justice, United States Department of Justice and funded in part through cooperative agreement [2016-MU-BX-K110].
Just Science is hosted by Dr. John Morgan, Senior Director of the Center for Forensic Science at RTI.
Senior Director, Center for Forensic Sciences
EDUCATION: PhD, Johns Hopkins University | MS, Johns Hopkins University | BS, Loyola College
EXPERTISE: Optoelectronic materials, Chemical/biological agent detection, Mass spectrometry, Forensic science, Personal protective systems, Materials
Producer:
Lauren Mangum is a Multimedia Communication Specialist at RTI International. Lauren believes that through her work with the Center for Forensic Science Office she can better disseminate information to the forensic community. She is the producer of the Just Science Podcast, which is designed to highlight key leaders in forensic science research, practice and innovation. Before working at RTI International Lauren was an Event Technology Specialist at SAS for two years where she coordinated and ran AV for conferences and meetings. Lauren holds a Bachelor’s degree in Media Communication from North Carolina State University.