Introduction

Just Building Partnerships to Advance Forensic Technology

Just Building Partnerships to Advance Forensic Technology

Original Release Date: January 19, 2024

In episode two of our Roadmap to Improving Technology Transition season, Just Science sat down with Cleveland Miles, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Division of Forensic Science, and Henry Maynard, Lead Research Scientist for the United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, to discuss the importance of building partnerships in the forensic community to effectively communicate and advance forensic technology.  

Successfully transitioning forensic technology into practice requires a coordinated effort between many forensic stakeholders, including researchers, practitioners, and industry workers. While building these partnerships is crucial for technological advancement, there are often challenges to overcome when collaborating with individuals from different forensic domains. Listen along as Cleveland and Henry describe the gap in awareness about forming forensic partnerships, actionable strategies for enhancing relationships in the field, and how to navigate the different languages of the various forensic entities.

This episode is funded by the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (Award No. 15PNIJ-21-GK-02192-MUMU). 

Some content in this podcast may be considered sensitive and may evoke emotional responses, or may not be appropriate for younger audiences. 

Listen to or download the episode here:

View or download the episode transcript here:
Transcript


Episode Citation

Shute, R., Miles, C., & Maynard, H. (2024, January 19). Just Science. Just Building Partnerships to Advance Forensic Technology. [Audio podcast episode]. The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence. https://forensiccoe.org/podcast-2024-flntwg-research-ep2/



Guest Biography

In 2019, Cleveland Miles became the Division Director for the Division of Forensic Sciences at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation after serving as a Serology & DNA scientist and manager in Forensic Biology for 16 years. Mr. Miles been involved in professional forensic organizations throughout his career, including the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD), the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies (ASCIA), and the Southern Association of Forensic Scientists (SAFS). Furthermore, he has served as a trained auditor for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Quality Assurance Standards for Forensic DNA testing and has also worked as a contracted auditor with the National Forensic Science Training Center (NFSTC) and Forensic Quality Services (FQS) for compliance to ISO/IEC 17025 standards at laboratories throughout the country. 

Henry Maynard serves as the Lead Research Scientist for the United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL) in Forest Park, Georgia. Prior to working at USACIL, Mr. Maynard was a federal contractor who supported Research and Development (R&D) and Forensic Science Training efforts for the Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences (OIFS) within the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). Before that, he was a forensic practitioner at NMS Labs. He has formally been trained in the areas of Forensic Toxicology, Drug Chemistry, and Explosives Analysis. Mr. Maynard is very active in the forensic community and maintains memberships with the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the American Chemical Society, the American Society of Crime Lab Directors (ASCLD), the Council of Forensic Science Educators (COFSE), the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators (IABTI), Project Management Institute (PMI), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the National Technology Validation and Implementation Collaborative (NTVIC), and the Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence (CSAFE). He is very active with ASCLD, as he serves on the ASCLD Board of Directors, Chairs the Forensic Research Committee, instructor for the ASCLD Leadership Academy Level II, and co-chair for the Training and Education Committee. Mr. Maynard holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and a Master of Science in Forensic Science degree. 


The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this podcast episode 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.


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