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Multimedia Listing

NIJ Training Course for Forensic DNA Officers of the Court: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Analysis of Maternal Inheritance Patterns

August 2020
An interactive tool used to supplement the NIJ online training course entitled 'Principles of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court', as outlined in the eighth learning module, 'Mitochondrial DNA & Y-STR Analysis'. This brief animation shows how mtDNA is passed from a mother to her children and the implications of this inheritance pattern in forensic testing. 

NIJ Training Course for Forensic DNA Officers of the Court: Uninterpretable DNA Samples in a Laboratory Report

August 2020
An interactive tool used to supplement the NIJ online training course entitled 'Principles of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court', as outlined in the sixth learning module, 'Understanding a Forensic DNA Lab Report'. This brief animation shows how inconclusive or uninterpretable results found in an electropherogram lab report can be excluded as the source of DNA evidence. 

PACE™: Rapid and Automated Artifact Identification and Number of Contributor Prediction

July 2020

This webinar focused on the use of PACE™, a method developed by Syracuse University, to perform artifact management and probabilistically predict the number of contributors (NOC) in forensic DNA samples. This is performed using a combination of biological modeling and machine learning, permitting high accuracy NOC calls (greater than 90%) of complex mixtures. It does so rapidly (seconds to minutes) without the need for high performance computing resources.

Intact Low Explosives Analysis with an Emphasis on Microscopical Methods

July 2020

This webinar discussed intact low explosives analysis with a focus on microscopical methods. It covered terminology for explosives, the rationale of low explosives analysis for most crime laboratories, six categories of low explosives, and examples of three analyses using microscopical methods.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on July 16, 2020.

Validation and Tutorial of NOCIt for Determining the Number of Contributors

July 2020

This webinar highlighted the results of a full developmental validation of a method that estimates the A Posteriori Probability (APP) of the number of contributors in a DNA sample(NOC), and demonstrated that estimating the APP based on peak heights outperforms methods that rely on binary determinations alone. This presentation focused on including the true NOC in Likelihood Ratio interpretations and on repeatability.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on July 14, 2020.

Drug Exposures in the Forensic Laboratory: What We Know, What We Can Learn

June 2020

Highly toxic, synthetic drugs introduce significant health hazards to the forensic laboratory.  Understanding current knowledge and best practices will help laboratories manage their liability. This presenter covered topics such as known risks of handling hazardous drugs, creating a practical framework for the assessment, development, and improvement of safety systems, and additional research needed regarding exposure risks.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on June 25, 2020.

How Prepared Are Schools?

June 2020

How prepared are schools for emergencies? Dr. Silva discusses her NIJ-funded research that looked at whether or not federal guidelines were reaching schools; the levels of emergency preparedness at the state, district, and school level; what we can learn from well-prepared schools, both best practices and challenges.

Tackling Employee Wellness: The Phoenix Police Department’s Crime Lab Approach

June 2020

This presentation provided an overview of the activities and programs the Phoenix Police Department’s Crime Lab has implemented and the corresponding impact to the organizational culture and employee morale.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on June 18, 2020.

Stress, Vicarious Trauma, and Resiliency for Forensic Science Professionals

June 2020

This webinar presented the findings of the ASCLD/NIJ collaborative Gap Assessment of Stress, Vicarious Trauma and Resiliency for Forensic Science Professionals. The assessment gathered survey responses from forensic and medical examiner laboratories to evaluate vicarious trauma, burnout, job satisfaction, and participants perceptions of their organization’s resiliency efforts.  Our findings inform future directions in research, policy, and practice to better manage stress and increase resiliency among forensic professionals.

Ventilation Limited Fires: Considerations for Fire Pattern Analysis

June 2020

Residential structure fires are predominantly fueled by synthetic contents and commonly become ventilation-limited.  Therefore accounting for the impact of ventilation on fire is important. Examining flow paths within the structure can aide in fire pattern analysis.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on June 10, 2020. 

Interviews with NIJ’s American Indian and Alaska Native Travel Scholars

April 2020

NIJ’s American Indian and Alaska Native Travel Scholarship Program Scholars discuss:

  • Why they applied to the program.
  • Which conference they chose to attend and why.
  • Why representation of American Indian and Alaska Native is important in the field of criminal justice.
  • What conference sessions they chose to attend and which they found most interesting.
  • How they want to contribute to the fields of tribal and criminal justice.

Cold Case Investigation Units and Advances in Investigative Techniques

March 2020

Sergeant Jason Moran of the Cook County (IL) Sheriff’s Office discusses the current situation of cold cases in the United States, why it’s important to establish cold case units, how current tools and technology can help solve cold cases, and what National Institute of Justice resources are available to assist in solving cold cases.

Sergeant Moran was a participant on an NIJ Saturday Session panel at IACP 2019.