JustScience Podcast

This presentation will review CDC laboratory activities related to improving measurements of human exposures to synthetic opioids, and how this may benefit public, private and academic laboratories.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on September 3, 2019.

This webinar will discuss the impact of disturbing media on the psychological well-being (e.g., depression, secondary traumatic stress) of digital and multimedia forensic analysts.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on August 28, 2019.

This webinar will present a recent study investigating drug background levels in forensic laboratories and its implications on data quality, data integrity, and laboratory staff safety as well as strategies for reducing background and self-monitoring.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on August 13, 2019. 
 

Sexual assault investigations within the elderly population require a unique and collaborative response. This webinar highlighted strategies to improve support services and case outcomes for elderly victims through a multidisciplinary approach.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on August 12, 2019.
 

Sexual misconduct may impact students in all aspects of their campus lives and a comprehensive response includes meeting students’ needs. This webinar provides an overview and examples of best practices for equitable process options, culturally competent resources, and creative solutions to serve students and comply with a changing legal framework.

T his webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on August 7, 2019.

Dr. David Christiansen discusses some of the relevant issues which affect law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders.  These concepts also apply to those who are affected by secondary traumatization such as crime scene investigators, attorneys and others who are in frequent contact with images or information regarding gruesome acts of violence.  Dr.

Locating and notifying the next of kin is an important part of medicolegal death investigation. This presentation provided examples of resources at the scene and online to assist medicolegal death investigators (MDIs) with identifying the decedent’s next of kin. Some of these resources include talking to witnesses, searching cell phone information, social media accounts, public records, and criminal databases. Additionally, Namus was discussed as a resource if a next of kin cannot be identified.

Between 2016 and 2017, overdose deaths increased from 63,632 to 70,237. Of these, 47,600 overdose deaths involved opioids. In 2017, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and the District of Columbia were the top five states with the highest rate of drug overdose deaths. 

Locating and notifying the next of kin is an important part of medicolegal death investigation. This presentation provided examples of resources at the scene and online to assist medicolegal death investigators (MDIs) with identifying the decedent’s next of kin. Some of these resources include talking to witnesses, searching cell phone information, social media accounts, public records, and criminal databases. Additionally, Namus was discussed as a resource if a next of kin cannot be identified. 

Between 2016 and 2017, overdose deaths increased from 63,632 to 70,237. Of these, 47,600 overdose deaths involved opioids. In 2017, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and the District of Columbia were the top five states with the highest rate of drug overdose deaths. 

Locating and notifying the next of kin is an important part of medicolegal death investigation. This presentation provided examples of resources at the scene and online to assist medicolegal death investigators (MDIs) with identifying the decedent’s next of kin. Some of these resources include talking to witnesses, searching cell phone information, social media accounts, public records, and criminal databases. Additionally, Namus was discussed as a resource if a next of kin cannot be identified. 

Throughout the Probabilistic Genotyping of Evidentiary DNA Typing Results virtual workshop series, we have reviewed aspects of DNA mixture interpretation and have seen that probabilistic genotyping (PG) software can serve as a tool to assist the DNA Examiner in identifying possible genotype sets within a mixture and then calculating a likelihood ratio (LR). Approaches to modeling were shared by the developers of different PG software programs, followed by examples of internal validation studies and results.

By combining the data in ODMAP with collaborative partnerships which span different disciplines, localities can develop and deploy a real-time plan to reduce both fatal and non-fatal overdoses.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on July 16, 2019.

Has a person of interest contributed DNA to a mixture obtained from evidence? Is that DNA associated with a crime? Both are questions that cannot be answered with absolute certainty. This module of the Probabilistic Genotyping of Evidentiary DNA Typing Results workshop series addresses the uncertainty and limitations of probabilistic genotyping systems that are used to calculate likelihood ratios and infer genotype sets from DNA typing results.

Locating and notifying the next of kin is an important part of medicolegal death investigation. This presentation provided examples of resources at the scene and online to assist medicolegal death investigators (MDIs) with identifying the decedent’s next of kin. Some of these resources include talking to witnesses, searching cell phone information, social media accounts, public records, and criminal databases. Additionally, Namus was discussed as a resource if a next of kin cannot be identified. 

Biological modeling, statistical theory, and the computer processing of probabilistic genotyping systems are based on long- standing principles, yet their usage in U.S. courts has been limited to the past few years. This module of the Probabilistic Genotyping of Evidentiary DNA Typing Results web series addresses topics relevant to the admissibility of probabilistic genotyping results and the presentation of results in criminal proceedings. Various decisions related to probabilistic genotyping will be summarized from a legal perspective.

Historically, the predominant means of assigning statistical weight to many DNA mixtures in the U.S. has been the combined probability of inclusion, or CPI. Accordingly, many forensic DNA analysts, as well as attorneys and judges, are well-versed in the CPI as a match probability. In the fifth module of this workshop series devoted to probabilistic genotyping, the presenters will help DNA analysts and legal professionals understand degrees of statistical weight and properly communicate likelihood ratios and their meaning.

The Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) and other bodies have published guidelines that specify empirical studies to be performed to assess reliability, identify limitations and develop suitable usage conditions for probabilistic genotyping systems.

Over a dozen probabilistic genotyping software programs are commercially available or accessible as freeware. This module presents an instructive overview by software developers of three programs that are supported by published developmental validation.

This webinar is part 3 of the Probabilistic Genotyping Of Evidentiary DNA Typing Results Webinar Series and was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on May 22, 2019.

This webinar highlights leaders in the forensic nursing movement and efforts of those actively trying to grow this critical specialty through scientific evidence and experience, to best serve vulnerable patients seeking help following trauma.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on May 21, 2019.

Recognizing elder abuse and neglect is challenging and can be more difficult if the person fears losing their independence. This webinar explores a therapeutic response including recognizing signs of abuse and respecting the rights of older persons.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on May 9, 2019.

The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate has tested Rapid DNA at mass fatality incident response exercises since 2015. This was done to determine the technology’s ability and usefulness in identifying victims of mass disasters. This webinar will review the successes and challenges from those exercises as well as discuss Rapid DNA’s most recent role in identifying victims of the 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County, CA.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on May 2, 2019.

This webinar explored how personal experiences and unique traumas create commonly felt physical symptoms and investigates how the brain functions reflect a reaction to danger, an action to promote survival, and later, an interpretation of the event.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on April 30, 2019.

The Houston Area Women’s Center’s & Houston Police Department’s experiences will provide attendees greater insight into how collaboration across community- and systems-based advocacy can enhance law enforcement’s response to sexual assault survivors.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on April 25, 2019.

Forensic science research and development plays a key role in the advancement of the practice of forensic science, as noted by the 2009 National Academies of Science report “Strengthening Forensic Sciences in the United States: A Path Forward.” The Emerging Forensic Research Webinar Series provides a platform for researchers to present their novel NIJ-supported research to the forensic community.