Forensic sciences

In this 2024 Sexual Assault Awareness Month special release episode, Just Science sat down with Doctor Katherine Scafide, Associate Professor and sexual assault response researcher at George Mason University, to discuss how her team is developing methods to improve the visibility of bruises on black and brown skin tones following a sexual assault involving victims of color. During a sexual assault medical forensic exam capturing injuries such as bruises can be crucial for helping bring a case to justice.

In this 2024 Sexual Assault Awareness Month special release episode, Just Science sat down with Erin House, Special Assistant Attorney General in Michigan, Richard Johnson, Kalamazoo SAKI investigator, and Lindsey King, Kalamazoo Community Based Victim Advocate, to discuss their team based approach for investigating sexual assault cold cases. While DNA can be a helpful tool for convicting sexual assault offenders, many sexual assault cold cases do not include DNA evidence.

In episode three of our 2023 Sexual Assault Awareness Month mini season, Just Science sat down with Orlando Salinas, Lieutenant Trampas Gooding, and Jennifer Pollock from the Texas Department of Public Safety to discuss how statutes regarding lawfully owed DNA and familial DNA searches are utilized in sexual assault investigations. When an unknown DNA profile is found in samples collected within a sexual assault kit, the unknown profile is searched within national DNA databases such as the combined DNA index system, also known as CODIS.

In episode two of our 2023 Sexual Assault Awareness Month mini season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Julie Valentine, the Associate Dean of the Brigham Young University College of Nursing, to discuss the factors that contribute to low prosecution rates for sexual assault cases. In our last episode, Dr. Valentine highlighted the importance of sexual assault kit submission and DNA evidence as the groundwork for prosecution in sexual assault cases.

In episode one of our 2023 Sexual Assault Awareness Month mini season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Julie Valentine, a certified Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, to discuss how large-scale data collection can provide a better understanding of sexual assault cases and improve sexual assault response practices, policy, and education. Throughout her career, Dr. Valentine identified a gap in data driven practices for responding to sexual assault cases. Using her experience providing care to survivors, Dr.

In episode four of our Supporting Medicolegal Death Investigators mini season, Just Science sat down with Bridget Kinnier and Bethany Smith, the President and Executive Director of the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators, also knows ABMDI, to discuss the importance of standardization and accreditation within the MDI community. Because of the complex and multidisciplinary role of a medicolegal death investigator, it is important that there are national standards of knowledge for those who work in the field.

In episode two of our Unidentified Human Remains season, Just Science sat down with Neal Parsons, a Research Forensic Scientist at RTI International, to discuss how rapid DNA analysis has become an important method for identifying unknown human remains, especially in cases of mass fatality. Rapid DNA analysis is a fully automated process of developing DNA profiles without the need for a DNA laboratory or human interpretation.

In this episode, Just Science sat down with Dr. Mohammed Almazrouei, a forensic practitioner with the Abu Dhabi Police, to discuss his dissertation work, which examines how workplace stressors may affect decision making in the field of forensic science. In their daily jobs, forensic science practitioners are tasked with making countless decisions that can make a large impact on people's lives. As a result of this experience, Dr. Almazrouei conducted a pivotal research study to examine how stress affects the way that forensic practitioners make these important decisions. Listen along as Dr.

In episode four of our Roadmap to Improving Technology Transition Season, Just on sat down with Doctor Catherine Grgicak, associate professor of chemistry at Rutgers University, Camden, and Stephanie Stoiloff, chief of the Forensic Services division at the Miami-Dade Police Department to discuss their real world experiences with introducing new forensic technology into practice. While new forensic research products are often innovative and interesting, they may not always be practical in operational forensic laboratories.

In episode two of our Roadmap to Improving Technology Transition season, Just Science sat down with Cleveland Miles, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations 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.

In episode three of our Roadmap to Improving Technology Transition season Just Science sat down with Doctor Catherine Grgicak, Associate Professor of Chemistry at Rutgers University, Camden, and Henry Maynard, Lead Research Scientist for the United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, to discuss the importance of developing research infrastructure within forensic laboratories and communication channels with collaborators. Forensic research and advancement are impossible without the input of forensic practitioners.

In episode one of our Roadmap to Improving Technology Transition Season, Just Science sat down with Lucas Zarwell, Director of the Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences at the National Institute of Justice, and Doctor Jeri Ropero-Miller, Principal Scientist and Director of the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence at RTI International, to discuss a newly published roadmap that guides the transition of forensic research and technology innovations into the forensic practitioner community.

In episode three of our Resilient Leadership mini season. Just Science sat down with Jody Wolf, Crime Lab Administrator for the Phoenix Police Department, Tim Scanlon, President of Forensic Analysis Consulting and Training LLC, and Mikayla Martin, Forensic Scientist at RTI International, to highlight the impact of human factors on forensic DNA interpretation. Human Factors Research is a discipline that examines concepts like undue influence, employee wellness and human error, which impact the decisions that forensic science practitioners make on a daily basis.

In episode two, of our Resilient Leadership mini Season, Just Science sat down with Henry Maynard to discuss the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors, also known as ASCLD Forensic Research Committee. As researchers work to create better tools and technologies for the forensic science community, it is crucial that they are able to consult with practicing forensic professionals to better understand their needs and experiences.

This podcast episode was recorded at the 2023 American Society of Crime Laboratory Director Symposium in Austin, Texas, themed Resilient Leadership. This mini season will tease out what resiliency looks like in the forensic science community with a range of subject matter experts. Today, we'll be discussing a practical guide for employee wellness. Here to guide us in our discussion is Jamilah Dick and Meredith Rosenberg from the New York City office of Chief Medical Examiner. 

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 with the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner, and Joe Mullins, an instructor at the New York Academy of Art, to discuss human identification using forensic anthropology and facial approximations.

In episode two of our Applications of Forensic Science for Human Identification Season, Just Science sat down with Bryan Johnson, the Major Incident Program Manager in the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Latent Print Unit, to discuss how postmortem prints can be used to help identify unknown decedents. One of the cheapest, easiest and fastest methods of identifying individuals is through friction ridge prints. However, challenges can arise in cases where trauma or decomposition affect quality of a decedent's hands.

In episode one of our Applications of Forensic Science for Human Identification season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Heather McKiernan, a Research Forensic Scientist at RTI International, and Ashley Rodriguez, a Research Public Health Analyst at RTI International, to discuss the use of forensic genetic genealogy in identifying human remains. Oftentimes unknown human remains are recovered fully or partially skeletonized, with no close biological relatives in CODIS to facilitate identification.

In episode three of our Applications of Forensic Science for Human Identification season, Just Science sat down with Lori Bruski and Amy Jenkinson, two research public health analysts at RTI International to discuss inter-agency efforts to compile crime, missing persons and decedent information and comprehensive databases. In the digital age, criminal justice information can be uploaded into databases and organized in a searchable, centralized location, making it more accessible than ever.

In Episode eight of our case study season, Just Science sat down with Brian McVicker, a forensic footwear and tire examiner at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to discuss developing shoe and tire impressions on fabric using ninhydrin. When a victim is stomped or run over the transfer of skin cells onto the inside of the victim's clothing can leave an impression of the shoe or tire that was used.

In episode seven of our case Study season Just Science sat down with Ross Krewenka product manager IDEMIA and Mike Ransom, automated print manager for the Michigan State Police, to discuss the development and use cases of contactless fingerprint capture technology. Traditionally, ink and paper are used to capture fingerprints from subjects.