On August 6th, Cara Plese, M.S., Scientist I and Antonio Scatena, Laboratory Manager at Gateway Analytical hosted a webinar designed for police and attorneys on the topic of condom lubricant analysis. During this webinar, our presenters provided an in depth explanation of the analysis of condom lubricants and gave insight into many of the variables that can influence the results of a test, including appropriate collection time, the location of sampling, and the type of condom used in an assault. The presenters focused on the results of condom lubricant analysis and discuss what can be determined once a sample has been tested.
Scientific Working Groups, or SWGs for short, are groups of leading professionals from various fields in forensic science who work together for advancement in their area of science. Most SWGs are largely funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) with the purpose of proposing guidelines regarding the use of testing standards, reporting suggestions, and recommended standard practices for both new and traditional technologies. Even though the SWGs cannot enforce the use of these guidelines, they provide suggestions which are reached as the consensus of professionals from various agencies, and can be used by laboratories at federal, state, and local levels.
Last week, I attended the annual meeting for the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists in Roanoke, Virginia. The meeting was held at the historic Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Not only was the drive through the West Virginian mountain country beautiful, but the conference overall was a great experience.
On April 30th, Dave Exline, Senior V.P. and Cara Plese, M.S., Scientist I at Gateway Analytical hosted a webinar designed for police and attorneys involved in cases with physical evidence. During this webinar, our presenters discussed the advantages of microscopic and presumptive screenings of physical evidence, especially suspected bodily fluid stains and hair prior to advancing to more expensive DNA analysis. They also provide examples of such screenings and discussed how these screening methods can save valuable time, money and resources by eliminating samples from being forwarded onto unnecessary further analysis.
Many times, when people hear the words “forensic science,” the initial instinct is to think of the typical TV crime show scenario, involving violent crimes and murder (enter in any various song by The Who). While there is no argument that forensics plays a significant role in these types of situations, many times people don’t realize the value that forensic techniques can have for other types of scenarios. Criminal forensics is only one division of the forensic science field. Another legal area that can benefit greatly from forensics analyses is the branch of civil law. Civil litigation involves disputes between parties in which compensation rather than punishment is the focus, which could include anything from various torts to contract laws to property laws. Just as in criminal law, civil law involves a need for evidence to prove a case.
On February 28th, I returned to Highland Middle School (Blackhawk School District) to give an educational lecture to the 7th grade science classes.
AAFS 2013 Presenataion: What Judges and Lawyers Need to Know about the Science Behind Trace Evidence
Gateway Analytical scientists Cara Plese and Antonio Scatena recently presented at the 2013 AAFS Annual Meeting in Washington DC. The presentation titled: "What Judges and Lawyers Need to Know about the Science Behind Trace Evidence" is now available for download.