Just Science

In episode one of our Innovations in Corrections season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Christine Lindquist, Director of the Corrections and Reentry Research Program at RTI International, to discuss the importance of consulting individuals with lived experience when designing corrections and reentry research. To assist incarcerated individuals who are preparing to reenter their communities, correc...

In episode four of our Domestic Radicalization season, Just Science sat down with Dr. William Parkin, Senior Research Analyst at RTI International, and Dr. Rainer Hilscher, Senior Research Data Scientist at RTI International, to discuss what people do when an improvised explosive device, or IED, detonates in a public space. When an IED unexpectedly explodes in a crowded space, people can react in...

In episode three of our Domestic Radicalization season, Just Science sat down with Sarah Cook and Ariane Noar, Researchers in the Security and Extremism Research Program at RTI International, to discuss how their work contributes to the prevention of violent extremism. Many organizations across the country receive funding from the Department of Homeland Security, to implement programs that aim to...

In episode two of our Domestic Radicalization season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Matthew DeMichele, Director of the Center for Criminal Legal Systems Research at RTI International, to discuss his research focused on former members of white supremacist groups. Domestic Violent Extremists use violence to further their social or political goals, and thereby pose a significant threat to the Americ...

In episode one of our Domestic Radicalization season, Just Science sat down with Neal Parsons, Senior Research Scientist at RTI International, to discuss the growing threat of drone use and how the American criminal justice system is responding. Most people think of drones as a benign hobby or a tool to take aerial photos and videos, however, recent research reveals that drones are increasingly be...

In episode four of our Roadmap to Improving Technology Transition season, Just Science sat down with Dr. 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 forens...

In episode three of our Roadmap to Improving Technology Transition season, Just Science sat down with Dr. 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 communicat...

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 commun...

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 Dr. 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 t...

In episode four of our National Case Closed Project: Supporting Best Practices in Investigation season, Just Science sat down with Michael McKissic, founder of the Mikey23 Foundation, Reverend Rodrick Burton, St. Louis Metropolitan Clergy Coalition's Chairperson for Public Safety, and Dr. Stacy Sechrist, Research Public Health Analyst at RTI International, to discuss the importance of building tru...

In episode three of our National Case Closed Project: Supporting Best Practices in Investigation season, Just Science sat down with Lamar Fyall, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina, Rob Lang, Assistant United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, and John Wilkinson, Attorney Advisor at AEquitas, to discuss how state, local, and federal prosecuto...

In episode two of our National Case Closed Project: Supporting Best Practices in Investigation season, Just Science sat down with Fabio Sanchez, Crime Gun Intelligence Sergeant at the City of Miami Police Department, Yaneisy Delgado, Intelligence Analyst at the Miami-Dade Police Department, and Kevin Armbruster, retired Lieutenant with the Milwaukee Police Department, to discuss how their agencies...

In episode one of our National Case Closed Project: Supporting Best Practices in Investigation season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Kevin Strom, Director of the Center for Policing Research and Investigative Science at RTI International, and John Skaggs, retired homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, to discuss the goals of the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA’s) National...

In episode eight of our Case Studies season, Just Science sat down with Brian McVicker, a Forensic Footwear and Tire Examiner at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to discuss developing shoe and tire impressions on fabric using ninhydrin. When a victim is stomped or runover, the transfer of skin cells onto the inside of the victim’s clothing can leave an impression of the shoe or tire that...

In episode seven of our Case Studies season, Just Science sat down with Ross Krewenka, Product Manager for 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; however, advances in technology have made it pos...

In episode 6 of our Case Studies season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Richard Vorder Bruegge, Senior Physical Scientist at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to discuss how facial recognition technology was used to help identify individuals in photographs in two landmark cases. Many individuals encounter facial recognition technology in their everyday lives like when they unlock their phones....

In episode five of our Case Studies season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Justin Schorr, Principal Collision Reconstruction Engineer, and Tim Primrose, Mobile Forensic Analyst, at DJS Associates, Inc. to discuss utilizing digital evidence in real-world cases. In the digital age, forensic technology has broad applications for investigations. From cell phone, social media account, and car infotainm...

In episode four of our Case Studies season, Just Science sat down with Josh Yonovitz, expert witness in forensic audio, to discuss the history of utilizing voice identification in investigations and the current state of forensic audio. In the 1960’s, voice identification started being used in forensics, but the original voiceprint analysis used was proven to be inaccurate. Nowadays, forensic scien...

In episode three of our Case Studies season, Just Science sat down with Laura Matson, an Advanced Latent Print and Footwear Examiner with the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratories, to discuss the value of providing footwear investigative leads. Footwear impressions are commonly found in crime scenes; however, these impressions can be difficult to detect and collect which leads to the underutilization...

In episode two of our Case Studies season, Just Science sat down with Crime Scene Technician Brian Turner and Detective Roberto Caceres from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office to discuss a new methodology for processing fired cartridge cases. When a cartridge case is recovered from a crime scene, investigators must typically decide whether to swab it for DNA or process it for latent prints. The B...

In episode one of our Case Studies season, Just Science sat down with Ian Oxton, Forensic Identification Specialist for the Calgary Police Service, to discuss a triple homicide case involving the longest lasting Amber Alert in Alberta, Canada’s history. Operation Amber started as a race against the clock for a missing child and his grandparents, then quickly evolved into a massive search effort on...

In this special release episode, Just Science sat down with Kristin Henning, Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at Georgetown Law and Author of The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth, to discuss the biases that exist in the American criminal legal system, which disproportionally and negatively impact teenagers of color. Decades of developmental psychology r...

In this special release episode, Just Science sat down with Patricia Powers, an attorney advisor with AEquitas, to discuss her experience working on the Enhancing Conviction Integrity through Forensics training series, as a part of the Bureau of Justice Assistance Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. The Enhancing Conviction Integrity through Forensics training series aims to identify and develop resour...

In episode four of our Human Trafficking Policy and Research Analyses Project mini season, Just Science sat down with Drs. Lilly Yu and Josh Hendrix, research scientists at RTI International, to discuss a project which documents the implementation of school-based human trafficking safety and prevention programs. For decades, school systems have incorporated safety and prevention programs into thei...

In episode three of our Human Trafficking Policy and Research Analyses Project mini season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Kelle Barrick, Dr. Rebecca Pfeffer, and Natasha Aranguren, research scientists at RTI International, to discuss a study which estimates the prevalence of labor trafficking in Houston as a part of the larger Human Trafficking Policy and Research Analyses Project. Understanding...