Just Science

In this episode of the 2020 R&D Season, Just Science interviews Dr. Tatiana Trejos, Assistant Professor of the Department of Forensic and Investigative Sciences at West Virginia University, about the rapid detection of organic and inorganic gunshot residue. Speed and accuracy are vital when it comes to the analysis of gunshot residue. Dr. Trejos and her team are working on a comprehensive method f...

In episode three of the 2020 R&D Season, Just Science interviews Dr. Carl Wolf from the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals about 40 plus ways NOT to analyze beverages for cannibinoids. From professional student, to a leading researcher in the analysis of cannabinoids, Dr. Wolf has been involved in academia for decades. In that time, he has consulted and lectured on toxicology, given expert test...

In episode two of the 2020 R&D Season, Just Science interviews Dr. Heather Garvin, Associate Professor of Anatomy at Des Moines University, about her work with OSTEOID, an online resource for species identification of skeletal remains. Approximately 30-40% of cases involving skeletal remains received by forensic anthropologists end up being animal bones. Forensic anthropologists can use their expe...

In episode one of the 2020 R&D Season, Just Science interviews Dr. Ling Wang, post-doctoral associate at Florida International University, about the detection and quantitation of fentanyl mixtures by Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy and Chemometrics. Opioid abuse has grown considerably in the last few years. New fentanyl analogs appear in street drugs at an alarming rate. Researchers like Dr. W...

The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Humanitarian and Human Rights Resource Center (HHRRC) seeks to promote humanitarian and human rights action in the field of forensic sciences. This effort would not be possible without the support provided by NIJ’s FTCoE and AAFS. The HHRRC improves the practice of forensic science and strengthens its impact on humanitarian and human rights issues t...

Hello and welcome to Just Science, a podcast for justice professionals and anyone interested in learning more about forensic science, innovative technology, current research, and actionable strategies to improve the criminal justice system. This announcement was funded by the Center for Forensic Sciences at RTI International

In episode four of the Improving the System season. Just Science interviews Sarah Chu, Senior Advisor on Forensic Science Policy at the Innocence Project, about their work to end wrongful conviction. Currently, there are over 2,500 cases on the National Registry of Exonerations. Organizations like the Innocence Project work tirelessly to put an end to wrongful convictions. They rely on people fami...

In episode three of the Improving the System season, Just Science interviews John Paul Jones and Mark Stolorow of NIST about the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science. The 2009 National Academy of Sciences report on forensic science cited a lack of national leadership and scientifically sound standards. Its authors specifically looked to NIST to bridge these gaps in the f...

In episode two of the Improving the System season, Just Science met with Gerry LaPorte, former Director of the Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences at NIJ, to discuss forensic science research and development innovations. Over the course of his career, Gerry LaPorte has worked with scores of agencies across multiple disciplines on varied, high-profile cases. From granular points about che...

In episode one of the Improving the System season, Just Science interviews Dr. Jonathan McGrath, Senior Policy Analyst in the Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences at the National Institute of Justice, about the recently published NIJ Needs Assessment of Forensic Laboratories and Medical Examiner, Coroner Offices Report to Congress. Listen along as he discusses the findings of the report a...

The impact that stress has on a person’s mind and body can be dramatic, but the effects are amplified when the stressors involve violent, graphic, or traumatic material. Amy Jeanguenat and Andrew Levin are working to provide support to those affected by this vicarious trauma, with an emphasis on forensic scientists and first responders. Listen along as they discuss stress, mindfulness, and the fut...

In the final episode of the DNA season, Just Science interviews Jayann Sepich, co-founder of the non-profit organization DNA Saves, about lawfully owed arrestee DNA. In 2003, 22-year-old Katie Sepich was raped and murdered within five blocks of her home in New Mexico. Using skin and blood found under her fingernails, investigators were able to produce a full DNA profile and uploaded it to CODIS. H...

In episode seven of the DNA season, Just Science interviews Molly Hall, an examiner for the United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, about their transition to a Direct-to-DNA approach to processing sexual assault kits. The United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory acts as the true crime lab for the entire Department of Defense and serves all branches of the military. With r...

In episode six of the DNA season, Just Science interviews Leslie Parke and Jamie Haas of Signature Science, a private DNA laboratory based in Austin, Texas, about increasing workflow efficiency in their lab. From twenty cases a month to thousands of cases per year, Signature Science has shown significant growth in their lab’s capacity. By introducing automation and eliminating unnecessary steps in...

In the last episode of Just Science, Dr. Barbara Rae-Venter shared her techniques for creating family trees and discussed the resolution of her first cold case. In episode five of the DNA season, we continue that conversation. In February 2017, Forensic Magazine published an article detailing the Bear Brook Murders, an abandoned girl, and Rae-Venter's involvement in the resolution of a cold case t...

In episode four of the DNA season, Just Science interviews Dr. Barbara Rae-Venter, genetic genealogist and volunteer search angel with DNAadoption.org, about investigative genetic genealogy and its use in forensic science. From computer programmer to patent attorney, Dr. Rae-Venter’s career has taken many unexpected turns. But no one would have predicted the impact she would have in retirement. In...

In episode three of the DNA season, Just Science interviews Julie Sikorsky, Forensic Biology Unit Manager at the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, about her experience introducing an efficiency program into her lab. Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office serves over 30 agencies. With such a large client base, capacity and efficiency are critical for their success. In order to improve efficiency in h...

In episode two of the DNA season, Just Science interviews Dr. Kenneth Kidd, Professor Emeritus of Genetics at Yale University, about his research in genetics. Dr. Kenneth Kidd has been working on grants from the National Institute of Justice for nearly a decade. In that time, he has made great contributions to our understanding of genetics and its use in forensics. While his work started with gene...

In episode one of the DNA season, Just Science interviews Chris Asplen, Executive Director of National Criminal Justice Association, about the evolution of DNA evidence. Listen along as our guest discusses the value of post-conviction testing and the impact of DNA evidence on forensic investigations in this episode of Just Science. This season is funded by the National Institute of Justice’s Foren...

In this special release episode, Just Science interviews Dr. Hope Smiley-McDonald and Connor Brooks about the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ Census of Medical Examiners and Coroners. The last Census of Medical Examiners and Coroners was conducted in 2004 and stands as one of the most important resources for budget makers and policy changers. Since then, the realm of MDI has changed dramatically. Wi...

In episode ten of the 2019 R&D season, Just Science interviews Dr. Christopher Ehrhardt, professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, about a method for determining tissue type, age of evidence, and contributors from biological mixtures using cellular autofluorescence signatures. It goes without saying that cells collected from different parts of the body look different. Buccal, vaginal, epiderm...

In episode nine of the 2019 R&D season, Just Science interviews Dr. David Rivers, a professor at Loyola University, about the detection of insect stains and the development of a quantifiable confirmatory test for fly contamination of bloodstain evidence. There are roughly 86,000 species of flies that have been identified on a global scale. Approximately 16,000 species of flies reside in the United...

In episode eight of the 2019 R&D season, Just Science interviews Dr. Igor Lednev, professor of Chemistry at the University of Albany, about using Raman Microspectroscopy and advanced statistics for detecting and characterizing gunshot residue. Raman Spectroscopy is known as one of the most selective spectroscopic techniques because of the unique structural fingerprint that it produces from a sampl...

In episode seven of the 2019 R&D season, Just Science interviews Dr. Audris Mockus, a Professor in the Tickle College of Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, about an Image Cloud Platform for Use in Tagging and Research on Decomposition database. Over the last few decades, researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Forensic Anthropology Center have been photographing a...

In episode six of the 2019 R&D season, Just Science interviews Dr. Jorn Yu, professor at Sam Houston State University, about the chemical analysis of controlled substances using automated headspace solid phase microextraction. Developed in the 1990s, headspace solid phase microextraction isn’t necessarily a novel technique. While it is a reliable method for extracting analytes, it hasn’t really fo...