Just Science

In episode five of the 2019 R&D season, Just Science interviews Dr. Rebecca Wagner, a researcher at the Virginia Department of Forensic Sciences in Richmond, about a comparison of two validated LC/MS methods for the quantitative analysis of opioids, cocaine, and cocaine metabolites in biological matrices. The state of Virginia is not immune to the current Opioids epidemic. Since 2012, the Virginia...

In episode four of the 2019 R&D season, Just Science interviews Dr. Suzanne Bell, Professor and Chair of the Department of Forensic and Investigative Science at West Virginia University, to discuss a method for consistent single-shot detection of organic and inorganic gunshot residue. Smaller crime labs often face a lack of resources and don’t have the funds for the most current equipment used in...

In episode three of the 2019 R&D season, Just Science interviews Dr. Robert Allen, professor and head of the Forensic Sciences Department at Oklahoma State University, about a method to estimate the age of bloodstains using quantitative PCR. Traditionally, RNA has been used to identify types of cells and to determine if a sample of blood came from two sources. Dr. Allen and his team have found a n...

In episode two of the 2019 R&D season, Just Science interviews Dr. Brittany Coats, associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Utah, about her efforts to use fundamental mechanics to predict infant skull fracture patterns. Over 600,000 children suffer from abuse or neglect each year. The highest percentage of those are less than one year old. After a child suffers an injury,...

In episode one of the 2019 R&D season, Just Science interviews Dr. Katherine Scafide and Dr. Daniel Sheridan about their use of Alternative Light Sources for the detection and assessment of cutaneous bruising. Until the 1990s, it was commonly believed that clinicians and forensic professionals could estimate a bruise’s age by analyzing its color change. Now, we know that isn’t the case. To fill th...

The National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, aims to create a coordinated community response that ensures justice and resolution to sexual assault cases by utilizing a comprehensive and victim-centered approach. With 54 sites nationwide, SAKI has had a significant impact on policy and practice surrounding sexual assault kit processing. In honor of...

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, a campaign designed to raise awareness about sexual violence and provide methods to prevent it. In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Just Science interviewed Pat Speck, a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner and professor at the University of Alabama - Birmingham School of Nursing, about sexual assault testing and victim-centered care. Sexual as...

In episode nine of the Identification season, Just Science sits down with Heidi Eldridge, from RTI international, along with Eric Ray and Glenn Langenburg, the co-hosts of the Double Loop Podcast, to discuss the nature of the respective podcasts. The Double-Loop podcast has been around for over five years now. While its origin can be traced back to a Game of Thrones conversation over dinner, it ha...

In episode eight of the Identification season, Just Science interviews Selena McKay-Davis, lead senior forensic specialist at Riverside Police Department, about job-related stress for forensic technicians and sworn peace officers. As a forensic technician Selena McKay-Davis is confronted daily with scenes where crimes were committed, and sometimes these scenes are violent or even gruesome. The str...

In episode seven of the Identification season, Just Science interviews Carlos Gutierrez, a lecturer at Chaminade University of Honolulu, about the new field of Forensic Microanthropology. After finding an unidentified bone, forensic anthropologists must first determine if it belonged to a human or an animal. If it’s an animal bone, they can move on to other case work, but human remains require a m...

In episode six of the Identification season, Just Science interviews Hillary Daluz, an instructor for Tritech Forensics and author on latent print analysis. From soda cans and cigarette packs to animal carcasses and pressure cookers, an improvised explosive device is just that: improvised. One of the most difficult parts of I.E.D. identification after the explosion is figuring out what was part of...

In episode five of the Identification season, Just Science interviews Erin Sims, Lab Manager of the Forensic Identification Unit for the Lincoln, Nebraska Police Department, about a case involving methamphetamine use and a double homicide. In the early hours of a seemingly normal morning outside Grand Island, Nebraska, Brandon Crago fled a drug rehabilitation center. 19 hours later, Crago had stol...

In episode four of the Identification season, Just Science interviews Robert Thompson, Senior Forensic Science Research Manager at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, about his role in the investigation of the Molalla Forest Murderer. The Molalla Forest serial murders are arguably the most infamous chain of homicides in Oregon. In 1988, Dayton Leroy Rogers was convicted and impriso...

In episode three of the Identification season, Just Science interviews forensic biologist Caitlin Rogers. Forensic scientists are always looking to improve the efficiency and accuracy of sexual assault kit testing. Caitlin Rogers is working to improve the procedure by using a modified direct to DNA approach to processing sexual assault kits. Listen along as our guest discusses processing, testing,...

In episode two of the Identification season, Just Science interviews Suzanne Birdwell, a forensic artist with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the current Chair of the IAI Forensic Art Science and Practice Committee. With over 700 cases in her career, Suzanne Birdwell understands the nuances of forensic artistry. Through a collaborative process, forensic artists create likenesses to aid i...

The Identification season of Just Science will focus on many of the different aspects of identification in forensic investigations. A majority of these interviews were recorded at the 2018 International Forensic Educational Conference in San Antonio, Texas. This conference, held by the International Association for Identification, represents a diverse and knowledgeable membership that meets annual...

In episode eleven of the Forensic Advancement season, Just Science interviews Special Agent Richard Marx, the supervisory agent for the FBI’s Evidence Response Team Unit, to discuss what follows a mass casualty event. Any loss of life is a tragedy, but nothing compares to the loss at a mass casualty event. Special Agent Richard Marx has seen quite a few of them in his career. Since joining the Evi...

In episode ten of the Forensic Advancement season, Just Science interviews Dr. Peter Stout, CEO of the Houston Forensic Science Center, as he discusses the current state of the HFSC and his philosophy of giving the right answer at the right time. In 2003, the New York Times labelled the Houston Police Crime Lab as one of the worst forensic sciences facilities in the country. Fifteen years later, t...

In episode nine of the Forensic Advancement season, Just Science interviews Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Director of Communications for the Houston Forensic Science Center, concerning the role of transparency in the forensics community. Complete transparency is a rare concept in the forensics and law enforcement communities. But for Ramit Plushnick-Masti and the Houston Forensic Science Center, it is st...

In episode eight of the Forensic Advancement season, Just Science interviews Ron Smith. Smith is a 45-year veteran of latent print analysis and the current president of Ron Smith and Associates, a Mississippi-based company that provides training, consulting, and proficiency testing services to the forensics community. Over the last 30 years, Smith has witnessed a shift in the role of the forensic...

In episode seven of the forensic advancement season, Just Science interviews Amber Burns, Chemistry Section Manager for the Maryland State Police Department, to discuss the role of technology in the fight against the current opioid epidemic. Opioid overdose is on the rise and fentanyl, one of the most prevalent opioids out there, is becoming more difficult to identify. By using the Direct Analysis...

In episode six of the forensic advancement season, Just Science interviews Ben Swanholm, Evidence Screening Section Supervisor at the Phoenix Police Department to discuss millennials and their future role in the forensic sciences. Millennials are a polarizing and often stereotyped population. Whether it’s diamonds or dining chains, they seem to be the scapegoats for the decline of many industries....

The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Humanitarian and Human Rights Resource Center (HHRRC) seeks to promote humanitarian and human rights in the field of forensic sciences and the NIJ. The FTCoE will help to support key international agencies chosen by the HHRRC to improve the practice of forensic science and strengthen its impact on humanitarian and human rights issues through trainin...

In episode five of the forensic advancement season, Just Science interviews Katie Fetherston, the Laboratory Director for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Brian Hoey, the director of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Crime Laboratory Division, and Jeremy Triplett, the Laboratory Supervisor for Kentucky State Police to discuss the ASCLD Rapid DNA committee efforts. In addition to implementin...

In episode four of the Forensic Advancement season, Just Science interviews Dr. David Christiansen, a licensed psychologist in the State of Colorado, about psychological survival in a violent career. Dr. Christiansen discusses what trauma is and how to be aware of those around you that have been affected by it. Listen along as Just Science learns what can aid in psychological wellness and how self...