FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK... Carol Henderson

The NCSTL staff has been very busy during the first quarter of 2009 as you will see in this issue of It’s Evident. Here’s some of what’s new:

• NCSTL.org's “one-stop-shop” database has grown to over 79,611 records and continues to develop and consolidate forensic-based information including the addition of webcasts, podcasts, vodcasts, blog links, and training materials which focus on science, technology and law topics;
  
  
• NCSTL receives regular media coverage. On January 21, 2009, Director of Outreach, Anjali Swienton, was interviewed on the Scott Farrell radio show. On January 27, I participated on a webcast: "Key Issues Facing Forensic Scientists & How to Solve Them" hosted by Val-Pierre Genton of BrightTALK and on February 18, 2009, I was interviewed by Nell Greenfield Boyce from NPR for the program “All Things Considered”. On March 10, 2009, my remarks to the U.S. House Subcommittee on Technology & Innovation were broadcast on C-SPAN 1. Articles mentioning my testimony ran in Healthcare Finance, Tax & Law Weekly; Biotech Week; Medical Verdicts and Law Weekly; Medicine and Law Weekly; Lab Law Weekly; Health Business Week; Law & Health Weekly; Healthcare Mergers, Acquisitions and Ventures Week; FNS Daybook; Pharma Investments, Ventures and Law Weekly; Lab Business Week; House Science and Technology Committee The Washington Daybook; The Frontrunner; Congressional Quarterly Inc.; and Federal Information and News Dispatch Inc. Also, on March 10, 2009, David Coffey at McClatchy Newspapers interviewed me regarding the state of forensic science in the U.S. I was interviewed by The Graveyard Shift Blog and was also mentioned in Dr. Katherine Ramsland: The Forensic Resource You Need to See in March;
  
  
• On February 16-20, 2009, Director of Outreach, Anjali Swienton, Director of Research, Diana Botluk, Director of Technology & Distance Education, Susan Zucker, and Research Attorney, Catherine Guthrie Bailey, and I participated in the AAFS 61st Annual Scientific Meeting in Denver, CO;
  
  
• To inform NCSTL’s constituency, which includes law enforcement, legal professionals, scientists, engineers, educators, and technologists, NCSTL representatives make presentations and offer training on a multitude of topics. On January 22-23, 2009, Director of Outreach, Anjali Swienton, presented “The NCSTL: Resources for DNA Post-conviction Case Management” in Palm Harbor, FL and on March 19, 2009 she presented “Ethics in Forensic Science” at the Actual Innocence Conference in Austin, TX. On January 26, 2009, I presented “Digital Forensics as a Forensic Science” at the 5th Annual IFIP in Orlando, FL. Research Attorney, Catherine Bailey, presented project updates to the ABA's Section of Science & Technology Law at the ABA Midyear Meeting in Boston, MA on my behalf on February 13th, 2009 and on March 21, 2009, she presented “Digging Up Dirt: Dissecting and Analyzing the Expert Witness” at Cedar Crest College in Allenton, PA. At the 61st AAFS Annual Meeting in Denver, CO on February 16-21, 2009, Director of Research, Diana Botluk, Research Attorney, Catherine Bailey, and NCSTL Advisory Council member, Cynthia Holt, presented “Forensic Research Resources” and Director of Technology and Distance Education, Dr. Susan Zucker, and NCSTL Advisory Council member, Dr. Vahid Majidi, presented “YouTube, Facebook, Chat Rooms, and Blogs: A Fertile Classroom for Illicit Activities”. On March 10, 2009, I presented "Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward," before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation. At the Actual Innocence Conference in Austin, TX, I presented “Legal Issues” on March 19, 2009.

The next issue of It's Evident will be published in July, 2009.

All the best,
Carol

RESEARCH FOCUS
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Report: A congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council finds serious deficiencies in the nation's forensic science system and calls for major reforms and new research. (http://www8.nationalacademies.org/ onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12589)

Committee on Identifying the Needs of the Forensic Sciences Community

Subcommittee on Technology & Innovation Hearing on Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: The Role of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Committee on Science, March 10, 2009
Catherine G. Bailey, Research Attorney

Purpose: To review the scientific and technical issues raised by the National Academies (NAS) report Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward, including those related to accuracy, standards, reliability, validity and the role of NIST. Full summary

Senate NAS Report Hearing: Hearing before the House Subcommittee on Technology & Innovation (House Committee on Science & Technology), March 18, 2009
Leeanne Frazier, Research Attorney

Opening remarks by Senator Leahy spoke to conclusions from the NAS report and salient facts about the capacity of forensic labs generally. Full summary

SPOTLIGHT ON “Dealing with DNA”
A Primer for Lawyers
Christine Funk is a member of the Trial Team in the Office of the Public Defender for the State of Minnesota. She has been working towards making scientific evidence understandable to lawyers and lay people everywhere since her first DNA case in 1994. She serves on the NIJ-NCSTL Technical Working Group for DNA for Defense Attorneys, is a member of the Forensic Laboratory Advisory Board in Minnesota, and is on the Board of the Minnesota Innocence Project. Christine is also an adjunct professor at William Mitchell College of Law, where she teaches Criminal Law, Trial Advocacy, and Wrongful Convictions.

A few months ago I got a call from an attorney in another state who was going to be arguing a DNA case in front of her Court of Appeals the next day. She was wondering if I could point her in the right direction. This is my second most frustrating phone call. The absolute most frustrating phone call, which I’ve gotten more than once, is the one that sounds like this ... Full paper

FROM THE RESEARCH DESK...
Diana Botluk, Director of Research

In the past three months, the NCSTL research staff has been working hard to bring you information about the recently released NAS Report, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward. We have added many resources to our NAS Report page http://www.ncstl.org/links/NAS in the http://www.ncstl.org/'s Related Links section. There you will find links to the report itself and the informational pages on the NAS's Committee on Identifying the Needs of the Forensic Science Community as well as links to many other resources about the report. Find out more

NCSTL's BOOKS & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
Visit the NCSTL's Book Collection @ Stetson College of Law and the NCSTL's Special Collections. Borrow from the collections.

TECHNOLOGY AND DISTANCE EDUCATION NEWS
Dr. Susan Zucker, Director Technology & Distance Education and Publisher and Editor of It's Evident

The NCSTL website redesign is well underway and will debut in May, 2009! It will provide a more efficient search database interface, showcase new media elements, and help our viewers find information more easily. Oh, and the NCSTL is on Facebook and Twitter ... become a fan and a follower! Find out more