FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK... Carol Henderson

This marks the first summer issue for It’s Evident, NCSTL’s newly named quarterly newsletter. The past few months have proven to be busy and the summer schedule is full, too. Here’s what’s new:

• NCSTL.org's “one-stop-shop” database has grown to over 37,000 records and continues to develop and consolidate forensic-based information;
  
  
• NCSTL representatives attended and presented at the AAFS meeting and other conferences to inform our constituency – law enforcement, legal professionals, scientists, engineers, educators, and technologists of NCSTL’s work;


• NCSTL representatives have authored material and received significant media coverage, including features on national and local television and radio stations;


• The 2006 Law, Science, and Technology Lecture Series was held at Stetson University College of Law. DVDs, pod casts, and web casts of “The Impact of DNA Evidence In Addressing Human Rights Issues in the Philippines and Other Uses of DNA Worldwide” and “Terrorists, Hurricanes and Viruses: What’s Next?” are in production;


• Law 101, an interactive education program, designed to educate non-lawyers who are going to serve as expert witnesses, is in development;


• Law students at Stetson and other universities satisfy pro bono hours and earn directed research credit while continuing to expand the database;


• Save the Date! The second NIJ/NCSTL Conference for Science, Technology and the Law is being planned for November 2-5, 2006 at the Vinoy Hotel in St. Petersburg, FL.

We, at NCSTL, anticipate a very active year and continued growth and look forward to your attendance at the Conference for Science, Technology and the Law in November.

Stay tuned …

RESEARCH EXTRA
Canada’s Use of Expert Witnesses and Scientific Evidence Admissibility
Jeff Chesen, Senior Staff Researcher

Canadian courts, like their American counterparts, have been enthusiastic in their acceptance of expert testimony in most scientific areas. A series of cases have set forth the parameters for admission of expert evidence, holding that expert evidence must be based in science. Full paper ...

RESEARCH FOCUS
Does Contextual Information Affect Expert Opinions?: Recent Research
Angela Lack, Law and Science Fellow

Fingerprints have been used in forensic identification for a hundred years. The generally accepted method of latent print identification is ACE-V. Two questions arise when fingerprints are used for identification: Is the process objective? Does the context in which the analyses are made affect outcomes? Find out more ...

FUN WITH FORENSICS
Word Search Fun
Brittan Mitchell, Former Staff Researcher

FROM THE RESEARCH DESK...Database and Reference Collection
Diana Botluk, Director of Research

NCSTL researchers have been hard at work over the past quarter, not only developing the database, but also working on a variety of special research projects. Find out more...

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

The NCSTL website at www.ncstl.org continues to be modified and developed to be more easily navigable and more informative. Details include ...

NCSTL ACTIVITIES and PRESS: Find out where NCSTL staff has been and what we’ve been doing, as well as information about our publications, professional associations, and the press coverage we have received.