Landscape Study of Next Generation Sequencing Technologies for Forensic Applications

Date April 2023 Overview The National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ’s) Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE), led by RTI International, provides valuable resources that promote the use of novel and innovative technologies in the forensic community. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)…

Cost-Benefit Analysis Tool for Labor Expenditure Associated With Sexual Assault Kit Processing Workflows

Overview Laboratories can use different workflows to process sexual assault kit (SAK) evidence, and the workflow is often selected based on available resources. In an era of constrained local and state budgets, this cost-benefit analysis (CBA) tool provides a critical…

Just the Components of Forensic Biology and DNA

Original Release Date: June 3, 2022 In episode five of our Strengthening the Forensic Workforce season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Robin Cotton, Director of the Master of Science Program in Biomedical Forensic Sciences at Boston University School of…

Things Are Not What They Seem: A Collection of Interesting Case Studies from the Medical Examiner Scene Queens

← Back to Unseen Threats Webinar Series This webinar originally occurred on May 19, 2022 Duration: 1 hour Overview With the rise of illicit fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, synthetic cathinones, xylazine, and other substances adulterating many traditional street drugs, users often…

Unseen Threats: A Webinar Series from the AAFS Opioids and Emerging Drugs Ad-Hoc Committee

Overview This webinar series is based on the one-day workshop (“Unseen Threats”) that was sponsored by the Opioids and Emerging Drugs Ad-Hoc Committee at the 2022 American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Annual Meeting. To follow up on this workshop,…

2022 Sexual Assault Awareness Month Webinar Series: Exploring Current Trends in Sexual Assault Response

Overview This April, in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence will be releasing a series of webinars covering topics related to sexual assault response reform. Tune in as our presenters discuss sexual assault kit…

2022 NIJ Forensic Science R&D Symposium

Overview The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE) assisted the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in hosting the annual NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development (R&D) Symposium on March 1st & 2nd, 2022 from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Eastern.…

Just a Trauma-Informed Response to At-Home Sexual Assault Kits

Original Release Date: February 25, 2022 In the final episode of our Perspectives on At-Home Sexual Assault Kits season, Just Science sat down with Natasha Alexenko, Lieutenant Jordan Satinsky, and Marya Simmons to discuss at-home sexual assault kits through a victim-centered…

Just a Prosecutor’s Perspective on At-Home Kits

Original Release Date: February 18, 2022 In episode seven of our Perspectives on At-Home Sexual Assault Kits season, Just Science sat down with Patti Powers, an attorney advisor at AEquitas and a former senior deputy prosecuting attorney in Washington state,…

Just Analyzing At-Home Kits

Original Release Date: February 11, 2022 In episode six of our Perspectives on At-Home Sexual Assault Kits season, Just Science sat down with Jay Henry, the former Crime Laboratory Director of the Utah Department of Public Safety. Mr. Henry, an…