Dear ASCLD Colleagues,
Today we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, marking the birth of this great leader. King, of course, was a key leader for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.
We have been witnessing many protests as of late. Some have not been peaceful. Most recently, we witnessed a violent assault on the United States Capitol in which five people lost their lives. Repercussions from that day may be felt in our workplaces as well. Our team members may be experiencing vicarious trauma over what they witnessed, even if they were not physically there. Consider taking a moment to check in with your teams, acknowledging the event and the trauma. Respect boundaries, but show you care.
Now, let me shift gears to an exciting announcement for this week. ASCLD’s Training and Education Committee has developed “Power Minutes”. These are 10- 20 minute videos that address various aspects of ASCLD. Topics include the various committees and what they do. The videos will also cover such things as the history of ASCLD and have the thoughts from Past-Presidents and their take-away from the position. You can find these posted on ASCLD’s YouTube channel.
If think of something you would like to know about as you are watching, reach out to Director Lisa Burdett, Chair of the Training and Education Committee, and let her know. Lisa will be happy to add to the list of future ASCLD “Power Minutes”.
Have a terrific week!
Be well,
Erin
Erin P. Forry
ASCLD President
|
|
ASCLD monthly board meeting, 3rd Friday of every month
Next meeting: February 19th, 2021 at 1:00pm EST
|
|
Weekly News and Resources |
|
Abstract submissions deadline for the 2021 ASCLD Symposium is January 31, 2021.
|
|
|
|
The ASCLD Forensic Research Committee
|
|
The ASCLD Forensic Research Committee is proud to announce the next
episode of a virtual “Lightning Talks” series to highlight new and emerging
research in all areas of forensic science. Each episode will feature three short
talks given by practitioners, researchers, and/or students. The fourth episode
will be held on Thursday February 4th at 1:00 EST and will focus on The Future
of Genetic Genealogy. It will feature talks by Daniel Kling and Andreas Tillmar
from National Board of Forensic Medicine, Sweden, on diving inside the black
box and approaches to generate high density SNP data. It will also feature a
talk by CeCe Moore, of Parabon, on the power of investigative genetic
genealogy.
The live event is limited to 100 people. See the flyer HERE
|
|
Health and Safety in the Lab: More important now than ever before
Health and safety in forensic labs has been a policy topic staple for many years. Whether it is managing the environmental factors in the lab, keeping analysts safe while they process evidence, preparing risk assessments for health and safety, and having proper PPE available for your staff, you probably have a policy discussing each of these situations and many more. However, with the added burden of COVID-19 protocols, are we continuing to effectively manage our health and safety programs? Keeping safety committees engaged has been an issue all along, but with COVID protocols in place, is COVID fatigue effecting general lab health and safety?
|
|
ASCLD has a few award opportunities with deadlines listed below. If you have any questions, please contact office@ascld.org and your questions will be forwarded to Nominations & Awards committee chair, Director Scott O’Neill.
deadline February 15
The application for any examination in the following year is due December 31.
deadline February 1
deadline February 15th
|
|
The Forensic Research Committee of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors announces
The LEAP Collaboration Award. (flyer)
The Outstanding Evaluation/Validation Award. (flyer)
The Second Annual Innovation Award. (flyer)
Application Process:
1. Complete the application, found at https://www.ascld.org/nominations/
2. Include a 1 – 2 page description of the evaluation/validation study, specifically addressing the criteria
Application Window: December 14th, 2020 - January 18th, 2021
|
|
Forensic applications of DART-MS: A review of recent literature Executive Summary
ASCLD Forensic Research Committee Future Forensics Subcommittee
Review Reference E. Sisco, T.P. Forbes Forensic applications of DART-MS: A review of recent literature Forensic Chemistry, 22 (2021) 100294. DOI: 10.1016/j.forc.2020.100294
This review article covers applications of direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (DARTMS) from 2015 – 2020. Also discussed in the article are the fundamentals of DART-MS, approaches for sample analysis, and data analysis trends.
Click HERE to view the Review article
|
|
Happy New Year ASCLD! The Membership Committee is excited at the prospect of 2021 and is launching a membership drive. The Membership Committee will be reaching out to each current member via email, asking them to promote ASCLD membership to eligible candidates within their organizations. In an effort to capitalize on the power of social media, the committee is asking current members to post on Facebook or tweet on Twitter, during the ramp up to the New Year! If you wouldn’t mind sharing the benefits of ASCLD membership (e.g. networking, information exchange, access to resources, news and updates). Please use #ASCLDMembership and tag partner forensic science organizations so that we may significantly expand the membership drive reach. |
|
ASCLD members: We need you!
To make a video in the comfort of your own space (whether that be home/office/outside…be creative) telling us why you like being a member of ASCLD!
Being a part of ASCLD helps our leadership across the world build connections with its memberships and allows members to gain more knowledge in this field by learning from others.
So what are we looking for? A video of you can include:
- Introduce yourself (your name, title, organization, years in the field)
- What got you in the field?
- What made you decide to join ASCLD?
- What benefits have you gained as a member of ASCLD?
- Is there anything you would want a prospective ASCLD member to know?
The video should be around 3 min to 3.5 min in length.
We are asking for videos so we can stay connected with our community during these unprecedented times. Additionally, it was pointed out to us that often times it can be intimidating to take that “leap” into engaging in such a large organization with such great leadership in our field. Let’s show those leaders out there in crime laboratories that we are a welcoming group seeking a diverse membership. Please consider helping us!”
|
|
Stop by and visit the ASCLD Forensic Research Committee Validation and Evaluation Repository! Our goal is share information about important Validations and Evaluations with the forensic science community by compiling a list of unique validations and evaluations conducted by forensic labs and universities. The repository will catalog these efforts and provide the contact information of the people responsible for the work. Join ASCLD in this effort to foster information sharing, promote communication, and read about the accomplishments of others worldwide!
|
|
Also, please continue to submit your photos to social media with the hashtag #ASCLDfun
Here are some photos of forensic science in action!
|
|
Is your laboratory doing something exciting like building a new lab, incorporating new standards or tackling and overcoming operational challenges during COVID? Are you interested in submitting an article for publication in the CLM? Please submit articles electronically to https://www.ascld.org/clm-submission/
|
|
Did you know ASCLD has a preferred journal via FSI Synergy? ASCLD has signed Journal Affiliation Agreements with Elsevier B.V. Publishing. This agreement gives ASCLD members some advantages for submitting articles. Elsevier B.V. has agreed to an open access fee of $550 (plus applicable taxes) for ASCLD members to publish, with preferential treatment to ASCLD members in terms of waivers. In return, ASCLD allows Elsevier B.V. Publishing to use the ASCLD logo and trademarks and a membership roster once a year. |
|
NIJ recently released a new FY2021 solicitation on “Research and Evaluation on Crime Laboratory Systems and Processes”. With this solicitation NIJ seeks proposals for research and evaluation projects aimed at understanding and strengthening the accuracy and reliability of a crime laboratory’s systems and processes.
Closing date is March 22, 2021
Please note:
In FY 2021, applications will be submitted in a new two-step process, each with its own deadline:
1. Submit an SF-424 and an SF-LLL in Grants.gov.
Step 1, Grants.gov, Deadline: March 8, 2021, by 11:59 PM ET
2. Submit the full application including attachments in JustGrants.
Step 2, Application JustGrants, Deadline: March 22, 2021, by 11:59 PM ET
For more information, click HERE. |
|
The Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations
Formed in 2000, CFSO is an association of six forensic science professional organizations: American Academy of Forensic Sciences; American Society of Crime Lab Directors; International Association for Identification; American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law; National Association of Medical Examiners; and Society of Forensic Toxicologists - American Board of Forensic Toxicology.
These professional organizations together represent more than 21,000 forensic science professionals across the United States.
CFSO worked with BJA to put on a webinar for our membership on navigation of the new JustGrant system and errors they were encountering. The presentation and the slides have now been posted. Please forward to any that may be interested.
See the November 2020 Newsletter HERE.
|
|
Community Research, Newsletters, and Surveys |
|
Forensic Laboratory Needs Technology Working Group (FLN-TWG) |
|
The FLN-TWG is made up of laboratory directors and research scientists, many of whom are members of ASCLD, who are tasked with providing knowledge and expertise to ensure that NIJ research and implementation of forensic technology is relevant and responsive to laboratory operations needs of the forensic science community.
The FLN-TWG plans to meet again virtually early in 2021.
|
|
73rd AAFS Annual Scientific Meeting Goes Virtual!
The 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) will be held virtually from February 15-19, 2021. Abstracts were due by October 8, 2020. Notification of Acceptance will be mailed to all presenting authors by November 27, 2020. Meeting registration materials will be subsequently sent to presenting authors.
|
|
Contribute To the ASB
Your contribution will help ensure the ASB's success in establishing standards and best practices for the forensic science community. Your contribution may be tax deductible as an ordinary and necessary business expense for federal income tax purposes. Make a donation.
|
|
ASB updates from ANSI Standards Action
To view a summary of items of interest to ASB members in ANSI Standards Action, visit the ANSI Standards Action Weekly Report folder on the ASB Workspace page. Please contact asb@aafs.org if you have difficulties logging on to the Workspace site.
|
|
Will your laboratory be among the 2021 FORESIGHT Maximus award winners?
Some have already submitted their data, but there is still time for others to submit. We thank those who have already submitted and encourage all to participate.
Note that we are hosting two workshops at the 2021 ASCLD Symposium. One workshop is designed for new participants to assist in data reporting. The second workshop is designed for laboratory leadership to get the most out of their annual reports. Please join us at the ASCLD Symposium.
Attached you will find the data collection form for participation in Project FORESIGHT. As a response to several laboratories regarding the minimum data necessary to participate, we created a data collection tool LabRAT Levels.
You Tube videos demonstrating the use of the LabRAT tool are available on the project website.
All of your Level I Casework and Expenditures data are immediately transferred to the Level II worksheets. Any additional detail on casework (e.g., TAT, backlogs, items, samples, tests, and reports) or expenditures will enhance the precision of your report. Partial reporting under the Level II worksheets is fine. Do not worry about having all possible blocks filled.
Please try to submit your data by January 15, 2021 to: foresightsubmissions@gmail.com or paul.speaker@mail.wvu.edu. If you are unable to meet that target date, please submit when you are able. All submissions that are receive at least one month prior to the 2021 ASCLD Symposium will be evaluated for Maximus award consideration.
Finally, if you haven’t tested it yet, check out the beta version of the workforce calculator hosted by RTI International and the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (https://forensiccoe.org/workforce-calculator-project/). The updated workforce calculator will be posted in the near future. We’ll send an updated notice when it is ready for trial.
Paul J Speaker
Professor
Department of Finance – 220 B&E
John Chambers College of Business and Economics
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV 26506-6025
(304) 293-7810 (office)
|
|
The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science monthly Standards Bulletin is now available. Read about the latest DNA standard to be added to the OSAC Registry and the nine other standards currently open for Registry comment. Also learn about the recently published toxicology and footwear and tire standards, the eight standards open for comment at standards developing organizations, and the new documents being initiated.
|
|
|
|
August 22-26, 2021 | Together Toward Tomorrow | Boston, MA
|
Are you interested in presenting at ASCLD 2021? Click HERE to submit an abstract.
Continue to watch the 2021 ASCLD Symposium website here. for important updates. If you have any questions, please contact our Symposium Chair, Laura Sudkamp, laura.sudkamp@ky.gov.
|
|
ASCLD Emerging Issues: Employee Webinar Series (Archived)
Providing training and education to our membership is a core mission for ASCLD. Despite the unfortunate cancellation of our annual symposium this year, the Symposium Planning and Training and Education Committees found a way to bring timely and relevant content that would have been experienced in Denver, to the ASCLD membership.
Through a generous partnership with the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence at RTI International, ASCLD presented a three-part webinar series entitled ASCLD Emerging Issues: Employee Wellness. Providing training and education in employee wellness is part of the current ASCLD Strategic Plan. In an already stressful profession, as we adapt and lead through the COVID-19 pandemic, this topic is particularly timely.
In June 2020, ASCLD Emerging Issues: Employee Wellness presented the webinars bleow. To view these and other archived training opportunities please visit: https://forensiccoe.org/allresources/
Speakers: Andrew Levin, Jonathan McGrath, Heidi Putney, & Danielle Crimmins
Speaker: Jody Wolf
Speaker: Robert Kirkby
|
|
ANAB - Upcoming training events
New! ANAB is offering live instructor lead online courses to meet the need for continued learning in light of widespread travel restrictions and the need for social distancing. Each class is offered via WebEx and includes the opportunity for participants to submit questions, as well as interact with the instructor and other participants.
Self-paced Training (Web-based)
Self-paced Training (Web-based)
|
|
The Coronavirus and Stress: How they affect your Lab
Jane Northup Ph.D.
RI State Crime Laboratory
HHS Secretary Azar recently announced that the US expects to have 40 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year. That equates to a vaccine for 20 million people. With COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths across the United States rising due to cold weather moving in, people spending more time indoors, and COVID fatigue setting in, the news of a vaccine coming soon gives much hope. The CDC recommends that healthcare workers be given priority, including nursing homes and congregate care residents and staff. However, there are an estimated 21 million healthcare workers in the US, let alone the over 3 million individuals who work and live in nursing care facilities. These two groups will be given first preference to a vaccine leaving the rest of the country to wait for future vaccines. At best, the bulk of your agency's staff may not be eligible for a vaccine until late spring in 2021. We know that everyone should wear a mask, stay at least 6 feet apart, avoid crowds, and wash hands frequently. But, with at least another six months looming ahead, are we doing enough, and is it sustainable through 2021, if not longer?
|
|
Crime Lab Minute Sponsors
For More Information, Click the LOGO below:
|
|
Donations to ASCLD can now be made online! This is a great way to honor the memory of a forensic colleague, to commemorate a life event for that person who has everything, or to otherwise assist in supporting the tireless efforts of the ASCLD organization in the pursuit of excellence in forensic science management. The donation page can be accessed by clicking HERE or by visiting the ASCLD website and clicking on "Donate to ASCLD" under the "Member Site" tab (this donation page is accessible even to non-members). Please consider donating and do share this information with anyone you think might be interested.
|
|
The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors
65 Glen Road, Suite 123
Garner, NC 27529
Phone: 919.773.2044
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
