How are the words we use when delivering expert witness testimony understood by the average member of a jury? What impact might television shows depicting the criminal justice system and 24/7 access to news reporting have on the average jury member? And, how do we effectively communicate the science behind the DNA evidence in a court case amidst this constant media deluge? We seek to answer these questions and more in our workshop at the upcoming ISHI conference!

A panel of experts composed of former and current scientists, lawyers, and judges will consider jury perceptions of expert testimony regarding DNA, how evidence is presented, and what effect it may have on deliberation and the final verdict. The workshop is informed by the panel's combined courtroom experience, in addition to the results of a survey completed ahead of ISHI by individuals unfamiliar with courtroom proceedings or DNA.

Samantha Wandzek, Signature Science Technical Leader and supervisor of the Center for Advanced Genomics' validation efforts, is excited to be co-hosting this workshop. We can't wait to share what we've learned, and what it means for you and your organization.

The Washington D.C. Superior Court has found a defendant guilty in connection with a fatal shooting that took place in October 2022, due in part to Signature Science’s DNA testing and expert witness testimony. DNA evidence processed by Signature Science and cited in the trial included profiles collected from a spent shell casing, a live round of ammunition, and a high-capacity magazine.

This exciting milestone highlights the potential that these sample types, once thought of as nonstarters for forensic analysis, have when it comes to unlocking a new lead in your case.

In July, Michelle Peck, Genomics Research Scientist partnered with QIAGEN to deliver a webinar on the topic of her team's Internal Validation of the ForenSeq Kintelligence kit for application to FIGG.

To an audience of 250 scientists and members of the law enforcement communty, Michelle detailed the process, from the decision to onboard and validate Kintelligence, to how she and her team handled challenges and roadblocks along the way.

Then, Ms. Peck let the audience behind the curtain and discussed current cases and the evidence types the CAG has leveraged Kintelligence to analyze. She also provided insight on her team's next steps - optimizing the Kintelligence workflow to process sample mixtures.

The live webinar and Q&A session were recorded, and are now available to view.