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Young Forensic Scientists Forum Newsletter - March/April 2002 2002
Special Session Recap |
| At the annual meeting in Atlanta, GA, the YFSF held its fifth Special Session with over 130 attendees. The forum was entitled "Establishing a Foundation for a Successful Career in Forensic Science" and differed from past years in that the forum was directed toward young professionals as well as students. The program consisted of a morning session focusing on the expectations of students, and employers in the field of forensic science, and an afternoon session focusing on the realities of the career in forensic science. The session began with an address by AAFS President Mary Fran Ernst who outlined the Academy's educational initiative and the role the young forensic scientist plays. She introduced Jim Hurley, AAFS Director of Development, who further outlined the initiative and explained how each attendee could become involved. Carl Selavka provided an entertaining talk on the importance of professional involvement. Dr. Selavka discussed various organizations in the forensic science community and talked about what he, as a laboratory director, looks for in potential employees. After a short break, Jay Siegel presented an informative talk on trace evidence, which was the career spotlight for the 2002 session. Jim Adcock then talked about the expectations of employers for the scientists entering the field, and the expectations of the students who are entering the field. Before the lunch break, the session attendees were able to participate in an informal panel discussion with the organizers of the session and several of the presenters in the session. The discussion time allowed several attendees to ask questions of the young scientists that helped plan the session, as well as the lab directors and educators, who were presenting at the academic session. The afternoon session began with two young forensic scientists discussing how they got into the field of forensic science and the realities of their jobs. Patricia Manzolillo talked about her job with the US Postal Service Laboratory and how she obtained her job through an internship. Bianca Nazzaruolo also discussed how an internship led to her employment with the New York City OCME. She discussed what she has learned while working on DNA samples from the World Trade Center. John Goodpaster then discussed research in the field of forensic science and his research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Dr. Goodpaster provided relevant information regarding how new techniques and ultimately standards are developed in the field. The 2001 recipient of the Emerging Forensic Scientist Award, Heather Walsh-Haney, presented her research in anthropology for the award and her experience leading to being the award recipient. The YFSF then had its first sponsored afternoon break, courtesy of the Virginia Commonwealth University, which provided the attendees with various snacks, soft drinks, and bottled water. After the afternoon snack, Carol Henderson spoke on the expectations of an expert witness and tactics the scientist should consider when testifying. The session concluded with a mock trial demonstration moderated by Carol Henderson. A brave entomologist Jason Byrd served as the expert witness, which provided the attendees with some background in entomology while defense attorney Charles Dold grilled him. Dr. Byrd was qualified as a witness by prosecuting attorney Kenneth Melson. After the testimony, attendees were allowed to participate in a question and answer session with the attorneys and the expert witness. The YFSF would like to thank all the people who attended the meeting making it the largest attendance in its five-year history. Thank you also to the presenters for their work and their time. Without the attendees and presenters, the YFSF would not be able to provide such an informative and successful session. If you were unable to attend the session this year, we hope to see you in Chicago for a bigger and better special session. |
Copyright
© 2002 Young Forensic Scientists Forum / American Academy of Forensic Sciences |