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Young Forensic Scientists Forum Newsletter - March/April 2002 A
Word From The Chairman |
| There is something to be said about the setting of goals and ultimately attaining them. After the leadership change following last year's annual meeting in Seattle, the committee members of the Young Forensic Scientists Forum set a few goals of its own. With the 2002 AAFS Annual Meeting merely a month behind, this is the perfect opportunity to inform you of how WE fared as Young Forensic Scientists. The word "WE" is chosen for a couple reasons: First and foremost, you may have contributed to the cause in one form or another. It could have been submitting an article to the newsletter, helping update the website, answering questions, or making a presentation at the Special Session. All of which are very important and helped to accomplish our goals. Second, and quite obviously, if you were not reading this right now, there would not be a need for this newsletter. Therefore, the YFSF thanks you. We have received feedback over the years and we are always pleased to hear from the readers. Even if you are informing us of an error of some sort. Nevertheless, it lets us know that the efforts of the committee are not a waste. Your feedback lets the committee know the direction it should take. Four goals have been set for the 2001-02 term. Some of the goals were a direct result of the feedback received. Others are some things that we thought we would give the "old college try." Goal #1 - A minimum of four issues in the Academy Newsletter. Check - We were able to put together a total of five issues of the Young Forensic Scientists' Newsletter. Thanks to the collective efforts of the editor, committee members, and contributors, we had a section in each of the issues of the Academy News, except for the March/April issue following last year’s annual meeting. Goal #2 - An increase in attendance at the Special Session. Check - The attendees at the Annual Breakfast Meeting in Seattle were asked to help us with advertising the Forum. There were seventy-three registered for the 2001 Special Session. It was the goal of the committee to increase that number to at least one hundred for the 2002 Special Session. The word of mouth advertising really paid off because the YFSF needed a room large enough to accommodate one hundred and thirty-three registrants. The attendance almost doubled, making it the largest Forum in the brief history of the Young Forensic Scientists. Goal #3 - Refreshments at the Special Session. Check - The Virginia Commonwealth University became the very first sponsor for the YFSF Special Session. Their generosity made it possible to provide coffee and soda for the morning break as well as refreshments and snacks in the afternoon. The refreshments were just as plentiful as the smiles when the participants spotted the many boxes of Cracker Jacks and Baby Ruth candy bars. Goal #4 - Presentations aimed at professionals who have already entered the field. Check - The committee realized that in order to increase the attendance we needed help putting the word out and we needed to have retention of past Forum registrants. That meant a change in the format and in the presentations. And the committee worked hard to do just that. The 2002 Special Session included four presenters that have been in the field five years or less and we also addressed issues relevant to the Emerging Forensic Scientist. The bar has been raised for the upcoming year, but we eagerly accept the challenge. Plans are already underway and goals have been set. Keep an eye on the YFSF to see exactly what changes are in store and how we are doing with our current goals. Just to give you a little inside information, goal #1 was to get a Young Forensic Scientist Forum Newsletter in the after meeting issue of the Academy News: Goal Accomplished! |
Copyright
© 2002 Young Forensic Scientists Forum / American Academy of Forensic Sciences |