Call for Presenters—2026 AAFS Interdisciplinary Session

Presentation submissions for the AAFS 2026 Interdisciplinary Session (IDS) are now being accepted! 

The Program Committee welcomes submissions of quality, relevance, and interest to the forensic science community, centering on the ideals behind this year's theme, Back to Basics: The Fundamentals of Forensic Science. To us, Back to Basics focuses on two important tenets: a foundation of quality, trustworthy, and objective practice that can be utilized and relied upon by all levels of government, law enforcement, and the public, and the maintenance of this practice. We all know that to build and maintain quality practice, quality practitioners need to be well-trained, well-funded, and well-treated.  

The 2026 Interdisciplinary Session aims to highlight research, discussions, and agency programs that address topics such as continuing education access, ethics, bullying, media coverage, courtroom issues, infallibility complex, imposter syndrome, community support, workplace well-being, and retirement. This list is not exhaustive! We are looking for representation from each of the sections on how they address the topics around the Back to Basics theme.

The IDS is a half-day session, usually hosted on Tuesday afternoon. Tentatively, there will be two to three keynote speakers, with two panels of various speakers from all of the sections highlighting our two theme tenants. There will be time for questions and answers after each panel. 

Please email co-chairs Katharine Pope (kathropologist@mac.com) and Laura Labay (Laura.Labay@nmslabs.com) with your suggestions for presenters, with the proposed title or focus of their presentations.

We look forward to hearing from you!