DART-MS For Seized Drug Analysis: Fundamentals (Session 1)

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry (DART-MS) is a powerful analytical technique that allows for rapid detection and characterization of a wide range of compounds, including seized drugs. Over the last ten years, the DART- MS has slowly gained in popularity in crime labs due to its ability to provide rapid, reliable results with minimal samples preparation. Despite these advantages, DART-MS remains underutilized due to cost, data interpretation and familiarity with the technology. This workshop provides forensic seized drug practitioners with a thorough understanding of DART-MS to include fundamentals of ambient ionization, data interpretation and seized drug analyses applications. 

This video is one of five in the Virtual Workshop Series: Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry (DART-MS) for Seized Drug Analysis, which was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on September 6, 2023.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8LHhZfz6C0

Modern Death Investigation: Hub and Spoke Models for Adequate Workforce

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This webinar describes the history, structure, and operations of the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The system includes four regional offices staffed by forensic pathologists supervising over 100 appointed Local Medical Examiners. Decedents requiring autopsy are transported to a regional office, while most external examinations are performed in the community by appointed Local Medical Examiners.

This webinar was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on November 7, 2023.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgtfk7Z8UKE

General Assembly High-level Week 2025 | United Nations | General Debate #UNGA80

Source: United Nations (video statements)

The 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly – under the theme Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights – comes at a pivotal moment to renew global commitment to multilateralism, solidarity and shared action for people and planet.

This year’s high-level week (22-30 September) highlights the urgency of delivering on the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals and reinvigorating global cooperation.

Visit UN News for a front-row seat to the 80th UN General Assembly! Follow world leaders as they debate the globe’s most pressing challenges and chart the next chapter for peace, development, and human rights — all live, on your phone or computer.

https://news.un.org/en/events/unga80 and https://news.un.org

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2dffM7O6TE

Advancing Research and Collaboration in Forensic Science1 Compressed

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This webinar aims to provide vital information to forensic laboratories and universities that are interested in establishing research partnerships. The session starts with a review of data-sharing agreements and their importance in collaboration. The next topic highlights research partnerships, outlining ways individuals and organizations can collaborate on research projects. The final topic explores a successful research partnership between a forensic laboratory and a university, providing valuable insights on the best practices for research collaborations.

This webinar was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on November 14, 2023.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0kKixFq-ds

An Overview of Admissibility Decisions After the PCAST Report

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This presentation is part of the virtual workshop "Qualifications of an Expert Witness for Legal Professionals – The Daubert Standard," hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on August 2, 2023.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx1vV0H6xpY

Expert Admission Under Daubert

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This presentation is part of the virtual workshop "Qualifications of an Expert Witness for Legal Professionals – The Daubert Standard," hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on August 2, 2023.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmZpWxgLQiA

Issues Surrounding Qualifications of an Expert Witness for Forensic Disciplines

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This presentation is part of the virtual workshop "Qualifications of an Expert Witness for Legal Professionals – The Daubert Standard," hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on August 2, 2023.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8opUNgp6S4

An Innovative, Green & Independent Europe, One year after the Draghi report

Source: European Commission (video statements)

One year after Draghi’s report, the EU launched its Competitiveness Compass:
Close the innovation gap
Drive green growth
Strengthen security & independence
With over half the initiatives already delivered and €1 trillion mobilised in innovation, clean tech, and security, the EU is on track to meet its 75% adoption target by end-2025.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/V5FexUXY-0U

Gender Snapshot 2025: none of the global gender equality targets are on track | United Nations

Source: United Nations (video statements)

According to a new report, the world is retreating from gender equality — and the cost is counted in lives, rights, and opportunities.

Today (15 Sep), at the launch of the 2025 SDG Gender Snapshot report, UN Women and the UN Economic Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) said that 5 years from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline, none of the gender equality targets are on track, but this does not have to be a reality for women and girls of today or tomorrow.

Bjørg Sandkjær, UN-DESA Assistant Secretary-General, said, “Profound gaps persist. At current trends, more than 350 million women and girls could still be living in extreme poverty by the year 2030. Last year, in 2024, nearly 64 million more women than men experienced food insecurity. Again, talking about leadership, women hold only 27 per cent of parliamentary seats globally, while more than 100 countries have never had a woman Head of State or Government.”

She stressed, “Under a worst-case scenario, climate change could push up to 158.3 million more women and girls into extreme poverty by 2050.”

She also warned that “Without accurate, timely gender data, we cannot measure progress or design effective interventions and we are receiving reports that close to 70 percent of national statistical offices reported reduced funding since the start of this year.”

She concluded, “We need renewed political will and reinvigorated international cooperation to accelerate progress toward gender equality. This is not only just—it is also sound economics and smart policy.”

The report shows that the world is at a crossroads.

Some key data from the report: The world is retreating from gender equality — and the cost is counted in lives, rights, and opportunities.

Sarah Hendriks, director of UN Women’s Policy Division, said, “In essence, this year’s Gender Snapshot sounds a very clear and urgent alarm: Not a single one of the SDG 5 indicators have been met, and none are actually on track, not one. And the truth is quite stark, and what we see from this data is that the world is actually backsliding when it comes to gender equality. It is taking quite significant steps back, and the cost is measured in lives, but also in rights and lost opportunities.”

She highlighted, “The outcomes of this are not inevitable. They are actually the result of deliberate choices. They are, in fact, the result of disinvestment, the result of institutional erosion and the result of systems that prioritize war over rights, war over equality. We live now in a world that spends $2.7 trillion a year on weapons and yet fall short on the $420 billion price tag to advance and achieve gender equality and women’s rights.”

Papa Alioune Seck, chief of UN Women’s Research and Data, noted, “Nearly 1 in 3 women will experience physical and or sexual violence in her lifetime. This is a crisis of pandemic proportions. Yet, we also know how to change this: Financial inclusion is a powerful tool. For every 10 percent increase in women’s financial inclusion, violence decline by approximately 2 percent.”

The Gender Snapshot report is the world’s most authoritative source on gender and the Sustainable Development Goals, drawing on more than 100 data sources to track progress across all 17 Goals.

Female extreme poverty has hovered at 10 per cent since 2020. If current trends continue, the world will reach 2030 with 351 million women and girls still living in extreme poverty.

Conflict is getting deadlier for women and girls.

Already, 676 million women and girls live within reach of deadly conflict — the highest recorded since the 1990s.

But where gender equality has been prioritized, it has delivered.

Girls are now more likely to complete school than ever before, and maternal mortality has declined by nearly 40 per cent between 2000 and 2023.

Rates of intimate partner violence are 2.5 times lower in countries with comprehensive measures on violence compared to those with weak protections.

Closing the gender digital divide alone could benefit 343.5 million women and girls worldwide, lift 30 million out of poverty by 2050, and generate an estimated $1.5 trillion boost to global GDP by 2030.

Ahead of the UN high-level week, the Gender Snapshot report makes clear that the choice is urgent: invest in women and girls now, or risk losing another generation of progress.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt7teCpEdng

The History and Admissibility of Forensic Expert Testimony

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This presentation is part of the virtual workshop "Qualifications of an Expert Witness for Legal Professionals – The Daubert Standard," hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on August 2, 2023.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4SrL2x6xAA