Let’s Talk About Stats

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

In this fireside chat, session six of the the Foundational Statistics for Forensic Toxicology series, panelists include practitioners and experts in forensic toxicology, and subject matter experts for the application of statistics in forensic toxicology. Join us in a dynamic and engaging session to explore common frustrations and challenges experienced in the laboratory, providing participants with valuable insights and practical solutions. Panelists will share their personal experiences and perspectives, offering tips, strategies, and best practices for overcoming these challenges effectively.

This webinar was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on July 18, 2024. It is part six in the Foundational Statistics for Forensic Toxicology series.

(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=YJoHK_QQfcQ

Statistical Tests and Hypothesis Testing

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This third session of the Foundational Statistics for Forensic Toxicology series explores hypothesis testing, a fundamental concept in statistical analysis, and its applications in forensic toxicology. Participants will gain an understanding of the different types of statistical tests, their respective applications, and how they can be utilized to uncover meaningful insights from toxicological data.

This webinar was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on May 30, 2024. It is one of six webinars in the Foundational Statistics for Forensic Toxicology series.

(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=HCNu4aYo1Ok

Use of Controls and Other Control Chart Elements in Forensic Toxicology

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

In this fourth session of the Foundational Statistics for Forensic Toxicology series, we address common challenges, misconceptions, and questions encountered in day-to-day forensic toxicology laboratory settings related to statistics. Participants will gain insights into the practical application of statistical concepts and terminology in quality control and control charting, including trends and outliers. Furthermore, participants will learn about data interpretation, distinguishing between results that occur due to statistical significance and those the occur due to random variation.

This webinar was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on June 20, 2024. It is one of six webinars in the Foundational Statistics for Forensic Toxicology series.

(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=rD09Gr2n6HE

Distributions & Standard Deviation

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This second session in the Foundational Statistics for Forensic Toxicology series explores various distributions commonly encountered in forensic toxicology (normal, rectangular, etc.). Participants will learn about the characteristics of these distributions and how they manifest in toxicological data. Also, this session covers statistical measures that can describe and compare distributions, including variance, standard deviation, and relative standard deviation. Through practical examples, participants will gain insight into how these statistical techniques are applied in forensic toxicology.

This webinar was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on May 23, 2024. It is one of six webinars in the Foundational Statistics for Forensic Toxicology series.

(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=unZqvafnVR8

Calculation of Type A Data from Control Data for Measurement Uncertainty

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Session five of the Foundational Statistics for Forensic Toxicology series will incorporate concepts from earlier sessions and focus on the practical application of control data in estimating Measurement Uncertainty (MU). Rather than a discussion about how to calculate the MU, this session provides practical examples to demonstrate the key elements of the statistical process. Participants will learn how to incorporate control data into MU estimation by leveraging statistical techniques aimed at quantifying the uncertainty associated with measurement processes.

This webinar was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on July 11, 2024. It is one of six webinars in the Foundational Statistics for Forensic Toxicology series.

(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=OyYp_-yrA8E

Narcotic Concealment Methods in U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Presenters provided an overview of some of the more unique concealment methods utilized by drug traffickers, as well as some of the sampling and extraction methods used to prepare these submissions for analyses. They also discussed trends associated with counterfeit tablets containing fentanyl seized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

This webinar was hosted by the NIJ National Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on May 26, 2022.

(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=KQRkXJgUhZk

Terrestrial LiDAR Scanners: Guidelines for Use in Criminal Justice Applications

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

The National Institute of Justice’s Terrestrial LiDAR Scanning (TLS) Working Group was convened to create consensus-based best practices that standardize and improve the use of TLS in criminal justice applications. This webinar is intended to serve as a general overview of the technology, its use in scene documentation and reconstruction, and key takeaways of the resulting best practice guidelines.

This webinar was hosted by the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on May 3, 2022.

(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=T_YCmam0Hhk

Things Are Not What They Seem A Collection of Interesting Case Studies

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

With the rise of illicit fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, synthetic cathinones, xylazine, and other substances adulterating many traditional street drugs, users often have no idea what they are consuming, leading to overdose and death. This further complicates toxicology testing and death determination. This presentation will cover interesting postmortem case studies from Ohio, Denver, and Miami from the scene perspective through autopsy and toxicology testing. Some of the cases involve unlikely victims, polydrug overdoses where an unexpected analyte was detected, and the latest trends.

This webinar was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on May 19, 2022.

(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=Y_SBSd8JFmw

Interlaboratory Comparison of SpermX and Conventional Differential Extractions

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Scientists from three participating laboratories – University of Central Florida (UCF), Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE), and InnoGenomics (IGT) – presented results obtained from mock sexual assault samples using the SpermX method and their in-house differential extraction method. All three laboratories processed identical sets of female:male mixture swabs at various ratios in triplicate and presented their experiences and insights from this study.

This webinar was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on August 11, 2022.

(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=4sjs42ccH9M

Human Factors in Forensic Science Practice

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence recently published a collection of five articles as a Special Issue in Forensic Science International (FSI): Synergy. These articles are known collectively as the Human Factors in Forensic Science Practice Sourcebook. The sourcebook is intended to educate forensic science practitioners and managers on the ways human factors can impact forensic science practice both positively and negatively and to expand the discussion beyond issues of bias. A working group that paired cognitive psychology researchers with forensic scientists met to create the sourcebook. This webinar brings together three of the authors to give an overview of the project and discuss its content.

This webinar was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on June 21, 2022.

(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=DHmZ4Ksj4tQ