New Mexico Decedent Image Database: Overview of Accessing the Database and Searching

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This first webinar is an introduction to NMDID. Attendees will learn about the history of the database and the team that developed it. There will be a tour of the website, including data use agreement, “how to use” videos, descriptions of basic data types, and an introduction to the data dictionary.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on October 7, 2020.

(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=Y2kKi2DGH9o

Intact Low Explosives Analysis with an Emphasis on Microscopical Methods

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This webinar discussed intact low explosives analysis with a focus on microscopical methods. It covered terminology for explosives, the rationale of low explosives analysis for most crime laboratories, six categories of low explosives, and examples of three analyses using microscopical methods.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on July 16, 2020.

(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=U5-ywS8V19o

Effects of DNA Extraction Methods on Recovery, Degradation, and Loss

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Many working with genomic DNA can afford to lose large portions of it during its extraction without negatively impacting downstream analysis. However, with work targeting highly degraded DNA sources, retention of every molecule can be key to successful analyses. This webinar addressed the insufficient documentation of absolute efficiencies of extraction methods and the nature of DNA loss associated with the study of low copy number and degraded DNA samples.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on August 20, 2010.

(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=pqED7R7yT6o

An Automated Single Cell Separation Technique to Improve Mixture Deconvolution

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This webinar will provide an evaluation of the DEPArray™, a system that enables the identification, separation, and recovery of single cells or groups of cells from heterogeneous mixtures. The workflow described in this webinar will highlight the impact this instrument, with standard forensic processes, will have on processing sexual assault evidence and improving the success of single cell analyses. We will present results of the NIJ funded study—An automated dielectrophoretic-based single cell separation technique to improve laboratory efficiency, mixture deconvolution and combat sample inhibition, (2015-NE-BX-K002)—and provide new data on the viability of single cell analysis.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on November 12, 2020.

(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=nPb9Q6q3KBc

PACE™: Rapid and Automated Artifact Identification and Number of Contributor Prediction

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This webinar focused on the use of PACE™, a method developed by Syracuse University, to perform artifact management and probabilistically predict the number of contributors (NOC) in forensic DNA samples. This is performed using a combination of biological modeling and machine learning, permitting high accuracy NOC calls (greater than 90%) of complex mixtures. It does so rapidly (seconds to minutes) without the need for high performance computing resources. We discussed the design and development of the PACE system, how to interpret the output, and provided recommendations on how to implement the system in a forensic laboratory. This included a full demonstration of the software and how to navigate the interface and read reports. Finally, we discussed a current project funded by the NIJ that seeks to develop PACE for sequencing-based analyses.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on July 28, 2020.

(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=K6LtumQvRWM

Managing an Accredited Digital Forensics Laboratory

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This webinar covered management challenges unique to a digital forensics unit in a laboratory and offer practical solutions to overcome these challenges.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on July 1, 2020.

(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=N2K2a2BI_w8

Ventilation Limited Fires: Considerations for Fire Pattern Analysis

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Residential structure fires are predominantly fueled by synthetic contents and commonly become ventilation-limited. Therefore accounting for the impact of ventilation on fire is important. Examining flow paths within the structure can aide in fire pattern analysis.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on June 10, 2020.

(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=RyC17X9ExNM

Identifying an Unknown Paint System Using the RCMP PDQ Program

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Using a typical OEM paint system, the PDQ Maintenance Team will walk through the best practices to efficiently use the database and spectral libraries to identify the most likely source of an unknown paint system. Details gathered from this process include manufacturing plant, year range, and models.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Paint Data Query (PDQ) program is an international OEM automotive paint database used to help identify possible suspect vehicles involved in hit and run incidents based on paint evidence left at the scene of a crime. Paint systems on an automobile typically have three or four layers: a clear coat over a topcoat over one or more undercoats. Each paint layer contains pigments, fillers, and binders. Automotive manufacturing plants often use unique combinations of paint layers, which allow forensic scientists to determine the most likely manufacturing plant, make/model, and year range for the vehicle from which the paint chip originated.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on April 8, 2020.

(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=h5OnltQ697E

Recent Advances in Tandem Separation and Detection Techniques for the Analysis of Emerging Drugs

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This webinar discussed the role of emergent technologies for both separation and detection techniques employed in chromatographic systems to increase selectivity for the identification of emerging drugs. Techniques include supercritical fluid chromatography, multi-dimensional liquid chromatography, multi-modal liquid chromatography, nano liquid chromatography, vacuum ultraviolet detection, and cold electron ionization mass spectrometry.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on March 19, 2020.

(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=Lv83ML9WMuM

The Time to Collect is Now: DNA Evidence in Groping Sexual Assault Cases

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Improving the overall response to sexual assault includes understanding how touch DNA evidence impacts groping sexual assault cases. This webinar will illustrate the importance of these cases and highlight proposed guidelines for evidence collection.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on February 27, 2019.

(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=jOSYumdadO0