Past Meeting Proceedings
Past Meeting Proceedings
Past Meeting Proceedings
Past Meeting Proceedings
NORTHEASTERN ASSOCIATION OF FORENSIC SCIENTISTS
All workshops are being held on Tuesday, October 21st with the excpetion of the ANAB Workshop (see details below). Workshops are filled on a first-come-first-served basis. A spot will be considered reserved once payment is received. Workshops are subject to cancellation. If you register for a full-day workshop, you cannot register for any of the half-day workshops and vice versa.
All workshop attendees are required to register for Full Meeting Registration or for Tuesday's Daily Registration (at the least).
ANAB Internal Auditing to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for Forensic Service Providers Workshop
ANAB - Lisa Brewer
https://anab.ansi.org/training/forensic-internal-auditing-iso-iec-17025/
A special discounted cost of $695 for NEAFS Members and Active Applicants. Must be a NEAFS Member or Active Applicant. Full meeting Registration free for ANAB Internal Auditing Workshop attendees. Deadline for registering is 09/19/25.
Course Schedule
10/20/25 9AM-5PM
10/21/25 9AM-5PM
10/22/25 8AM-11AM
Full-Day Workshops 9 am - 5 pm
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Is Gasoline Present? - Using a statistically based method to graphically display the support for gasoline in an unknown sample (Brenda Christy)
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Blood and Firearm Traces in Event Reconstruction (Ralph R. Ristenbatt III and Dr. Peter Pizzola)
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Gun Shot Residue (Pete Diaczuk)
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Fundamentals and Theories of GCMS Troubleshooting and Maintenance (Agilent)
Cost for Full-Day Workshops
Member/Member of Another Regional Organization: $65 Non-Member: $110 Student Member: $43 Student Non-Member: $65
Half-Day Workshops 9 am - 12:15 pm
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Ethics for the Forensic Analyst: Protecting Your Reputation and Credibility for Court (Jerry Buting)
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DNA Rapid Technology Allows Law Enforcement and Crime Labs to Partner on Solving Crime Faster (Thermo Fisher Scientific)
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Toxicology Tetris: Fitting Toxicology into the Forensic Investigation (Jolene Bierly)
Half-Day Workshops 1:45 pm - 5 pm
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Full Spectrum Light Theory and ALS Techniques (Foster + Freeman)
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Mastering DNA Testimony: Preparing for the Courtroom (ExpertDNA Solutions - Maria Tsocanos and Jaime Rodrigues)
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Understanding Measurement Uncertainty for Forensic Scientists (Jeff Salyards, PhD)
Cost for Half-Day Workshops
Member/Member of Another Regional Organization: $33 Non-Member: $55 Student Member: $23 Student Non-Member: $33
There is NO CHARGE associated with the Educators' or Student Forums. However, if you are attending, you must register for the forum. The Student Forum is scheduled to run 6pm - 8pm and the Educators' Forum is scheduled to run 6pm - 8pm.
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More details to come, subject to change.
Internal Auditing to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for Forensic Service Providers
Course Overview:
An integral part of a successful management system is an effective audit program. An audit program is also essential and required to achieve and maintain accreditation. This ISO/IEC 17025 training course provides a detailed review of ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and the related ANAB accreditation requirements for forensic service providers (AR 3125) as well as a review of ISO 19011, Guidelines for Auditing Management Systems.
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Participants will be introduced to the principles of auditing, will be provided with an approach for developing, implementing and managing an audit program, will learn the audit process and several audit methods for collecting, verifying and recording objective evidence, and will discuss audit risks. Numerous hands-on audit activities, including developing and using checklists, are incorporated throughout the course to allow participants to begin to leverage their knowledge gained during the course.
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What Attendees will Learn:
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Gain an understanding of how to evaluate management system conformance to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and the ANAB AR 3125 accreditation requirement
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Apply ISO 19011 guidance to develop, implement and maintain an effective audit program
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Learn about audit risks and opportunities
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Acquire auditing skills using various audit methods for collecting, verifying and recording objective evidence
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Who Should Attend:
New forensic laboratory staff, experienced staff who are transitioning to more quality related activities in the forensic laboratory, personnel that management are considering moving into management or supervisory roles, and persons wanting a detailed refresher on the accreditation requirements and auditing principles.
Is Gasoline Present? - Using a statistically based method to graphically display the support for gasoline in an unknown sample
The analytical process for identifying ignitable liquids is based on fundamental chemical properties; however, the current interpretation of these properties as chromatographic data relies on subjective pattern recognition techniques. The subjectivity of these pattern recognition techniques increases with the presence of complex matrix contribution. To make the fire debris interpretation process more standardized and objective, a novel method is proposed for analyzing fire debris Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) data using quantitative measures of chromatographic features of interest. These features are represented by peak height ratios observed in the Total Ion Chromatograph and Extracted Ion Profiles.
This workshop focuses on applying the results of a study which included the chromatographic features of interest in 150 gasoline samples and 64 chromatographic peak height ratios. Statistical analysis was conducted to determine the variation observed for each of these ratios in the gasoline samples and to determine the frequency of these features in negative matrix samples. This information was evaluated to determine relative significance, as represented by the assigned points for each of these features. When summed and used as plot values, these cumulative scores graphically display the totality of data supporting a potential gasoline identification. The graphical display, referred to as a sufficiency graph, also identifies the “gray” area where analysts are more likely to form differing opinions.
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The methodologies introduced are a step toward a documentation process that ensures greater transparency in fire debris examinations and comparisons. The methods generate a quantitative sufficiency graph for consistent data interpretation and documentation.
Attendees at this workshop will gain an understanding of the study conducted to establish these statistical features and will be introduced to the processes of applying these to case samples. As much as possible, each attendee should bring a laptop computer with Microsoft Excel, Agilent Chemstation or other GC-MS data processing software, hardcopies and electronic datafiles from known gasoline samples acquired using existing laboratory methodologies, and electronic datafiles from samples containing gasoline and matrix mixtures.
Blood and Firearm Traces in Event Reconstruction
This full-day workshop will introduce participants to basic concepts in the examination and analysis of blood and firearm traces. Terminology, deposition mechanisms, and the utility and limitations of blood deposits and configurations in casework will be discussed. Projectile defects, projectile trajectories, gunshot residue patterns, shotgun pellet patterns, and other aspects of shooting events will be presented. Integration of blood and firearm traces into the reconstruction of events will be also be explored. The instructors will utilize a blend of lectures, casework, exercises, and practical demonstrations to facilitate concepts and problem-solving techniques for participants
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Gunshot Residue
This full day workshop will focus on gunpowder residue patterns on garments. This can be very useful in determining the distance from the muzzle of the firearm to the target. Sometimes the winner of a gunfight will claim that the decedent was so close when the shot was fired that there was no choice but to shoot. Meanwhile (in this hypothetical), there appears to be no evidence of propellant on the garment, suggesting there was more distance between the two people than was claimed by victor.
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There will be practical exercises interspersed among the lecture material during this workshop so attendees can experience first-hand how patterns are visualized and interpreted.
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I. Miller & Son has generously agreed to loan microscopes for attendees to use.
GC troubleshooting & Mass Spec Acquisition Parameter Optimization, Source Cleaning Tips, and What Really Happens When You Tune
The GCMS workshop will focus on the fundamental aspects of operational theory, troubleshooting, and maintenance of GC (Split/Splitless) inlets and MS EI sources. Column selection and inlet and flow path troubleshooting, and maintenance will be discussed. The workshop format will be PowerPoint based but will have hands on labs involving split/splitless inlet modules and MS EI sources. The MS workshop will also cover the fundamental aspects of MS operational theory, optimizing acquisition parameters for spectral fidelity and method stability. Attendees will have the opportunity to perform hands-on dis-assembly and reassembly of an EI source, discuss best practices for cleaning the source, and logical troubleshooting and maintenance of MS and vacuum system. An in-depth discussion of the tuning process and what’s occurring during the tuning process will be presented. Initial plans are to have a standalone MS system in the room for discussion and troubleshooting tips. The amount of individual hands-on participation will depend on the size of the class.
Ethics for the Forensic Analyst: Protecting Your Reputation and Credibility for Court
A forensic analyst’s reputation and credibility are as important over the course of a career as their scientific expertise. In any profession a damaged reputation is very difficult to repair, particularly if it concerns one’s character and credibility for court. Analysts perform thousands of examinations on items submitted to them but never know which handful of cases will require courtroom testimony. Therefore, the analyst must assume that any test performed could end up in court and be prepared to confront and address ethical issues they encounter or observe so as not to damage their credibility in court and the scientific community. The workshop presenter, Jerome Buting, is a criminal defense attorney with more than 40 years of experience in many high-profile cases, including the Steven Avery case as depicted in the Netflix docuseries “Making a Murderer.” He has lectured worldwide to the public, lawyers and forensic scientists about the criminal legal system, particularly the use of science in the courtroom. ​
This workshop will present ethical issues in forensic science that analysts may encounter, drawing from Attorney Buting’s experience and perspective. It will feature
It will feature real-world examples from the Steven Avery case and others, along with hypothetical scenarios that present serious ethical challenges—ones that could impact the administration of justice and potentially undermine the credibility of forensic analysts. Attendees will learn to avoid damage to their reputation and credibility by honestly confronting ethical problems as they arise, rather than having them exposed in court during trial or on post-conviction. Some of the hypothetical situations may allow more than one ethical response and these possible scenarios will be addressed and evaluated. The workshop will provide ample time for Q&A and small group discussions to explore various ways to address dilemmas that may be presented to an analyst or their supervisor.
DNA Rapid Technology Allows Law Enforcement and Crime Labs to Partner on Solving Crime Faster
Rapid is rapidly changing. Our presentation will help you understand the latest regarding rapid technology. Firstly, we will provide an overview of the FBI multilab study that compares the two available rapid instruments based on the peer reviewed publications from this study. Secondly, we will review the new QAS standards and their impact on Rapid investigative lead programs. Additionally, we will discuss the differences in CODIS v. Non-CODIS programs including what is required for each type of program. Lastly, we will discuss how Thermo Fisher Scientific can support your program implementation including a guest speaker to discuss the implementation of their program, including partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific and lessons learned.
Toxicology Tetris: Fitting Toxicology into the Forensic Investigation
Forensic investigations are highly complex and interconnected, bringing multiple disciplines and agencies together like the pieces of a puzzle. Forensic toxicology works in collaboration with all parties to perform appropriate analytical testing and report and interpret test results. Human performance investigations connect law enforcement officers, forensic toxicologists, and legal professionals to determine potential impairment or exposure. In contrast, death investigations connect law enforcement officers, death investigators, and forensic toxicologists to ascertain cause and manner of death. Result interpretation depends largely on scene findings, behavioral observations, medical records, and other pertinent information to draw conclusions. Open communication is vital to accurately convey toxicological results, limitations, and opinions in the courtroom.
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The roles of law enforcement officer, medicolegal death investigator, forensic toxicologist, and attorney will be highlighted by experts from their respective fields. Attendees will learn what investigative findings support drug intoxication, the importance of interpreting toxicological findings in the context of case history and scene investigation, and how these cases are handled in the criminal justice system.
Full Spectrum Light Theory and ALS Techniques
Crime scenes hold hidden truths—but with the right tools and techniques, even the most concealed evidence can be brought to light. This workshop begins with an in-depth exploration of advanced evidence detection methods using ultraviolet (UV), visible, and infrared (IR) light. Attendees will learn practical approaches for visualizing biological fluids, latent fingerprints, gunshot residue, blood, and trace evidence—even on challenging surfaces. Participants will then transition into a collaborative, scenario-based challenge—working together to process mock evidence, interpret findings, and reconstruct the events leading to a homicide. The objective: identify the perpetrator before time runs out. Designed to be both educational and engaging for forensic professionals, this session blends hands-on application with real-world complexity in a fun, fast-paced environment.
Mastering DNA Testimony: Preparing for the Courtroom
"Mastering DNA Testimony: Preparing for the Courtroom" is designed to equip DNA analysts with the essential skills and knowledge needed to deliver clear, confident, and credible testimony. Participants will gain a broad understanding of the legal landscape surrounding DNA evidence, with insights into current trends, advancements in technology, and key considerations when presenting scientific findings in court. The session will cover best practices for preparing testimony, communicating scientific concepts effectively to judges and juries, and collaborating with legal teams. Analysts will also explore common pitfalls, challenges during testimony, and the importance of maintaining scientific integrity under pressure. Whether testifying for the prosecution or defense, this presentation will provide valuable insights to ensure DNA analysts are prepared to present their findings with confidence and clarity in the courtroom.
Understanding Measurement Uncertainty for Forensic Scientists
Learning Overview/Educational Objectives:
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Comprehend the general idea of Measurement Uncertainty and its relationship to the larger concepts of epistemic and aleatoric uncertainty
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Identify commonly misused terms like uncertainty, error, doubt, confidence
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Know how accuracy and reliability are related to Measurement Uncertainty
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Recognize statistical distributions that are common in Measurement Uncertainty determinations
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Appreciate the ingredients and importance of a Confidence Interval and how it is used to communicate Measurement Uncertainty
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Become familiar with the key documents (e.g., GUM, ISO 17025, Good Practice Guide No. 11) that govern treatment of Measurement Uncertainty in a forensic science laboratory setting
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Understand the Type A and Type B approaches to Measurement Uncertainty determinations
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Know how to handle discrete (i.e., counted) and continuous (i.e., measured) data
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Know how to develop a Measurement Uncertainty Budget with calculations using multiple variables with different Measurement Uncertainty values
Impact Statement: Participants will gain the ability to determine the Measurement Uncertainty for their methods, calculate Confidence Intervals, and communicate the strength of their results. This expertise will lead to a range of benefits including improved examination methods, a deeper understanding of the limits of a method, and more truthful reporting. Finally, our customers and stakeholders will ultimately gain an appreciation for how to appropriately use our results.
reporting. Finally, our customers and stakeholders will ultimately gain an appreciation for how to appropriately use our results.
Program Description: The workshop will combine visual aids, in-class exercises, and real-life examples from several forensic science disciplines. Participants will have opportunities to collect measurement data, perform calculations, and develop reporting language. During the workshop, informal quizzes will allow participants to assess their mastery of the material and identify areas of confusion.
Suggested Audience: Forensic Science Examiners, Technical Leaders, Quality Managers
Recommended Knowledge Level: Basic to Intermediate
Session Format: Interactive Lecture and Hands-On Demonstration