Agenda

Our experienced facilitators will create an interactive workshop, bringing all of us together to network, discuss best practices in the training of new hires and the onboarding process, and share ways to develop a more resilient workforce.

This workshop will provide attendees guidance for the reporting of likelihood ratios (LRs) for DNA profiling evidence.

Workshop currently at capacity. A waitlist is available to join on our registration page.

Workshop currently at capacity. A waitlist is available to join on our registration page.

This workshop will be presented entirely in Spanish. Agenda to follow.

For those currently enrolled in a forensic science program and professors/advisors.

With vision, clarity, and compassion, Allison teaches audiences the potent life lessons that she learned on each step of her path after she was severely burned in a fire and faced seemingly insurmountable odds. Her riveting keynote boosts confidence and well-being and offers a balm of hope as Allison intimately shares the nuances of how to respond to difficult circumstances and maintain personal command and integrity despite life’s disruptions. With genuine encouragement and support, you’ll receive a new perspective from which to see the world and walk away with effective methods to handle challenges and move towards dreams and goals with courage, purpose, and the strength of an open heart.

Julie Weil is sexual assault survivor and global activist who has used her voice to turn trauma into lasting change.

Attendees will learn more about the issue of unidentified Indigenous peoples in the United States, particularly in Montana, and how individuals at the University of Montana are working with local and distant tribes and other institutions to address concerns and facilitate education on all sides of the matter.

The process of establishing the database and results of recent searches will be discussed.

This update will focus on the FBI’s progress toward the future use of Rapid DNA analysis on crime scene samples for CODIS. 

Discussion will be in Spanish. Pre-registration is required.

Discussion will be in Spanish. Pre-registration is required.

Pre-registration is required. We are approaching capacity for this table talk with ~30 spaces remaining.

Pre-registration is required. We are approaching capacity for this table talk with 20 seats remaining.

Pre-registration is required.

This presentation will use four real life case work and outcomes to support the central thesis that incorporating defense input to the DNA lab’s analysis and hypothesis building, where possible and when available, leads to more accurate and just results

This panel brings together experts from diverse disciplines to discuss various aspects of genetic privacy impacting the forensic DNA community.

The evening will begin with a chance to network with fellow students, newly minted forensic scientists, and representatives from forensic institutions over light appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages. Following this, participants will share their research in 10-minute presentations (including time for Q&A).  A limited number of presentation slots will be available.

Join us for an evening of fun, frivolity and advanced forensics at the QIAGEN HID User Reception. Recent events have confirmed NGS as truly a mainstream technology for operational casework and we want to celebrate this great success with our HID community.

Join us for breakfast, and return to your lab as a champion.

Join us on Wednesday morning for a breakfast vendor showcase in which we will provide an update on the Spectrum CE and PowerPlex(R) 8 Color Systems and have presentations from several customers who have purchased the Spectrum CE system. They'll share data they've generated with Spectrum as well as insights from their experiences with the instrument.

This presentation will provide an overview of the Biology/DNA documents available on the OSAC Registry and/or published as ANSI/ASB Standards and Best Practice Recommendations.

This presentation uses case examples, expert testimony and exonerations to review common DNA practices that risk wrongful conviction.

This presentation will provide a detailed overview of three approaches: PCR-based targeted amplification, global screening array, and whole-genome sequencing that have been developmentally validated and/or internally validated for casework operations at the UNT Center for Human Identification.

This talk will go through 5 cases with highly mixed samples that resulted in a confirmed identification. We will show the SNP data and match results before and after deconvolution and demonstrate that these identifications could not have been made without high-quality mixture deconvolution.

This talk provides insight into the technical and legal developments on the case, in the context of challenges the community faces if FGG should move further into the court system.

This presentation will provide an update on the FBI’s Investigative Genetic Genealogy Program to include program initiatives, training updates, and relevant legal perspective with the changing landscape of the IGG technique.

In this talk, members of the board of IGGAB will describe the development of the IGG Professional Standards, why certain elements were included or excluded, preparation for the upcoming accreditation exam, and the next steps in working collaboratively with all stakeholders to further professionalize the field of IGG.

Discussion will be in Spanish. Pre-registration is required.

Discussion will be in Spanish. Pre-registration is required.

Pre-registration is required. We are approaching capacity for this table talk with only 20 seats remaining.

Pre-registration is required.

Pre-registration is required. There are ~30 seats remaining for this table talk.

This case demonstrates the importance of CODIS as a first step, otherwise the repeat offenses likely wouldn’t have been linked. It also demonstrates the power of FIGG when all other options have been exhausted.

The presenters will take you through the twists and turns of the case and illustrate how, occasionally, even investigative genetic genealogy can initially send detectives chasing after a red herring.

We report the findings of a case involving commingled human remains of four missing women submitted to the Forensic Science Laboratory of the Ghana Police Service for forensic DNA profiling in comparison to alleged living relatives of the victims.

Through case examples, Supervisor, Forensic Artist Colin McNally will demonstrate how NCMEC is applying DNA results to increase the impact of facial reconstructions.

Busses will begin staging at 6:15pm outside of the Hyatt on 14th and California and will circle between the Hyatt and museum throughout the evening with the last bus leaving at 11:00pm.

In this presentation, the initial development for a combined nuclear and mitochondrial DNA quantification assay will be discussed.

The purpose of the presentation is to discuss the results collected and variation observed in interpretations, conclusions, and statistical analyses reported by forensic laboratories when assessing DNA mixture profiles with respect to person of interest (POI) DNA profiles.

Presenting a workflow designed for semi-automated generation of an NGS-based laboratory elimination database, and comparisons of identity-informative markers from an unknown sample to the database using probabilistic genotyping software.

In this presentation, we present the results of the developmental validation of a probabilistic genotyping software for interpretation of aSTR DNA profiles.

Presenters share their experience of transforming a CE-based into an MPS-based forensic laboratory, already working under 17025 standards, and how they have applied this workflow to the identification of challenging historical samples.

The primary goal of this workshop is to begin preparing CODIS laboratories for the FBI’s future vision and implementation of crime scene Rapid DNA for CODIS enrollment.

What if you had a specific method for engaging in conflict or other challenging situations? You can, and this workshop will teach you a variety of principles and strategies for boosting your confidence when you need it most.

This workshop will review established and emerging methods to associate UHRs to families, discuss considerations and practices for expanding database utility for underserved populations and strategies for operationalizing an end-to-end small, large-scale or national programs for the identification of UHRs.