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MAAFS 2008 Annual Meeting

In 2008, the Marshall University Forensic Science Center became the first university to host the annual meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists.  This five-day meeting was a chance for forensic scientists from across the region to gather and participate in workshops, scientific paper presentations, and vendor demonstrations.

Held at Downtown Huntington’s Pullman Plaza Hotel, the annual meeting drew over 250 forensic scientists from the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and several other states.  The first three days of the meeting featured morning and afternoon workshop sessions covering special topics in forensic science, including: Expert Systems, Polarizing Light Microscopy, Laboratory Automation, Blood Pattern Analysis, and Designer Drugs.

Wednesday evening, forensic science professionals mingled with forensic science students during student poster presentation session.  This, coupled with Thursday’s FLEX Ice Cream Social, provided a valuable opportunity for forensic science students to network and share their research. Mandy Mayo of MUFSC and Frances Carroll of Penn State University received awards for the quality of their posters.

Thursday, nationally-respected forensic scientists presented their papers during three sessions: general, forensic biology, and questioned documents.  The meeting’s plenary session discussed important topics relevant to all areas of forensic science including: ISO 17025 accreditation and the NIJ’s DNA training initiatives.

Thursday also brought the meeting’s annual luncheon, held at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.  The keynote speaker, Dr. John DeHaan, is a world-renowned fire investigator.  His speech “Investigating the Late, Great Fires of American History” was an enlightening look at two of America’s largest fires, the Great Chicago and Great Peshtigo fires.

MUFSC would like to thank all those who attended the 2008 MAAFS annual meeting and made it a success.

About MAAFS
The mission of MAAFS is to encourage the exchange and dissemination of ideas and information within the fields of recognized forensic sciences through improving contacts between persons and laboratories engaged in the forensic sciences; to stimulate research and the development of new and/or improved techniques; and, to promote high standards of performance and facilitate professional acknowledgment of persons working in recognized forensic science disciplines.

To learn more about MAAFS and the upcoming 2009 and 2010 annual meetings, please visit the official website: http://www.maafs.org