ISHI 33 Workshops Announced

Sherlock in Your Homes: Solve a Crime with IGG Workshop

This interactive workshop instructs attendees on how to use crime scene evidence, investigative leads, and DNA profiles to solve a simulated crime using Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG). A cross-disciplinary panel of IGG experts and law enforcement personnel will share a GEDmatch profile to work hands-on with attendees as they walk through various stages of the IGG investigation to identify the “perpetrator” of the crime. Attendees should have some knowledge of genetic genealogy and the basics of genealogical research. Attendees must bring a laptop and have at least an Ancestry free trial subscription to fully benefit from this hands-on IGG experience.

This workshop will address AABB accreditation topics, including the accreditation process, Relationship Testing Standards, proficiency testing, validations, and calculations.

Mixture Interpretation Workshop

To have a better understanding of mixture interpretation and deconvolution by providing a lecture with validation samples. We will discuss the procedure on how to best use the data incorporating the usage of peak height ratio, imbalance, stutter, etc. Attendees will be provided with validation samples to be used under their own standard operating procedures followed by how those same samples are interpreted at the Houston Forensic Science Center Lab using our standard operating procedures. This workshop will be presented entirely in Spanish.

Applying a Casework Assessment and Interpretation Approach to Probabilistic Genotyping Results

This workshop will give the audience an introduction to casework assessment and interpretation (CAI) approaches for reviewing the outputs (including the likelihood ratio) and diagnostics of probabilistic genotyping software used for the analysis of forensic DNA mixtures. CAI methodology is a formal model for the evaluation of evidence in a balanced, logical, robust and transparent manner. We will describe the various diagnostics and outputs from such software and give guidance on the assessment of results by way of examples. We will explore issues such as the number of contributors, relatives, and stochastic effects within a mixture. Handouts will be provided.

The New Superior – A Better Way to Be the One in Charge

It’s difficult working as a scientist in a law enforcement agency. Laboratory leaders find themselves pinched between the needs of their scientific personnel and the expectations of their police commanders. In this workshop, our facilitators will challenge what it means to be a superior and encourage participants to develop new attitudes and strategies for being more effective and trustworthy in how they lead and manage their people. Participants will undergo a Gallup Global Strengths assessment and learn how their individual strengths create both advantages and disadvantages in how they interact with a wide variety of people, including scientists, criminal justice professionals, and police commanders. Through expanded self-self awareness, our attendees will grow their effectiveness as leaders working in the complex arena where science meets the arbiters and enforcers of law.

Investigative Genetic Genealogy: A Comprehensive Review

Investigative Genetic Genealogy is powering cold case solves on a daily basis around the country. The purpose of this workshop is to provide a comprehensive overview of the process of investigative genetic genealogy from lab to investigation. This will entail a deep dive into the instrumentation used (microarray, next gen sequencing, whole genome sequencing), bioinformatics used to transform that data, the databases utilized and the process of investigation that genetic genealogists use. The forensic community is new to this process and this workshop is intended to provide clarity to the community.

Using Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) to Improve Sexual Assault Investigations

Sexual assault kits make up the majority of operational casework for many laboratories in the United States. Next-generation sequencing offers enhanced technical and analytical capabilities that can aid in processing these kits effectively. This workshop explores how NGS can obtain more information, provide more investigative leads and thus reduce the backlog. A panel of experts will discuss (1) the strengths and limitations of CE and NGS, (2) the value of Y-STRs and SNPs for short and long range familial searches, (3) options for STR and SNP mixture deconvolution, and (4) data interpretation and validation studies to enable seamless implement NGS for sexual assault resolution.

Implementation of Information Management Tools in DNA Casework

This workshop will introduce practical tools for practitioners to implement information management procedures using the Linear Sequential Unmasking-Expanded approach. The workshop will begin with a background presentation on key concepts in human factors and the importance of information management in forensic casework. The introduction is followed by group activities on the general human factors concepts. Once the general concepts have been covered, presenters will cover concepts specific to linear sequential unmasking and linear sequential unmasking-expanded and other impact mitigation techniques for cognitive bias in forensics. A practical tool for implementation of LSU/LSU-E will be provided and the participants will be divided into groups. Each group will work through examples using the worksheet to classify different types of information/communications which could be encountered in casework. The groups will practice documenting and categorizing information based on biasing potential, subjectivity, and task relevance. Participants are encouraged to bring examples of communications or information received in their past casework or communication logs from closed cases to practice with the worksheet. Following the practical exercises, there will be a discussion to compare and contrast how the participants classified each piece of information and and time for any questions that may have come up.

Grupo Cientifico Latino-Americano de Trabajo Sobre Identificacion Humana

Description to be announced. This workshop will be presented entirely in Spanish.