Workshops Announced
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Pre- and post-conference workshops have been announced for the 37th International Symposium on Human Identification. Topics covered include probabilistic genotyping, wellness, FIGG, leadership, expert witness testimony, and more.
Registration is limited, so claim your spot early!
Shortened descriptions, dates, and costs are included below. For more information on any of the workshops, including speakers, visit our website.
Sunday, October 25
8:30am-12:30pm
Technical Leaders' Meeting
Topics to follow.
Cost
Registration - $275
Fee includes breakfast.
8:30am-5:30pm
Smart Sheets: Enhancing Forensic Workflows with Excel and AI
This interactive workshop demonstrates how Microsoft Excel can elevate forensic analysis through smart data organization, user-friendly interface design, and AI-assisted learning and development. Participants will be introduced to the possibilities of Excel in a forensic setting and will explore practical techniques for importing and structuring forensic data, designing intuitive spreadsheet interfaces, and using AI tools to boost Excel proficiency and efficiency. Attendees are encouraged to bring or submit their own spreadsheets for discussion, feedback, and collaborative problem-solving.
Cost
Registration - $425
Fee includes breakfast, lunch, breaks, and materials.
8:30am-5:30pm
SNP Genotyping using WGS on Benchtop Sequencers: Making the Most of Every DNA Sample
Whole genome sequencing (WGS) has gained notoriety within the forensic community for generating SNP data compatible with forensic genetic genealogy searches and SNP-SNP human identity determinations. Herein, our workshop will focus on exploring how WGS data can be generated existing commercial multiplexes, low pass DNA sequencing instrumentation (I.e., benchtop sequencers) and subsequently analyzed using freely available, validated bioinformatics tools. Attendees will work through examples using mock casework data to understand how SNP genotypes are generated and interpreted using a low-pass approach, including the challenges with DNA input, variability in chemistries, plexity, profile upload compatibility, and data storage/security.
Cost
Registration - $425
Fee includes breakfast, lunch, breaks, and materials.
1:30 - 4:30pm
DNA Trainers’ Meeting
Adult learners come with past experiences, may it be from school or from previous work. Meeting your learner where they’re at and tailoring a DNA training program to their needs is very important. There is also pressure to get new staff trained and performing casework as soon as possible to alleviate the laboratory’s accumulation of casework. All this must be balanced with the numerous standards and guidance from the community.
In this interactive workshop, DNA trainers and researchers will share best practices for training new hires in serology and DNA typing. We will share research from discussion with lab managers and DNA technical leaders from small, medium, and large labs on how they conduct training, including their processes and timelines. Sample training programs will be presented, and we will learn how to improve the efficiency and organization of the training process to onboard new hires and get them working on casework faster.
Cost
Registration - $275
Fee includes lunch
Monday, October 26
8:00am - 12:00pm
Wellness Workshop
TBD
Cost
Registration - $275
Fee includes breakfast and materials.
8:00am-4:00pm
Build your Brand – Build your Culture: Putting Success in Succession Planning
Most forensic laboratories do not intentionally plan for succession – they survive it. Leadership transitions are often rushed and reactive, driven by fear of vacancies rather than readiness or desire. The result is predictable: reluctant leaders, disengaged teams, and repeated cycles of burnout. This full-day workshop reframes succession planning as the natural outcome of intentional brand building at three interconnected levels: the individual leader, the laboratory, and the emerging leader. Participants will examine how leadership brand and organizational culture influence whether leadership roles are viewed as opportunities to pursue or obligations to avoid. When leadership identity is clear and culture is healthy, future leaders step forward because they want to – not because they were pressured. Grounded in real-world forensic leadership experience, this workshop combines discussion and applied exercises to help attendees assess leadership signals, identify cultural barriers, and intentionally build leadership ecosystems that attract and develop successors long before a vacancy exists.
Cost
Registration - $425
Fee includes breakfast, lunch, breaks, and materials.
8:00am-4:00pm
Bayes to Bench: Understanding Likelihood Ratios and Probabilistic Genotyping from Foundations to Legal Challenges
Forensic laboratories have increasingly adopted probabilistic genotyping (PG) methods for the interpretation of DNA mixtures. Statistical evaluations of PG results use the Likelihood Ratio (LR). Legal challenges at admissibility hearings span a range of topics. We will focus on four key areas: the scope of the internal validation (“factor space”), the assigned number of contributors, relatives and the Likelihood Ratio. Part one of this workshop will build foundational understanding of Bayes Theorem and the LR, its use within forensic DNA interpretation, and explanation in court. Part two will address three common challenges to the use of PG. We will discuss experimental design and summarize published material addressing the key issues.
Cost
Registration - $425
Fee includes breakfast, lunch, breaks and materials.
8:00am-4:00pm
Grupo Cientifico Latino-Americano de Trabajo Sobre Identificacion Humana
Description to be announced. This workshop will be presented entirely in Spanish.
Cost
Standard Registration - $100
Fee includes lunch and breaks.
1:00 - 4:00pm
Building Your Dream Job While Making Work Fun
In this workshop, we hope to help case-working analysts fall (back) in love with their job. We will first identify our collective strengths and favorite tasks and focus on how to build a job where analysts can do more of what they love and inspire a stronger team. We will then discuss creative ways to spice up our least favorite tasks and improve our weaknesses. Discussion will cover everything from testimony to technical review to casework approach and efficiency (and more!), all with the goal of making work more fun, more efficient, and less stressful.
Cost
Registration - $275
Fee includes lunch and materials.
1:00-4:00pm
Shifting the Forensic Mindset Moving Forward
This workshop explores the evolution of forensic science through the integration of artificial intelligence, necessary policy reform, and engagement with our government partners. Participants will examine how AI can enhance accuracy, efficiency, and bias mitigation in forensic analysis while redefining traditional workflows. Policy debates surrounding private laboratory access to CODIS, including ethical, legal, and data security implications and legislature that effects forensics will be discussed. Through case studies and guided discussion, the session encourages a forward-looking forensic mindset that balances innovation, accountability, and public trust to meet emerging scientific and justice system demands. The importance of engaging in matters in congress and the judicial department will be discussed.
Cost
Standard Registration - $275
Fee includes lunch and materials.
Thursday, October 29
1:30 - 4:30pm
From the Lab Bench to the Witness Stand: Communication of DNA Evidence
A panel of criminal justice experts will examine the presentation of DNA expert testimony. Topics will include reporting and testimony in accordance with current community-recommended guidelines (e.g., source- and activity-level propositions), best practices for trial preparation, and the effective presentation of expert testimony. The panel will feature both scientists and attorneys. Attendees will work with the panel to examine actual testimony and have an open discussion about their experiences in the courtroom.
Cost
Registration - $275
Fee includes lunch and materials.
1:30 - 4:30pm
Forensic Science Validation: Principals and Guidance
Validation is a critical part of the scientific process for assessing whether a technique is technically sound and can be used in laboratories to produce robust and defensible analytical results. In the forensic science context, validation is mandated for laboratories accredited under the ISO/IEC 17025 standard, yet the standard tells laboratories that methods must be validated but does not provide a rigorous framework describing how a method or technique can or should be validated. This workshop will provide an overview of the newly published NIST report entitled "Validation in Forensic Science: Guiding Principles for the Collection and Use of Validation Data" (available at https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8589) and a hands-on demo of the newly developed Validation Assessment Tool (VAST) using data from rapid DNA systems.
Cost
Registration - $275
Fee includes lunch and materials.
1:30 - 4:30pm
The Power Of Numbers And The Power Of The Individual: Database Growth, Reach, And Limitations Of FIGG
This workshop is designed for forensic scientists and laboratory leaders implementing—or planning to implement—FIGG. It addresses non-technical limitations impacting casework, including database size, terms of service, public perception, and uneven representation within genealogical databases. While government-funded programs have proven effective, they require creative strategies to overcome stalled cases involving distant relatives, misattributed parentage, or limited database coverage. Attendees will learn how various SNP-generation methods support genealogical strategies, how reference testing fills missing family branches, and how targeted outreach—such as social media, public DNA drives, and strategic interviews—can improve public perception, participation, and case resolution.
Cost
Registration - $275
Fee includes lunch and materials.
1:30 - 4:30pm
Embracing Single Cell Analysis in Forensic Science: Exploring the Opportunities
This workshop will introduce single cell DNA (scDNA) analysis to the forensic community. Single-cell data has innumerable strengths including removing challenges associated with mixture interpretation. We will explore the advantages of scDNA analysis such as the absence of multiple contributors, contributor ratios, and allele masking. We will define key elements of single cell analysis and provide perspective on the workflow and possibilities of scDNA analysis by highlighting several studies, recovery and interpretation methods. In addition, with single-cell adoption being contingent on practical laboratory implementation strategies, we will include discussion about laboratory implementation and policy from the perspective of laboratory directors, technical leaders and practitioners.
Cost
Registration - $275
Fee includes lunch and materials.