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It's a big world out there
Editorial
It's a big world out there Dr N Nic Da6id
In recent years there seems to be an ever increasing number of conferences, seminars and working group meetings all bidding for our attendance. Not only do we need to decide which of these events are of value to us both personally and professionally, but we need to be persuasive of our managersJfunders to let us attend. This can in itself be a challenge as we try to justify the costs and juggle what is probably our most valuable commodity, time, while still attempting to actually have a life outside of work. One of the questions we face is does the end result (knowledge, information, contacts etc) merit our time, energy, and the cost involved in the participation?
myriad of other organisations offering specialist group meetings and the various Universities now jumping on the forensic band wagon to offer conferences for weary practitioners and your head can start to spin! It is not difficult to see a situation where one could easily attend a conference a month, if not more frequently than that. There are many changes going on at National and International level within Forensic Science. It's so easy to get caught up in the "day-to-day" and perhaps become a little parochial in our attitude and thinking and it's good to take a step away from the bench, court or crime scene to look at the broader view. We can gain a lot from communication with our colleagues at home and overseas and the dissemination of this information through seminars and verifiable media is very important to the modem forensic scientist and criminal justice professional. Networks and conferences are extremely useful and for the most part progressive in moving the various disciplines on but also, I would suggest, present some challenges in the management of the vast amounts of information and collective knowledge that they produce. As a consequence we face some challenging questions. Do we as a community actually have any efficient mechanisms to manage and disseminate this knowledge? Is there any mechanism whereby we can efficiently avoid duplication and reinvention of the wheel? Is this the role of scientific journals, other publications or websites? Is there anything more efficient we could use ? What are the resource implications and drawbacks ?
Over the last decade and a half there have been some significant developments in forensic science at a European level with the establishment of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI) and the 16 ENFSI working groups as well as the European Academy of Forensic Science. I expect that all of us who have participated in the working groups and meetings have seen the benefits and challenges of a greater European dimension to our work and the development of forensic science across the continent. Many of the UK forensic science providers are represented on the various ENFSI working groups and some UK forensic scientists are also invited to attend or participate in some of the SWG (scientific working groups) or TWG (technical working groups) in the USA, also striving (broadly speaking) for the same objectives as the ENFSI groups and in some cases there are formal links between the two. Our antipodean colleagues also have similar organisations such as th; Senior ~ a n a g e r s These days I try to keep up with research and development Australian and New Zealand Forensic Laboratories through the scientific literature where I can at least be assured (SMANZFL) which again has a number of similar scientific the material has some credibility. Websites are useful but many advisory groups carrying out development in various areas. can lack peer review (though there are those that argue that this Then there are more specialised organisations aiming at is an old fashioned system of academic elitism) which may particular disciplines within forensic science such as TIAFT (for lessen the value of their content. If I go to a conference it's toxicologists), the IAAI (for fire investigators) and the generally only if I think the content is going to be sufficiently fingerprint society to name but a few, all of which have a interesting or the speakers sufficiently well known through valuable contribution to play. The tri-annual Interpol Forensic practice or research that I'm fairly confident I'll learn something Science Symposium for laboratory directors presents three year new. Otherwise my time is too precious to waste. The question literature reviews covering various evidence types. If you don't of how to keep up to date and manage our way through the know about this look at their website where the reviews are increasing amounts of information and knowledge in a way that available as downloadable documents. is progressive, achievable and above all useful to our professional practice is clearly a tricky one. Answers on a There is a huge amount of information out there, available to all postcard please. through the various websites, but it's also good to be able to meet people face to face. There are annual international meetings which provide either a multidisciplinary focus such as the American Academy of Forensic Science Meeting (next meeting in Texas in February 2007) or more discipline focused such as the TIAFT and SOFT meetings. More locally in the UK, the Forensic Science Society meetings provide both single issue one day conferences and broader topic based weekend conferences. Every three years is the European Academy of Forensic Science (next meeting to be held in Glasgow in 2009) and the International Association of Forensic Science meeting (next meeting to be held in New Orleans in 2008). Add to these the
science&justice Volume 46 N0.3 (2006) 133
Some useful websites: (all accessed Sept 2006) http://w.nifs.com.adSMANZFUSMANZFL.html?index.asp&l http://w.enfsi.org/ http://w.tiaft.org/
http://w.interpol.inVPublic/forensic/lFSS/Default.asp
Page 133
It's a big world out there Dr N Nic Da6id
In recent years there seems to be an ever increasing number of conferences, seminars and working group meetings all bidding for our attendance. Not only do we need to decide which of these events are of value to us both personally and professionally, but we need to be persuasive of our managersJfunders to let us attend. This can in itself be a challenge as we try to justify the costs and juggle what is probably our most valuable commodity, time, while still attempting to actually have a life outside of work. One of the questions we face is does the end result (knowledge, information, contacts etc) merit our time, energy, and the cost involved in the participation?
myriad of other organisations offering specialist group meetings and the various Universities now jumping on the forensic band wagon to offer conferences for weary practitioners and your head can start to spin! It is not difficult to see a situation where one could easily attend a conference a month, if not more frequently than that. There are many changes going on at National and International level within Forensic Science. It's so easy to get caught up in the "day-to-day" and perhaps become a little parochial in our attitude and thinking and it's good to take a step away from the bench, court or crime scene to look at the broader view. We can gain a lot from communication with our colleagues at home and overseas and the dissemination of this information through seminars and verifiable media is very important to the modem forensic scientist and criminal justice professional. Networks and conferences are extremely useful and for the most part progressive in moving the various disciplines on but also, I would suggest, present some challenges in the management of the vast amounts of information and collective knowledge that they produce. As a consequence we face some challenging questions. Do we as a community actually have any efficient mechanisms to manage and disseminate this knowledge? Is there any mechanism whereby we can efficiently avoid duplication and reinvention of the wheel? Is this the role of scientific journals, other publications or websites? Is there anything more efficient we could use ? What are the resource implications and drawbacks ?
Over the last decade and a half there have been some significant developments in forensic science at a European level with the establishment of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI) and the 16 ENFSI working groups as well as the European Academy of Forensic Science. I expect that all of us who have participated in the working groups and meetings have seen the benefits and challenges of a greater European dimension to our work and the development of forensic science across the continent. Many of the UK forensic science providers are represented on the various ENFSI working groups and some UK forensic scientists are also invited to attend or participate in some of the SWG (scientific working groups) or TWG (technical working groups) in the USA, also striving (broadly speaking) for the same objectives as the ENFSI groups and in some cases there are formal links between the two. Our antipodean colleagues also have similar organisations such as th; Senior ~ a n a g e r s These days I try to keep up with research and development Australian and New Zealand Forensic Laboratories through the scientific literature where I can at least be assured (SMANZFL) which again has a number of similar scientific the material has some credibility. Websites are useful but many advisory groups carrying out development in various areas. can lack peer review (though there are those that argue that this Then there are more specialised organisations aiming at is an old fashioned system of academic elitism) which may particular disciplines within forensic science such as TIAFT (for lessen the value of their content. If I go to a conference it's toxicologists), the IAAI (for fire investigators) and the generally only if I think the content is going to be sufficiently fingerprint society to name but a few, all of which have a interesting or the speakers sufficiently well known through valuable contribution to play. The tri-annual Interpol Forensic practice or research that I'm fairly confident I'll learn something Science Symposium for laboratory directors presents three year new. Otherwise my time is too precious to waste. The question literature reviews covering various evidence types. If you don't of how to keep up to date and manage our way through the know about this look at their website where the reviews are increasing amounts of information and knowledge in a way that available as downloadable documents. is progressive, achievable and above all useful to our professional practice is clearly a tricky one. Answers on a There is a huge amount of information out there, available to all postcard please. through the various websites, but it's also good to be able to meet people face to face. There are annual international meetings which provide either a multidisciplinary focus such as the American Academy of Forensic Science Meeting (next meeting in Texas in February 2007) or more discipline focused such as the TIAFT and SOFT meetings. More locally in the UK, the Forensic Science Society meetings provide both single issue one day conferences and broader topic based weekend conferences. Every three years is the European Academy of Forensic Science (next meeting to be held in Glasgow in 2009) and the International Association of Forensic Science meeting (next meeting to be held in New Orleans in 2008). Add to these the
science&justice Volume 46 N0.3 (2006) 133
Some useful websites: (all accessed Sept 2006) http://w.nifs.com.adSMANZFUSMANZFL.html?index.asp&l http://w.enfsi.org/ http://w.tiaft.org/
http://w.interpol.inVPublic/forensic/lFSS/Default.asp
Page 133