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By Lee Mather, Managing Editor
The 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) will take place February 18 - 23, 2008, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. This year, more than 130 exhibitors will showcase their latest products and company news, and more than 700 presentations will run the gamut of prominent topics, from the multidisciplinary approach to political, ethnic, and religious incarcerations around the world. Learning and networking opportunities promise to be more plentiful than years past.
One event not to miss is the Keynote Session, titled Forensic Sciences – An International Treasure, which is scheduled for Wednesday, February 20th. Senior Senator Joseph C. Biden, Jr. (Delaware), and Senator Jeff Sessions (Alabama), author of the Paul Coverdell Nation Forensic Sciences Improvement Law of 2000, will cover Congress’ role in supporting, guiding, and developing forensic sciences through federal support of research, infrastructure development, and backlog reduction. This pushes states to invest in their own programs and grow and support their own forensic institutions. Both speakers will address that supporting all branches of the forensic sciences is important.
The session relates to the 2008 demise of the Debbie Smith Act, which has funded the forensic community through grants totaling over $500 million in the last five years. This will hit the community hard, as backlogging of DNA cases at both the state and local levels will end completely. Currently, the grants authorize $151 million per year through fiscal year (FY) 2009 to reduce the DNA backlog at crime laboratories.
With opportunities abound this year, please take time to stop by Forensic Magazine’s booth (#328) at the meeting to introduce yourself and give us your feedback. We always welcome your suggestions, and love to meet our readers. This will be my first tradeshow in the industry, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to meet you.
Lee Mather
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