This report presents the proceedings from the 2017 National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium, which was held February 14 in New Orleans, LA, to promote collaboration and improve knowledge transfer of NIJ-funded research.
The NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development (R&D) Program funds both basic and applied R&D projects that will 1) increase the body of knowledge to guide and inform forensic science policy and practice, or 2) result in the production of useful materials, devices, systems, or methods that have the potential for forensic application. The intent of this program is to direct the findings of basic scientific research; research and development in broader scientific fields applicable to forensic science; and ongoing forensic science research toward the development of highly discriminating, accurate, reliable, cost-effective, and rapid methods for the identification, analysis, and interpretation of physical evidence for criminal justice purposes. Symposium presentations are reports on NIJ-funded research in the following areas of forensic science: impression, pattern, and trace evidence; forensic biology/ DNA; anthropology and microbial forensics; and controlled substances and toxicology.