This episode of the Just Science podcast discusses a newly published roadmap to the transition of forensic research and technology innovations into the forensic practitioner community.
In episode one of the Roadmap to Improving Technology Transition season, Just Science sat down with Lucas Zarwell, Director of the Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences at the National Institute of Justice, and Dr. Jeri Ropero-Miller, Principal Scientist and Director of the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence at RTI International, to discuss a newly published roadmap that guides the transition of forensic research and technology innovations into the forensic practitioner community. During the development of new forensic technologies, there are various challenges that result in products not actually being utilized in forensic laboratories. To help the community overcome these challenges, the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Laboratory Needs Technology Working Group, or FLN-TWG, introduced a roadmap report with action items to help seamlessly and successfully implement new forensic technologies into practice. In this episode, Director Zarwell and Dr. Ropero-Miller describe ways that forensic research products can become unsuccessful, the importance of collaboration between forensic researchers and practitioners, and the process of developing the FLN-TWG roadmap report.