Young Forensic Scientists Forum
The mission of the YFSF is to provide education, mentorship, and resources to students and champion young forensic scientists in order to promote interest and longevity in the field while encouraging participation and advancement within the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
The YFSF provides young professionals and students an opportunity to network, collaborate and learn from fellow peers and experts in the field.
The YFSF hosts a Special Session at the annual meeting which is designed to prepare attendees for a successful career in their discipline of choice and encourage them to look inward as they evaluate themselves and their future impact on the greater professional realm of forensic science.
Additionally, the YFSF hosts a Poster Session each year and acknowledges an individual(s) with the YFSF Outstanding Poster Award which provides scholarship and recognition to the individual(s) with the best poster produced by a young forensic scientist!
Finally, the YFSF works alongside the AAFS Mentorship Program to guide young professionals towards mentor/mentee relationships. Mentors are experienced professionals that work closely with their mentee to recommend steps in career progression, help network within the forensic science community, and support new skill developments.
The YFSF was created to support forensic scientists with five or less years of professional experience.
Whether you are a student, novice scientist, or making a career change into forensic science, the YFSF is here to assist!
YFSF Special Session Schedule
| 8:30 am - 8:45 am | Introduction to the Special Session- Maryann Hobbs and Sai Zapico |
| 8:45 am - 9:10 am | Careers in Forensic Psychiatry - Christopher Thompson |
| 9:10 am - 9:30 am | Forensic Sciences: Creating Your Path - Joanna Collins |
| 9:30 am - 9:50 am | AAFS Membership - Cheryl Hunter |
| 9:50 am - 10:20 am | The Young Forensic Scientist's Compass: Navigating Careers and Growth - Mirna Ghemrawi |
| 10:20 am - 10:30 am | Break |
| 10:30 am - 11:00 am | Illuminating the Invisible: Leveraging AI and Alternate Light for Forensic Bruise Detection - Katherine Scafide |
| 11:00 am - 11:30 am | Getting Hired Faster & Better: Who Do AI Tools Really Cheat - Dirk Vastrick |
| 11:30 am - 12:00 pm | Digital & Multimedia Forensics: One "Byte" at a Time - Doug Lacy |
| 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm | Lunch |
| 1:00 pm - 1:20 pm | Not All Black and White: Developing a Career in Digital and Multimedia Forensics - Christina Malone |
| 1:20 pm - 2:00 pm | Back to Basics: Why Hard Forensics Skills Will Remain Relevant in the AI Era - Sarah Ellingham |
| 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm | How Technology Elevates the PM (and AM) Skeletal Analysis - Joe Adserias-Garriga |
| 2:30 pm - 3:00 pm | Field Sites and Microscope Fields: A Multidisciplinary Path in Forensic Anthropology - Victoria Dominguez |
| 3:00 pm - 3:15 pm | Break |
| 3:15 pm - 3:40 pm | R We There Yet?: Coding to Buffer Financial Stress During Education and Training - Valerie Sgheiza |
| 3:40 pm - 4:00 pm | Forensic Science Careers: Resources, Tips and Opportunities - Steve Lee |
| 4:00 pm - 4:30 pm | From Patrol Officer to Digital Examiner: My Evolution in Crime Solving - Brandon Epstein |
| 4:30 pm - 5:00 pm | Resume Review Workshop - Dirk Vastrick |
| 5:00 pm - 5:30 pm | Meet the Speakers Mixer |
The YFSF Outstanding Poster Award
This award is designed to acknowledge and promote research contributions to the forensic science community by young forensic scientists. To be considered for the award, authors must be non-members, Student Affiliates, or Trainee Affiliates within AAFS. During the submission process authors should indicate that their posters are to be considered for the awards. Further, the presenting author must be present during the YFSF Poster Session at the conference. Judging will be based on the following criteria: poster appearance, poster content, and quality of presentation. Questions? Contact the YFSF Committee at yfsfchair@aafs.org.
The YFSF Outstanding Poster Award is sponsored by The Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE) — an organization that provides education, training, and research that advances the capability, acceptance, and integrity of forensic science as it informs public health and public safety missions.
Recipients
- 2024 – Haley Murphy and Leticia Bodo
See bio's below - 2023 — Kaylee Morton and Joseph Zemmels
The YFSF Founder's Award
This award is designed to acknowledge a member of the AAFS or a member of the AAFS staff who has exhibited a dedication to the education, enrichment, and development of emerging forensic scientists, and who has shown a considerable amount of dedication to the assistance of emerging forensic scientists and the future leaders of the field. The YFSF Founder's Award will be presented at the AAFS annual meeting.
Past Recipients
- 2024 — Zain M. Bahloo
- 2023 — Cheryl Hunter
- 2022 — Laura C. Fulginiti
- 2021 — Carl R. McClary
- 2020 — Alex J. Krotulski
- 2019 — Susan M. Ballou
Important Deadlines
October 1, 2024: Abstract Submissions due for YFSF Poster Session Award
Check out our Instagram page!
Follow us @aafsyfsf for updates and information.
Meet the YFSF Committee!
Dr. Emily Rue
Morghan Hogg
Paul Yount
Dr. Claire Cartozzo
Dr. Sara "Sai" C. Zapico
Dr. Maryann Hobbs
2024 YFSF Outstanding Poster Award Winners
Haley Murphy
Haley Murphy is now a Serologist/ DNA Analyst in Training at DNA Labs International. Haley was a master's student at Duquesne University when she completed her research to determine if Sharpie® markers may be a potential avenue for DNA transfer within a laboratory. Her research addressed two objectives. The first objective was to determine if a Sharpie® can collect a detectable amount of DNA when drawn through a stain. The second objective of this scenario was to determine whether a Sharpie® can collect DNA from the surrounding substrate when outlining a stain. It was determined in both scenarios that DNA transfer occurred. There are many avenues for future directions regarding DNA transfer from Sharpie® markers. This includes testing DNA transfer from a contaminated Sharpie® onto a fabric substrate, determining if wiping a Sharpie® tip with an ethanol or bleach wipe will degrade the DNA within its matrix, and expansion to higher numbers of outlines to account for the number of times a Sharpie® may be used in a case working lab.
Haley felt that being able to present her research at the AAFS Young Forensic Scientists Forum was an unforgettable experience. Conversing with professionals in the field gave incredible insight into the expectations of this career. Receiving the Young Forensic Scientists Award is her greatest academic achievement. This award is a recognition of the time and hard work spent completing her research. Additionally, this award creates a platform for this research to be seen throughout the forensics community. Due to the potential impacts of DNA transfer from Sharpie® markers, she hopes that this award helps circulate this research so that we forensic scientists may prevent any potential contamination of evidence.
Leticia Bodo
Leticia Bodo is a master's student at the University of Toronto. Her research entails finding a way to automate the processing of sexual assault evidence using digital microfluidics (DMF). It consists of making modification to a traditional differential extraction protocol to be able to carry out segments of the workflow on DMF. Performing differential extraction is a very laborsome and time-consuming process in forensic laboratories. Implementing an automated approach to sample processing would reduce the time of analysis and enable technicians to carry out additional tasks during the automated portions of the workflow. The end goal is to have a portable instrument with the capability to process a sexual assault sample from start to finish with no manual intervention required.
Leticia felt that attending the 2024 AAFS conference was truly a unique and valuable experience. She met several incredibly driven people sharing a common passion for advancing the field of forensics. Leticia thought it was nice to see everyone coming together to have insightful discussions about work driving forensics science forward. Encountering and being part of such passionate discussions fueled her yearning to delve deeper into the topics in question and the field in its entirety. She is very honored to be receiving this award as a first time AAFS conference attendee. This recognition further strengthens her desire to contribute to this work and see it succeed.