23rd Annual FSF Emerging Forensic Scientist Award (EFSA) Competition

PURPOSE: 

To nurture a productive dialogue between emerging judicial and forensic standards of reliability and validity, the Forensic Sciences Foundation is pleased to offer the 23rd Annual Emerging Forensic Scientist Award. The award will be presented to the author of the best paper on any topic focusing on the reliability and validity of techniques, processes, or methods in a forensic area of the author's choice.

HOW TO ENTER: 

Entrants should submit an abstract of the proposed paper to the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Program Committee by September 1, in compliance with AAFS abstract criteria, and indicate that the abstract is submitted for the Emerging Forensic Scientist Award. Initial review and acceptance/rejection of the abstract will be completed by the AAFS Program Committee, which will focus specifically on the abstract's treatment of reliability and validity issues. Multiple abstracts may be submitted for the Program Committee's review; however, once the Program Committee approves abstracts for presentation, one abstract must be designated by the presenter as an EFSA entry. If multiple abstracts are submitted for review and one abstract is not designated by the presenter as an EFSA entry, none of the abstracts will be considered by the EFSA Review Committee.

SELECTION PROCESS: 

Abstracts accepted by the AAFS Program Committee and the EFSA Program Committee will be scheduled for presentation during the scientific session of the section that accepted the abstract, and evaluated by representatives of the Multidisciplinary Awards Committee appointed by the Forensic Sciences Foundation Board of Trustees. Announcement of the winning entry will be made through the Academy Newsfeed following determination of the winner by the Awards Committee. The Award will be presented during the 2023 AAFS Annual Business Meeting in Orlando, FL.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: 

Entrants are not required to be AAFS members. Entrants who are AAFS members must be either a "Student Affiliate" or "Trainee Affiliate." All entrants must be within three (3) years of completion of formal training at the time the presentation is made. Formal training is defined as either enrollment in an undergraduate/graduate program in the forensic sciences or a training program within a forensic science laboratory. Entrants must provide proof of this requirement from a professor or laboratory director. In the case of multiple contributors to a presentation, only the presenter (the entrant) is eligible for the award. Substitute presenters will not be accepted after the application is submitted. The entrant should be the sole presenter of the paper. The decision of the Awards Committee is final and the amount of the award is firm.

THE AWARD: 

The award will cover the expense of the recipient's attendance at the 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando, FL, including registration, up to $1,000 for airfare, lodging while in attendance at the annual meeting not to exceed five nights, and up to $75 per diem. A commemorative plaque will also be presented to the award winner at the 2023 AAFS Annual Business Meeting.

The deadline for an abstract submissions of the 23rd Annual FSF Emerging Forensic Scientist Award is September 1, 2021.