Criminalistics Section Survey Request

AAFS Disclaimer:

AAFS is neither conducting nor endorsing this research/survey, but rather assisting the non-member in the recruitment of participants. Any questions regarding the participation request should be directed to the recruiter below.  

My name is Taylor Hopkins and I am a student researcher in the Forensic Science and Law program at Duquesne University. I am looking for participants (Criminalistics Fellows, Members, and Associate Members) for a study to gather perspectives about bias and bias mitigation techniques. This project is being led by myself and my Faculty Advisor, Lyndsie Ferrara, PhD.  

To qualify for participation, the individual must be 18 years old or older and currently or previously employed at a forensic laboratory in the United States. Participants will decide whether to complete a survey or be interviewed. Interviews will occur either in-person, via Zoom, or via telephone, based on participant preference and availability. During the interview, participants will be asked about their role in their laboratory, whether bias mitigation practices are implemented in their lab, or if they feel such practices are necessary. Additionally, they will be asked to share their perspective on the barriers their laboratory faced to implement such practices, if applicable. Should the participant decide to complete the survey instead, the same topics will be explored. Participation is voluntary and the interview will take 30-60 minutes to conduct while the survey will take 20-30 minutes to complete.  

This is an independent research project for my graduate degree. The results from the survey and interviews will be included in my master's defense presentation and potentially a conference presentation. There is an option to remain anonymous or have a participant's identity left out of research results if desired. Finally, this project underwent review and received approval from the IRB at Duquesne University. The survey closure date is August 31. 

Here is a link to the survey, if interested: https://duq.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4SzyNzflGJdjd1Y

If interested in being interviewed, please contact me via email (hopkinst1@duq.edu) and I will follow up with you. Additionally, if you have any questions, please let me know. Thank you for your time and consideration!

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