National Forensic Science Technology Center



DNA Mixture Interpretation Workshop

March 15–17, 2011

AGENDA

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

7:30 – 8:30 am Registration and Continental Breakfast Island Ballroom Foyer

8:30 – 8:45 am Opening Remarks Island Ballroom

Debbie Figarelli, Workshop Moderator and

DNA Technical Services Manager

National Forensic Science Technology Center

Kevin Lothridge, Chief Executive Officer

National Forensic Science Technology Center

8:45 – 9:30 am Evolution of DNA Mixture Interpretation

Jack Ballantyne, Professor and Associate Director for Research

Department of Chemistry, National Center for Forensic Science

University of Central Florida

9:30 – 10:30 am Current SWGDAM Guidelines

Michael Coble, Forensic Biologist, Applied Genetics Group

National Institute of Standards and Technology

10:30 – 10:50 am Break

10:50 am – 12:15 pm Design and Execution of Validation Studies for Island Ballroom

Establishing DNA Mixture Interpretation Procedures

Michael Coble, Forensic Biologist, Applied Genetics Group

National Institute of Standards and Technology

12:15 – 1:15 pm DNA Audit Program

Working Lunch

Debbie Figarelli, Workshop Moderator and

DNA Technical Services Manager

National Forensic Science Technology Center

1:15 – 2:15 pm How Modified Procedures Used to Increase the Sensitivity of

DNA Analysis Impacts DNA Mixture Interpretation Procedures

Michael Coble, Forensic Biologist, Applied Genetics Group

National Institute of Standards and Technology

2:15 – 3:30 pm Deconvoluting Mixtures

Chris N. Maguire, Reader in Forensic Science

Northumbria University Centre for Forensic Science

3:30 – 3:50 pm Break

3:50 – 5:00 pm Overview of Statistical Applications for DNA Mixtures Island Ballroom

Todd Bille, DNA Technical Leader, National Laboratory Center

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

7:30 – 8:30 am Daily Sign-in and Continental Breakfast Island Ballroom Foyer

8:30 – 9:30 am Practical Experience: How VDFS Established Their Island Ballroom

Mixture Interpretation Procedures

Brad C. Jenkins, Forensic Biology Program Manager

Forensic Biology Section

Virginia Department of Forensic Science

9:30 – 10:40 am Interpretation of Y STR Mixtures and Statistical Applications

Jack Ballantyne, Professor and Associate Director for Research

Department of Chemistry, National Center for Forensic Science

University of Central Florida

10:40 – 11:00 am Break

11:00 am – 12:15 pm Dealing with Data That Falls Below Your Stochastic Island Ballroom

Threshold – Statistical Approaches

John Buckleton, Principal Scientist, ESR

12:15 – 1:15 pm NamUs: An Overview

Working Lunch

Carrie Sutherland, NamUs Regional and Forensic Services Coordinator

National Forensic Science Technology Center

1:15 – 2:15 pm Reporting DNA Mixture Results and Statistics

Karin Crenshaw, Forensic Biology Unit, Senior Forensic Scientist

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office

2: 15 – 3:20 pm The Pros and Cons of Using the Modified Random Match,

Probability of Inclusion/Exclusion and Likelihood Ratio

John Buckleton, Principal Scientist, ESR

3:20 – 3:40 pm Break

3:40 – 4:40 pm Legal Issues and Considerations Island Ballroom

Jules Epstein, Associate Professor of Law

Widener University School of Law

4:40 – 5:00 pm Q&A Session

Debbie Figarelli, Workshop Moderator and

DNA Technical Services Manager

National Forensic Science Technology Center

Thursday, March 17, 2011

7:30 – 8:30 am Daily Sign-in and Continental Breakfast Island Ballroom Foyer

8:30 – 8:45 am Overview of the Day’s Activities Island Ballroom

Debbie Figarelli, Workshop Moderator and

DNA Technical Services Manager

National Forensic Science Technology Center

8:45 – 10:00 am Practical Exercises – Block #1

All Presenters

10:00 – 10:20 am Break

10:20 am – 12:00 pm Practical Exercises – Block #2 Island Ballroom

All Presenters

12:00 – 1:00 pm Familial Searching

Working Lunch

Chris N. Maguire, Reader in Forensic Science

Northumbria University Centre for Forensic Science

1:00 – 2:30 pm Practical Exercises – Block #3

All Presenters

2:30 – 2:45 pm Q&A Session

Debbie Figarelli, Workshop Moderator and

DNA Technical Services Manager

National Forensic Science Technology Center

2:45 – 3:00 pm Closing Remarks

Debbie Figarelli, Workshop Moderator and

DNA Technical Services Manager

National Forensic Science Technology Center

Presenter Biographies

Jack Ballantyne is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and the Associate Director for Research at the National Center for Forensic Science in Orlando, Florida. He possesses a B.Sc. (with Honours) in Biochemistry from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, an M.Sc. in Forensic Science from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, and a Ph.D. in Genetics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York. His current duties include teaching and conducting research in forensic molecular genetics. He teaches a variety of forensic biology courses to baccalaureate and Masters-level students in the Forensic Science Program and nucleic acid biochemistry to Ph.D. students in the Biomolecular Sciences Program.

Prior to entering academia, Dr. Ballantyne was a casework forensic scientist in Scotland, Hong Kong and New York, where he proffered expert testimony in the criminal courts of these jurisdictions. He was the full-time DNA technical leader in Suffolk County, New York, and then served as a part-time consultant DNA technical leader for the States of Mississippi and Delaware, the City of Dallas and Sedgwick County, Kansas. He is the Chair of the New York State DNA Sub-committee, a regular visiting guest at the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) and a member of the DoD Quality Assurance Oversight Committee.

Dr. Ballantyne’s research interests include Y chromosome markers, the assessment and in vitro repair of damaged DNA templates, RNA profiling for body fluid identification, the determination of physical characteristics by molecular genetic analysis and single cell/low copy number analysis.

Todd Bille received his B.S. in biochemistry in 1990 and M.S. in biology in 1998 from Purdue University. He was hired by the Indiana State Police (ISP) Laboratory in 1991 as a trace chemist but was asked to join the Serology Unit and the newly formed DNA Unit later that same year. He was employed by the ISP Lab for ten years before being hired by the Bode Technology Group.

Mr. Bille started at Bode in 2001 as the Assistant Laboratory Director and later was promoted to Vice President of Special Projects. During his time at Bode, he worked on a variety of projects including databanking, high-throughput casework and routine casework. After the events of September 11, he was tasked with developing a processing protocol for the analysis of the skeletal fragments recovered from New York City. This then led to involvement in other mass disaster incidents such as the tsunami in Thailand and mass graves around the world. He was also active in the government research group assisting on various research projects.

In 2006, Mr. Bille was hired by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Laboratory as the DNA Technical Leader to bring DNA analysis capabilities to the ATF Laboratory. Approximately 90% of their casework involves “touch evidence” and therefore, they concentrate their research on optimizing the front end of the analysis.

John Buckleton, is a Principal Scientist with ESR. He holds a Ph.D. and D.Sc. from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and is a fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. He is on the editorial board of FSI: Genetics and the Journal of Forensic Sciences. He has been appointed by the Forensic Science regulator (UK) to the DNA Interpretation Standards project.

Dr. Buckleton’s caseworking experience covers 22 years in New Zealand, the UK, the United States and Australia. He estimates that he has done over 2,000 cases and testified possibly over 200 times. This includes testimony in New Zealand, Australia and the United States. 

Dr. Buckleton has co-authored approximately 120 significant publications or patents, largely in the forensic field. He has presented DNA and glass courses in the UK, United States, Australia, Asia, and New Zealand from 1988 to the present. 

Michael Coble is a Forensic Biologist in the Applied Genetics Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He received his Master’s Degree in Forensic Science and his Ph.D. in Genetics from the George Washington University.

Before joining NIST, Dr. Coble led the research section at the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory and was involved in the resolution of a number of high-profile historical cases including the identification of the two missing Romanov children and the identification of the unknown child from the RMS Titanic tragedy.

In 2009, Dr. Coble received the Washington Academy of Sciences Award for work of merit and distinction in the Biological Sciences. His current research at NIST focuses on DNA mixture interpretation and haploid markers.

Karin Crenshaw is a Senior Forensic Scientist at the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in West Palm Beach, Florida. She is a full-time case-working DNA analyst and has over 7 years of experience analyzing DNA profiles and interpreting DNA mixtures on both the Hitachi FMBIO and CE platforms. She has spoken at several different meetings and conferences regarding various topics to include DNA Mixture Interpretation. She has taken the FBI DNA Auditor Training course and is a Fellow of the American Board of Criminalistics, a member of the NIJ’s Forensic Science Technical Working Group, and a reviewer for the FSI: Genetics journal.

Jules Epstein is Associate Professor of Law at Widener Law School (Delaware), where he teaches evidence and criminal law classes. He also occasionally handles criminal defense appeals and post-conviction matters. Currently, he teaches advanced evidence and capital case litigation courses for the National Judicial College.

Professor Epstein has authored law and training texts, including materials on the insanity defense; the defense and prosecution of forcible rape and child sexual assault cases; the defense of homicide cases; law and practice in identification cases; and the defense of narcotics cases. He has taught for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and at various Pennsylvania Bar Institute and Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers seminars, particularly in the areas of capital case representation; the law and practice in identification cases; and the law governing interrogations and the admission of police-elicited statements.

Professor Epstein has served on two National Institute of Justice workgroups involving Forensic DNA, and he is now a member of a National Institute of Standards and Technology workgroup on latent print evidence.

Law review articles by Professor Epstein address mistaken identification; evidence issues; familial DNA searches; and the limits of cross-examination in the context of the 21st-century jury. He has lectured on innocence issues and forensic evidence.

Debbie Figarelli holds a B.S. degree from Northern Arizona University. After graduation, she worked at the United States Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration Southwest Laboratory located near San Diego, California, from 1987 to 1989.

In 1989, Ms. Figarelli accepted a position with the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), where she worked for a short time in toxicology. She continued with the Arizona DPS as the DNA Technical Manager for their statewide DNA program through 1998. She then accepted a position with the City of Phoenix Police Department Laboratory Services Bureau as their DNA Technical Manager, where she was instrumental in establishing their DNA program and assisting the laboratory in becoming accredited.

In 2005, Ms. Figarelli began full-time employment with the National Forensic Science Technology Center (NFSTC) and currently serves as the DNA Technical Services Manager. She is a DNA subject matter expert and is responsible for the design, review, and delivery of DNA-related training programs. She is also responsible for the final review of DNA audit documents for the External DNA Audit program.

Brad C. Jenkins received an M.S. degree in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 1993. He started his career working as a DNA analyst in a private forensic laboratory in 1993. Two years later he moved to Virginia and began his employment with the Virginia Department of Forensic Science.

Mr. Jenkins has been with the Department for 16 years and has served the last 3 years as the Biology Program Manager and technical leader for the Virginia Department of Forensic Science. He has testified approximately 70 times in various courts within Virginia and is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists.

Kevin Lothridge is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Forensic Science Technology Center (NFSTC), one of the leading forensic science training and technical assistance institutions in America. In 2007, NFSTC was named NIJ’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence. As Chief Executive Officer of NFSTC, he oversees governmental relations and initiates new projects and business contacts.

Mr. Lothridge was originally trained as a forensic chemist, but he has acquired expertise in many areas of forensic analysis, including drug chemistry and fire debris analysis. He has held the positions of forensic chemist, chief forensic chemist and laboratory director.

Mr. Lothridge is a past president of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) and also served the National Institute of Justice as the Acting Chief of the Investigative and Forensic division in 2003–2004. He holds an M.S. in Management from National Louis University and a B.S. in Forensic Science from Eastern Kentucky University.

Chris N. Maguire joined the Northumbria University Centre for Forensic Science in October 2010 after a thirty-year career with the Forensic Science Service. He had a wide and varied career; as a Senior Forensic Biologist he undertook major case investigations involving blood and body fluid analysis, fibers and hairs, scene attendance and blood pattern analysis. He has been involved with the development of DNA profiling techniques, practice and policy since its inception as a forensic technique in the late 1980’s.

Dr. Maguire has particular expertise in the use of DNA profiling for human identification, including missing persons enquiries, mass fatality incidents and Familial Searching of DNA databases. He has worked with the ACPO Disaster Victim Identification Team, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Home Office, Interpol and other international agencies in the identification of the victims of mass fatality incidents. These include the Branch Davidian Siege at Waco, World Trade Center (September 11) incident, MV Gaul, Southeast Asia Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and Air France (AF447 mid-Atlantic) air crash.

Over the past five years Dr. Maguire was responsible for the commercial development of software applications to support DNA interpretation, DNA database processes, DNA Relationship Analysis and Familial Searching and the delivery and training for international clients on four continents. He will continue his research into the development of DVI and Familial Search processes and the dissemination of good practice with the ACPO DVI Team and with colleagues from the NUCFS and international research partners.

Dr. Maguire is also interested in the development of the ‘forensic market’, its impact in the UK and implications for the delivery of forensic science in the United States, Canada and Australia.

Carrie Sutherland currently serves as NamUs Regional and Forensic Services Coordinator for NFSTC. Ms. Sutherland coordinates forensic services and support for case management delivery and also serves as the subject matter expert for forensics operation processes for the NamUs program. In her former role as Senior Forensic Specialist – DNA, she instructed various hands-on modules for DNA training programs at NFSTC, as well as the Biological Screening workshops for CSIs and DNA analysts. She also validated DNA instruments, performed technology evaluations and conducted DNA laboratory audits using FBI quality audit standards. In addition, she co-authored training modules for the President’s DNA Initiative, Analyst Training Program. Prior to joining NFSTC, she was a crime laboratory DNA analyst for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). Other experience at FDLE includes administrating the local Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database and instructing forensic technologist and crime lab analyst trainees.

Ms. Sutherland holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Florida State University. She has also pursued ongoing professional development opportunities by attending workshops such as the FBI Auditor’s Training, Statistics and Mixture Interpretation, ISO 17025 Quality Standards, Laser Micro-Dissection, Future Trends in Forensic DNA Testing, courtroom testimony techniques and many others. She has attended and represented NFSTC at various professional conferences and training sessions, and she has served as an instructor for DNA Analyst Training programs.

Chris Vivian currently serves as the Communication Services Manager for NFSTC and has worked with the organization since 2008. She leads a team of writers that supports NFSTC projects through a wide variety of deliverables including user guides, scientific posters, white papers, project documentation and Web content. In addition, the Communication Services team provides the organization with full corporate communications support through promotional material, Web site management and media relations.

Ms. Vivian has more than 15 years of experience in corporate communications and marketing. She spent 12 years as Marketing Director for the American Heart Association, Florida/Puerto Rico Affiliate, before opening her own communications company, ClearEcho Communications, Inc. She has been recognized by the Florida Public Relations Association with two Image awards, has received two Telly Awards for video production and was honored with a Communicator Award of Distinction. She holds a B.S. in Telecommunications from the University of Florida and served on the American Marketing Association board of directors from 2006 to 2010.

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