The Canadian Society of Forensic Science (CSFS) held its first virtual conference ever on June 21-24, 2021. There were 351 delegates from 19 countries world-wide making it the largest and most international conference in the history of the CSFS.
The theme for the conference was “Forensic Science: A World of Opportunities”. While light on FDE-related material, the activities were extensive and included:
- A keynote by Professor Shari Forbes entitled “Bodies of Knowledge: The Importance of Human Decomposition Facilities”
- Plenary sessions:
- Jonathan W. Hak, Q.C., spoke about “The Pedagogical Expert Witness: Teaching Complex Science in the Courtroom”
- Dr. Bruce Budowle spoke on “Advances in Forensic DNA Technologies”
- Prof. Christophe CHAMPOD explained “The ENFSI Guideline for Evaluative Reporting: Origin, Current Status and Implementation”
- Vendors included FARO Technologies, QIAGEN, Nikon Canada, Foster+Freeman, VWR (part of Avantor), and West Technology Forensics
- 22 oral, and 47 poster presentations, covering a diverse range of forensic topics from crime scene to laboratory to courtroom
And, of course, there was also a virtual Annual General Meeting.