MFRC Perspectives (Retro and Pro)

1. MFRC Perspectives (Retro and Pro) Todd Zdorkowski Associate Director of MFRC June 6, 2013

2. Reminiscences • I attended my first Midwest Crime Lab Directors’ Meeting in April 2000, in Cincinnati, OH; • Dr. Bill Dean, Hamilton County Coroner’s Office. • my second in April of 2001, Sioux Falls SD; • Rex Riis, South Dakota Forensic Laboratory. • and the MFRC began supporting these in 2002 • Jerry Brown, Iowa DCI Criminalistics Laboratory • (and I’ve made all but two since then). • MFRC foundation-meeting (May 2000, following Bill/Cincinnati) • MFRC was founded by lab reps from: Iowa (DCI Criminalistics lab), Wisconsin (Wisconsin State Crime Lab-Milwaukee), Minnesota (Minnesota BCA Lab), North Dakota (ND Bureau of Criminal Investigation State Crime Laboratory) , South Dakota (SD Division of Criminal Investigation State Laboratory) , Kansas (Kansas Bureau of Investigation) , and Missouri (Missouri State Highway patrol, and SE Regional Crime laboratory) ; a regional rep from the ATF&E, a researcher from the FBI, and an officer of the National Terrorism Preparedness Center.

3. Reminiscences(2) • MFRC foundation-meeting (May 2000, following Bill/Cincinnati) • MFRC was founded by lab reps from: Iowa (DCI Criminalistics lab), Wisconsin (Wisconsin State Crime Lab-Milwaukee), Minnesota (Minnesota BCA Lab), North Dakota (ND Bureau of Criminal Investigation State Crime Laboratory) , South Dakota (SD Division of Criminal Investigation State Laboratory) , Kansas (Kansas Bureau of Investigation) , and Missouri (Missouri State Highway patrol, and SE Regional Crime laboratory) ; a regional rep from the ATF&E, a researcher from the FBI, and an officer of the National Terrorism Preparedness Center. • Participating today: North Dakota (Hope Olson) and Iowa (Bruce Reeve) • Also, NE Illinois (second MFC meeting, Garth Glassburg)

4. Today’s Midwest Forensics Resource Center (MFRC) • Midwest Forensics Resource Center (MFRC) • Is now over 60 state, regional, and municipal crime labs in 16 states • Population: 77.6 million, ~25.1% of U.S. population, from 2010 census

5. Collaborative Goals of the MFRC • Make the resources at regional universities and laboratories (and other places) available to crime labs and law enforcement • As: case work resources, training, education, R&D, and innovative lab management technology • Develop new resources to serve our partners and the nation’s crime laboratories • Example: Provide forensic R&D seed grants (~65 projects over 10 years) • Developed about 30 new or improved classes (out of ~100 total) • as well as ~10 TIMI projects

6. MFRC Guidance • Comes from state, regional, county, and municipal labs or forensic units • Who defined the MFRC mission, and guide its programs • Suggesting: training, R&D , TIMI projects and other work-efforts • Partners review MFRC performance • via formal Advisory and Ad Hoc groups • also review: training curricula, class performance, R&D solicitations, R&D proposals and TIMI plans. • Labs participate directly in R&D and TIMI projects • And, the group convenes at the MFRC Annual meetings

7. MFRC Office • MFRC office is in the USDoE Ames Laboratory: a US Department of Energy national laboratory (~300 FTE), operated by Iowa State University, located on its campus (fall 2012 enrollment ~31,040) • USDoE Ames Lab grew out of the Manhattan Project: • Invented the production process for producing Uranium metal • Produced 2 million pounds during the war years • Develops high purity and specialty materials • A world center for rare earth materials preparation and characterization • First photonic band-gap materials, first meta-materials theory, quasi-crystalline materials, new magentocaloric materials, synthesis of magentostrictive materials, superhard matterials, …) • Develops innovative Analytical Instrumentation • ICP-AES, ICP-MS, FTIR-PAS, TIRS all developed and made practical by Ames Lab researchers

8. MFRC’s Mission Areas • Casework Assistance – mostly referrals • Training • Forensic Lab/Unit Management • Discipline-specific classes • Analytical Instruments • Workshops at AFQAM and MAFS, Symposia • Digital Media (CD’s&DVD’s) available through website • Some recent webcasting • Education • Lab-Director/University-Administrator Forum, June 2010, Indianapolis

9. MFRC Mision (cont’d) • Forensic Research • Oriented to Midwest, requires crime lab teaming, ~1year in length, peer-reviewed by Midwest examiners, about 60 projects over 10 years • TIMI, Technical Innovations in Management and Infrastructure • Projects suggested from field, teams composed of labs and subject-matter-experts, projects implemented and written-up for dissemination • Process mapping, Customer Survey tools, Recruitment and Retention, Expert Systems utilization • Other work-activities • SWGSTAIN, sponsor since Jan. 2009 (chair, secretary, logistics of meetings) • Midwest Crime Laboratory Directors Meetings • Director is a member of RDT&E IWG of the Subcommittee on Forensic Science (OSTP)

10. Recent developments (1) • MFRC lost its directed funding (after ~10 years) • New Federal Representative, • New University President, • Uncertain Congressional Funding Process • NIJ solicitation process does not support MFRC-style collaborative R&D or TIMI • NIJ ceased support of forensic training

11. Recent developments (2) MFRC has found interim mission-like support: • The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (NFSTC in the past and RTI at present) • TIMI-like projects • Process Mapping and Improvement • Forensic Tech Transition projects • Remote Peer Review • ChemImage Condor for bodily fluid searching • Serial number recovery by magnetic imaging sensor • NIJ R&D project evaluations • Use of hydrogen as a carrier gas webcasts

12. Recent developments (3) • The Defense Forensic Science Command (USACIL) • Technology targeting, development and application projects • Military forensic technology needs • Crime Scene Artificial Intelligence • Imaging Systems • Firearms • MFRC NIJ R&D projects • Toolmarks – surface mapping and algorithms for comparison • Fs-LA-ICP-MS for trace materials analysis • Tracing cyber attacks through anonymization web servers • Bloodstains: fluid dynamics and high speed videography • Multivariate statistical algorithms for hyperspectral document imaging and analysis

13. Prospective(s)1 • What’s Next (mostly off-mission)? • Defense Forensic Science Command (and USACIL) • Technology development, technology evaluation projects, other? • Forensic Technology Center of Excellence • Technology Transition projects? • NIJ • Basic and applied R&D projects? • NIST • Standards development projects?

14. Prospective(s)2 • Ideas Continue with what we can while we can • Example: the Orion Development Group (ODG) the MFRC are offering a free web-based process mapping refresher course on July 23. • the course is a refresher course for those labs and individuals who have already been through process mapping training (i.e., managers and facilitators). • The course will be web-based and last 90 minutes. • The instructor for the course is Joe Brancaccio. • The exact time and platform details will be finalized once we know which labs and how many individuals will participate. Please contact Rudi Luyendijk at 515-294-2931 or rluyendi@ameslab.gov Sponsored events? • Labs/units that cluster together to fund an event?

15. Prospective(s)3 • As always, we seek your guidance. We are in transition, hope to carry on, and would like to preserve the best of our traditions • What course(s) of action do you suggest? • What sorts of activities should we pursue? • What forms of support could we chase? • We are available to discuss this in greater depth with you off-line.

16. Thank you • Todd Zdorkowski, Associate Director Midwest Forensics Resource Center USDOE Ames Laboratory Ames, Iowa 50011-3020 e-mail: Zdorkowski@ameslab.govphone: 515-294-5640 fax: 515-294-4748 web: www.ameslab.gov/mfrc