By
Dr Melanie Archer (Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine)
Report on the 19th International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences
(Melbourne, Australia 6 - 9 Oct 2008)
Dr Melanie Archer (Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine), Dr
James Wallman, Ms Kelly Meikeljohn, Mr Bryan Lessard (University
of Wollongong), Ms Kelly George (Deakin University).
This
conference is held every two years under the auspices of the Australia
and New Zealand Forensic Science Society. The latest meeting,
held in Melbourne, attracted over 800 delegates mainly from Australia
and New Zealand, but also from a variety of other countries. The
programme for this meeting is always diverse, producing the usual
problem of choosing between the many fascinating concurrent sessions.
The range of subjects encompassed by the conference included counter
terrorism, forensic odontology, forensic medicine, fire investigation,
digital evidence, forensic toxicology and many other topics.
The
conference ran very smoothly, and the session timetable was particularly
well planned. There were also ample opportunities for viewing
the trade displays and networking, which proved especially valuable
for students. The social events were also a great way to unwind
and renew old friendships as well as cement new ones.
The
entomology section was chaired and coordinated by Dr Melanie Archer
(Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine). There was much praise
for the presentations from those who attended, and the diversity
of topics was impressive. James Wallman (University of Wollongong)
delivered a stimulating keynote talk entitled Forensic Entomology
Research in Australia: Advances, Challenges and Future Directions.
This was followed by six oral presentations:
Effect
of morphine on the growth rate of Calliphora stygia (Fabricius)
(Diptera: Calliphoridae) and possible implications for forensic
entomology
Kelly George1, Melanie Archer2 Lauren Green1 and Tes Toop1
1School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University,
Australia 2Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University,
Australia.
The
transfer of human DNA by flies
Annalisa Durdle1, Roland van Oorschot2, John Mitchell1
1Department of Genetics, La Trobe University, Australia. 2Victoria
Police Forensic Services Department, Australia.
DNA-based
characterisation of some forensically important flesh fly species
(Diptera: Sarcophagidae) in Malaysia
Siew Hwa Tan1, Edah Mohd-Aris2, Hiromu Kurahashi3 and Zulqarnain
Mohamed1
1Division of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biological
Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Malaysia.
2Division of BioHealth, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty
of Science, University of Malaya, Malaysia. 3Department of Medical
Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan.
Parasitic
wasps: succession, development and forensic importance as PMI
indicators
Sasha Voss1, Helen Spafford2 and Ian Dadour1
1Centre for Forensic Science, University of Western Australia,
Australia. 2 School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia,
Australia.
Death
in a vehicle: modelling temperatures, decomposition and insect
succession
Ian Dadour1, Sasha Voss1 and Neville Fowkes2
1Centre for Forensic Science, University of Western Australia,
Australia. 2School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of
Western Australia, Australia
Addressing
a knowledge gap in New Zealand: forensic entomology
Terry Eberhardt1, Douglas Elliot2
1Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited (ESR),
New Zealand. 2ESR and The University of Aukland, Forensic Science
Programme, New Zealand
The
next meeting will be held in 2010 in Sydney between the 5
10 September, and the entomology section is being organised by
Dr James Wallman (www.anzfss2010.com).
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