CDMMS Winter Meeting 7:00-8:00 PM -- Buffet dinner in the Adirondack Hall; Business Meeting; Elections
8:00-9:00 PM -- Talk by Dennis Ward
The Museum will be open especially for us. Our annual banquet will include appetizers, salad, three entrees, three side dishes, beverages, and dessert. Catering by Lo Porto's Sign of the Tree.
Following the banquet, the 2005 officers will be elected. Nominations can be submitted to Jim McGee, Nominations Committee Chairman, jmcgee@nycap.rr.com.
Dennis Ward, Federal Bureau of Investigation, will present a talk courtesy of our affiliation with Microbeam Analysis Society:
"Microanalysis: A New Tool in Combating Terrorism"
For full details, see the CDMMS website: http://home.nycap.rr.com.cdmms
Members and students: $15
Non-members: $25
New members or renewals, including 2005 dues: $40
RSVP with payment by December 10 to:
Kathy Dunn (CDMMS Treasurer), University at Albany Institute for Materials, 251 Fuller Road, Albany, NY 12203
Inquires to Mike Marko, marko@wadsworth.org
There will be a tour of the entire first floor of the Museum.
Visit the museum's website
Driving directions
7:00-8:00 PM Dinner, followed by bisiness meeting and election of 2005 officers
(See below for description.)
8:00-9:00 PM Speaker
Dennis Ward, Federal Bureau of Investigation:
Microanalysis: A New Tool in Combating Terrorism
All of the intelligence agencies in the US have been tasked with the unprecedented challenge of shifting their focus from traditional criminalistics to investigating threats of terrorism. Some have been reorganized under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security and others, such as the FBI, continue to provide investigative services independently. To succeed in the effort, we have had to identify and implement enhancements that would benefit our investigative capabilities. Locally, these include construction of an archival utility for microanalysis, a rapid response initiative for elemental analysis, and establishment of a mechanism for technical communications.
As our need to provide characterization of potential weapons of mass destruction (WMD) has increased, we have realized the potential of "signature analysis" direct spectral comparisons for providing presumptive identification of questioned materials. Today's advances in computer technology have permitted construction of a relational database of reference materials. The core data of each record is the x-ray spectrum, but also includes pertinent manufacturer data, laboratory and instrumental data, reference material data, and other information. A "stand-alone" utility (Spectral Library Identification and Classification Explorer SLICE) has been completed, and we currently are considering a networking utility to permit data sharing between all forensic laboratories. We have successfully used this resource for presumptive identification of materials purported to be WMD, and in these cases have provided significant investigative direction.
The FBI laboratory is required to provide immediate, remote assessment of materials of forensic significance at crime scenes and disaster sites. Elemental analysis is not presently available in a mission-oriented, portable configuration. We have an initiative established to interface SLICE to recently developed mini XRF in order to provide presumptive identification of a variety of materials in the field. It is anticipated that this configuration will offer an important resource to evidence recovery operations.
In order to provide a platform for rapid, technical communications between investigators using these related technologies, a secure listserve was established. It provides a link between every forensic laboratory in the Western world.
We anticipate that these initiatives may also be useful in the non-forensic arena, and therefore look forward to establishing mutually productive collaboration with other federal and private agencies.
Dinner Buffet catered by LoPorto Sign of the Tree