“What Really Goes On In A Crime Lab” is This Month’s Science Café

When: 7:00 pm, Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Where: Batdorf & Bronson Coffee House, 516 Capitol Way S. Olympia, WA, phone (360) 786-6717.

Batdorf & Bronson has three locations in Olympia. Science Café meets in the downtown coffee house on Capitol Way. On-street parking is available on Legion, Capitol Way, Columbia Street, and Water Street. After 6 p.m., there is parking available at Heritage Bank on Columbia Street between 5th and Legion.

Our topic for August is “What Really Goes On In A Crime Lab”. (No, It Isn’t Really Like CSI!)

People get their idea of what goes on in a Crime Lab from popular television shows such as CSI. These shows take the viewer from the commission of the crime to its resolution in one hour (which includes commercial breaks). In this presentation, Terry McAdam will describe each of the sections in a real modern crime lab and outline the services each section provides. At the conclusion of his presentation, you will have an opportunity to get answers to all those burning questions about forensics that have been occupying your mind.

Terry McAdam began his forensic career with the Northern Ireland Forensic Science Laboratory where he worked for 10 years before moving to the Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory, where he has worked for over 22 years. He is presently the Manager of its Crime Laboratory in Tacoma. Terry has expertise in most forensic disciplines, but has most experience in trace evidence and crime scene analysis. He was a member of the FBI-sponsored Glass Analysis Subgroup of the Scientific Working Group on Materials Analysis (SWGMAT) for 10 years. He is a Member of the American Academy of Forensic Science and a Member, and Past-President, of the Northwest Association of Forensic Scientists. As an Assessor and Inspector, certified by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors – Laboratory Accreditation Board, he has evaluated crime laboratories in the U.S., Canada and New Zealand.

Coming in September: “The Health of Puget Sound: What Can Be Done To Improve It, What We Can Learn From Sediment Monitoring” with Margaret Dutch, Washington Department of Ecology

Click here for more information about the Science Café.

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