"Mapping of friction skin ridges impessions" (part I) - genesis

Since the publication of the National Research Council Report titled: Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward for the United States Department of Justice, there has been an international discussion on scientific character of fingerprint examination, and Poland has not been excluded from it. The approaches to fingerprint identification in the United States of America and Poland are completely different. In the first case, the holistic standard is used basing exclusively on the experience and conviction of the expert, and in the other one, numerical standard precisely determining the minimum number of consistent individual characteristics (minutiae) required for identification. Both standards have both advantages and significant drawbacks. A good way out of this situation would be finding a solution combing the holistic and numerical approaches and the project “Mapping of friction skin ridges impressions” implemented by the forensic experts of Fingerprint Examination Department in the Central Forensic Laboratory of the Police makes constitutes contribution to that.

Fingerprint identification: advances since the 2009 National Research Council report

This paper will discuss the major developments in the area of fingerprint identification that followed the publication of the National Research Council (NRC, of the US National Academies of Sciences) report in 2009 entitled: Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward. The report portrayed an image of a field of expertise used for decades without the necessary scientific research-based underpinning. The advances since the report and the needs in selected areas of fingerprinting will be detailed. It includes the measurement of the accuracy, reliability, repeatability and reproducibility of the conclusions offered by fingerprint experts . The paper will also pay attention to the development of statistical models allowing assessment of fingerprint comparisons. As a corollary of these developments, the next challenge is to reconcile a traditional practice dominated by deterministic conclusions with the probabilistic logic of any statistical model. There is a call for greater candour and fingerprint experts will need to communicate differently on the strengths and limitations of their findings. Their testimony will have to go beyond the blunt assertion of the uniqueness of fingerprints or the opinion delivered ispe dixit .

Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment

A recently released National Research Council report evaluated the current state of science and engineering regarding oil spill response and environmental assessment of Arctic marine waters, with emphasis on potential impacts in U.S. waters in the Bering Strait and Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. The volunteer committee reviewed research activities and recommended strategies to advance research and address information gaps, identified opportunities and constraints for advancing oil spill research, described promising new concepts and technologies, and assessed the types of baseline information needed to monitor the impacts of an oil spill and to develop plans for recovery and restoration.

Creating opportunities for science PhDs to pursue careers in high school education

The United States is confronting important challenges at both the early and late stages of science education. At the level of K–12 education, a recent National Research Council report (Successful K–12 STEM Education) proposed a bold restructuring of how science is taught, moving away from memorizing facts and emphasizing hands-on, inquiry-based learning and a deeper understanding of the process of science. At higher levels of training, limited funding for science is leading PhDs to seek training and careers in areas other than research. Might science PhDs play a bigger role in the future of K–12 education, particularly at the high school level? We explore this question by discussing the roles that PhDs can play in high school education and the current and rather extensive barriers to PhDs entering the teaching profession and finally suggest ways to ease the entrance of qualified PhDs into high school education.

Post–Vision and Change: Do We Know How to Change?

The scale and importance of Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action challenges us to ask fundamental questions about widespread transformation of college biology instruction. I propose that we have clarified the “vision” but lack research-based models and evidence needed to guide the “change.” To support this claim, I focus on several key topics, including evidence about effective use of active-teaching pedagogy by typical faculty and whether certain programs improve students’ understanding of the Vision and Change core concepts. Program evaluation is especially problematic. While current education research and theory should inform evaluation, several prominent biology faculty–development programs continue to rely on self-reporting by faculty and students. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty-development overviews can guide program design. Such studies highlight viewing faculty members as collaborators, embedding rewards faculty value, and characteristics of effective faculty-development learning communities. A recent National Research Council report on discipline-based STEM education research emphasizes the need for long-term faculty development and deep conceptual change in teaching and learning as the basis for genuine transformation of college instruction. Despite the progress evident in Vision and Change, forward momentum will likely be limited, because we lack evidence-based, reliable models for actually realizing the desired “change.”