The 2nd International Soil Forensics Conference

2nd International Workshop on Criminal and Environmental Soil Forensics

The “2nd International Workshop on Criminal and Environmental Forensics” is being held in Edinburgh, United Kingdom on 30 October - 1 November 2007. It will provide an international focus for discussion of research and development in forensic soil science and geology for the benefit of both environmental protection and criminal investigation. The themes of the conference are Environmental Soil Forensics, Criminal Soil Forensics, Palynology, Geoforensics, Geographic Information Systems and Communications, Analytical Diagnostics, and the application of techniques to case work.

A special session is being held on Forensic Geology, organized by Dr Laurance Donnelly, Halcrow Ltd., and Dr Alastair Ruffell, Queens University Belfast. In addition, a business meeting of the 2nd Annual meeting of the Forensic Geology Group of the Geological Society of London will be held.

There are nine keynote speakers and a public lecture, which is to be given by Dr James Robertson of the Forensic Laboratories of the Australian Federal Police, Australia, on the topic of “World forensics and the importance of soils”.

Other keynote presentations include:

• Mark Harrison MBE, National Search Adviser NPIA (National Police Improvement Agency) “The coordinated approach of multidisciplinary teams to locate concealed victims of homicide, developing the role of forensic landscape investigation",
• Dr Murray Lark, Rothamsted Research Institute, UK, on “Geostatistics and uncertainty in spatial variables in relation to forensic investigations”;
• Professor Rob Fitzpatrick, CAFSS, Australia, on “Forensic soil science: current research and case work activities in Australia”;
• and, Dr Stephen Mudge, Ocean Sciences, The University of Wales, UK, on “Environmental soil forensics”.
  

Already people from eighteen different countries have registered, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, The Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Romania, China, Pakistan, Iran, Germany, Russia and the USA. The geological Society of London is providing support for PhD students to attend. Several good submissions have been offered but more opportunities are still available. If you are a post-graduate student interested in submitting a paper or poster, please contact Dr Laurance Donnell (DonnellyLJ@halcrow.com). Other papers can be submitted, and information about the conference can be found at: www.soilforensicsinternational.org, or please contact Ms Jane Lund at: j.lund@macaulay.ac.uk
.
The conference co-ordination is by the Macaulay Institute and Cranfield University, with an international organizing team from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the USA.