Four International Forensic DNA Experts will be presenting in Cape Town and Durban next week on “Forensic DNA profiling and the Law”. There will be no charge for attendance and refreshments will be served. The events are sponsored by inqaba biotec.
If you wish to attend the seminar in Cape Town on Monday 22 October 2012, please RSVP to: Paula Allen by Email paula.allen@uct.ac.za
If you wish to attend the seminar in Durban on Tuesday 23 October 2012, please RSVP to: Mrs Devashnee Chinniah • 0312608317 / chinniahd@ukzn.ac.za
Click here for full event details for Cape Town DNA Forensics Seminar 22 Oct 2012
Click here for full event details for DNA Forensics Seminar in Durban, 23 Oct 2012
Who should attend?
Judges, magistrates, prosecutors, attorneys, advocates, members of the police force, first on crime scene responders, scientists, “CSI” fans (learn the difference between fact and fiction!) and other crime related bodies.
The following Topics will be covered:
“The Impact of Forensic DNA Testing on the Legal-Judicial System” — Mr Ed Huffine
“International Perspectives on the Changing Application of DNA Databases for Criminal Justice and Humanitarian Purposes” -Mr Chris Asplen
“DNA Forensics for the Protection of Children” – Dr Maria Corazon De Ungria
Attorney Jose M. Jose will also be in attendance and will be available to speak with audience members on his area of expertise, “A Judicial Rule on DNA Evidence: the Philippine Experience”
Seminar presenters:
Chris Asplen – Mr Asplen is the Founder and Director of DNA 4 Africa, former Assistant U.S. Attorney and local Prosecutor specializing in the prosecution of sex crime and child abuse.
He was also formerly the Executive Director of the National Commission on the Future of DNA
Evidence for the U.S. Department of Justice and Director of the DNA Unit for the National District
Attorneys Association. Currently, he consults with local, state, and Foreign governments and law enforcement agencies on the use of forensic DNA technology.
Dr. Maria Corazon De Ungria
Dr. De Ungria currently heads the DNA Analysis Laboratory of the Natural Sciences
Research Institute, University of the Philippines, Diliman, QC. This laboratory conducts research, training and actual casework on enhancing the country’s capacity to conduct DNA analysis for forensic applications. In 2011, Dr. De Ungria was appointed as the Director of the Program on Forensic and Ethnicity of the Philippine Genome Center. In this new appointment, Dr. De Ungria is tasked to further expand her work in the development of DNA forensics as well as in studying Filipino ethnicities, to initiate projects with other scientists and universities in order to magnify the benefits of rigorous scientific research in the Philippines.
Jose M. Jose
Attorney Jose is a Supervising Lawyer at the Office of Legal Aid at the College of Law of the University of the Philippines in Manila from where he graduated in 1988. He is also practising at Jose Law Offices in Manila and handles various criminal as well as election cases. The Philippines might be the only country which implemented and repealed the Death Penalty twice; as well as promulgated a rule specifically on DNA Evidence apart from the Rules on Evidence. The Rule includes a specific section on post-conviction DNA testing which opened the door for a re-examination of possible weaknesses in the process of criminal investigation and trial in the Philippines. The Rule is very focused on DNA and will be a good springboard for discussion on its legal merit.
Ed Huffine
Mr Huffine leads Bode’s international sales and marketing efforts for the successful development of international projects at Bode as Vice President of International Development. In this role, Mr Huffine also advises and assists nations in developing or upgrading their forensic DNA systems. Mr Huffine has more than 22-years of experience in forensic science and human DNA identification. His forensic career began in 1990 with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop a DNA laboratory to assist in the identification of fatal air crash victims. Mr Huffine served as the Director of the Forensic Sciences Program for the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) from 1999 – 2004. From a central base of operations in Bosnia, Mr Huffine was the architect of the commission’s Forensic Sciences Program which identified more than 15,000 individuals, and has served as a model for the development of similar systems in multiple nations throughout the world.
