
Posted December 11, 2018
The American Society of Crime Lab Directors (ASCLD) Forensic Research Committee (FRC) and the Council of Forensic Science Educators (COFSE) recently partnered to launch the Laboratories and Educators Alliance Program (LEAP).
The new initiative facilitates collaborative research between academia and forensic science laboratories by closing technology gaps in the forensic science community.
ASCLD president Matthew Gamette highlights that increased communication between university researchers and practitioners to provide new collaborations. Program leader’s goal is to facilitate innovative research, internships for students, employment opportunities and implementation of new techniques, methods and instrumentation.
“In creating this program we hope that practitioners will help drive the research process based on the application needs. In turn, we believe that researchers providing sound data, methods, and instruments will assist with a quick and seamless application and implementation for practitioners,” Gamette said.
Benefits to Laboratories:
- Expands research climate leading to meaningful forensic science practices
- Provides educational opportunities for laboratory staff
- Increases student interns to assist in validation and evaluation projects
- Facilitates future staff hiring through connections between lab and universities
Benefits to Academia:
- Promotes impactful research by providing a list of forensic science needs and research interest for streamlined future collaborations
- Enriches knowledge base of university faculty with limited prior forensic lab experience
- Enhances academic achievements through valuable internship experiences for students
As of October 2018 13 forensic science laboratories and 34 universities have signed up to participate in the program. To join this growing network, complete a registration form for crime laboratory sign-up or university sign-up and return to the ASCLD FRC.
Program leaders encourage multiple researchers from different forensic science disciplines from the same university program to sign-up. Visit ASCLD’s Research Needs List to help identify research areas that are most impactful for laboratory directors.
“After we have a larger pool of LEAP participating universities and laboratories we hope to initiate research projects and large scale, inter-laboratory evaluation efforts,” FRC chair Henry Maynard said.
Universities can share the LEAP Map of registered participants with students to assist them in finding internship opportunities. Program leaders hope to create a list of laboratories that would be willing to host interns. Additional goals include creating a list of researchers’ area of research and providing it to the laboratories to promote collaboration.
Learn more about research, development, technology and evaluation priorities for the forensic community and recommendations for courses of action on the ASCLD website.
From the Blog

Two Journals for Sharing Your Forensic Science and Statistics Research
If you’re looking for a journal to showcase your latest research findings, consider exploring these …

NIST Report Highlights Key Challenges in Forensic Science and Provides Strategies for Addressing Them
In September, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a new report titled …
Recent Posts

Keynote Speakers Announced for ICFIS 2026
August 10, 2026
The Scientific Committee for the 12th International Conference on Forensic Inference and Statistics is pleased to announce the keynote speakers …

CSAFE Researchers will be Panel Speakers at NAFSB 2026 Conference
August 7, 2026
The annual National Association of Forensic Science Boards (NAFSB) Conference will be Oct. 13-16 at the Milwaukee Crime Lab Bureau …

ICFIS 2026 Moves Online, Abstract Deadline Extended to Aug. 17
July 27, 2026
The 12th International Conference on Forensic Inference and Statistics (ICFIS) will now be an online-only event, allowing participants from around the world …

