Description

Date: 8/28 1:30 – 3:30

In person

Location: Innovation Lab, 1310 Prairie, Floor 16

Topic: This training event will be tailored to the perspective of defense counsel with no knowledge (or novice-level knowledge) of forensic DNA evidence.

The goal of the training event is to help attorneys learn how to read and understand Forensic Genetics reports and begin to grapple with questions of what the DNA results mean in the context of a criminal investigation. Material will include a brief overview of the forensic DNA testing process; a discussion of Bayes’ Theorem and likelihood ratios as a framework for understanding the weight of DNA evidence; a mock case scenario with an associated laboratory report; and a review of common challenges to DNA evidence.

Speaker: Mario Galioto has more than a decade of professional experience in forensic DNA analysis. He has worked for the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences for ten years, first as a DNA Analyst and currently as an assistant manager responsible for developing and administering the laboratory’s training program in forensic DNA analysis. He previously served as a Forensic Biologist with the Defense Forensic Science Center. His educational background includes a Master of Science in Forensic Science from Sam Houston State University and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Texas at Arlington.