1st Edition

Measurement Uncertainty in Forensic Science A Practical Guide

By Suzanne Bell Copyright 2017
182 Pages 75 Color Illustrations
by CRC Press

182 Pages
by CRC Press

182 Pages 75 Color Illustrations
by CRC Press

In the courtroom, critical and life-changing decisions are made based on quantitative forensic science data. There is often a range in which a measured value is expected to fall and, in this, an inherent uncertainty associated with such measurement. Uncertainty in this context is not error. In fact, estimations of uncertainty can add to the utility and reliability of quantitative results, be it... Read more

1. Forensic Measurements, Metrology, and Uncertainty

2. Sources of Uncertainty

3. Foundational Concepts

4. Processes and Procedures

5. Measurement Assurance: Distances, Crime Scenes, and Firearms

6. Uncertainty and Weighing

7. Breath Alcohol

8. Miscellaneous Topics

Biography

Dr. Suzanne Bell is a professor of Chemistry at West Virginia University, affiliated with the Chemistry and Forensic & Investigative Science departments. Dr. Bell was appointed to the National Commission on Forensic Science (NCFS) in 2014 and has served on the Scientific Working Groups for Seized Drug Analysis (SWGDRUG) and gunshot residue (SWGGSR). She was a commission on the Forensic Science Education Program Accreditation Commission (FEPAC) and currently serves on the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) subcommittee on GSR. She has teaches forensic chemistry and toxicology courses, has been published in numerous international journals, and has authored two editions of the textbook Forensic Chemistry (Pearson/Prentice Hall), Introduction to Microscopy (CRC Press), and the fourth edition of the comprehensive introductory text Forensic Science: An Introduction to Scientific and Investigative Techniques (CRC Press). She presents lectures and teaches workshops on estimation of uncertainty in forensic science at conferences and for state and local forensic science laboratories.