Greetings ASCLD Colleagues and Friends,
 
This week I picked up my daughter, Cadence, from her summer camp. Typically, she bounces in the car and immediately starts chatting (in an almost endless stream) of everything that happened during her day complete with details. It is so delightful; I could listen to her all day. 
On this day, though, there was a lot of upset feelings tightly packed in her little frame. There was no bouncing- only downcast eyes and slumped shoulders. She had a fight with a friend while working on a team craft project and was so upset. We talked about seeing both sides, active listening, different personalities being ok and how we move forward to complete the project. 
It made me think of the interactions we have as children and lessons we learn. The same frustrations are there as we get older and enter the workforce. We still work with different personalities, and we still must accept that folks may not think and interact the same way we do. As leaders, we have to take that time to understand each of our team members at the individual level to recognize their needs, communication styles and motivation factors. It is daunting work but extremely rewarding when you are striving for an effective team.

Speaking of a team, a colleague from RTI reached out to me last week seeking assistance on the O*NET Data Collection Program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. They are seeking the input of experts in Digital Forensics in order to update that classification. If you know of anyone with 5+ years of experience in this discipline, please ask them to assist. The information can be found here.

Just a reminder- if you have folks that would benefit from ASCLD membership, make sure you send them here: https://www.ascld.org/membership/
If you haven’t visited the page in a while, you will see new FAQs and forms. We are eager to have folks join our community!

Speaking of community, I know we were all busy with grants the past few weeks. I know some will be interested in the new grant that was just released. The FY22 Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program provides funding to eligible applicants for services focused on reporting and identifying missing persons and unidentified human remains cases in the United States. The efforts of CFSO went into making this one happen- make sure you check it out. https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-bja-2022-171404

Speaking of CFSO, the CFSO budget memo for FY23 has been released.  It can be viewed on the CFSO website.
  
The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science needs to hear from the nation's forensic science service providers! 
You may be asking yourselves “Jen, why is this survey necessary?”. Like anything we do in forensic science, OSAC assesses year to year progress for the implementation of standards on the OSAC Registry. The input helps them assess challenges and opportunities for improvement. The survey here closes August 12:
 
Well, I have to finish up my coffee and tackle the weekend. I hope you all have a fantastic and productive week!
 
 Be well,
 
 
Jen
 
Jennifer D. Naugle
ASCLD President