Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists

Dear fellow MAAFS members,

 

I hope you are getting prepared and excited for our 2024 meeting in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh is near and dear to my heart in many ways, and I’m thrilled to be your President for this annual meeting.

 

My 7-year-old recently asked me what kind of science I was going to do at work today, and I responded with Forensic Science! He said, again, don’t you get bored doing the same science every day? A thought-provoking question really; do I get bored? Truthfully the answer is no.  Sure, some parts of my regular routine are just that, routine, but I’m always learning new things, thinking in new ways, and collaborating with my coworkers. Do you remember when you first learned about forensic science? I do. I was so intrigued, it felt like a real-life puzzle, and I was hooked on it as a career option.

 

In 2009 I went to my first MAAFS conference and just like when I first learned about forensics, I was hooked.  I had been to AAFS the year prior where I learned a lot and found myself in the same room as some of the big names in forensics.  At MAAFS though, the environment was different.  I didn’t feel intimidated or out of place but rather included and like part of a team. That feeling hasn’t left in the past 15 years as MAAFS, like Pittsburgh, has become near and dear to my heart.

 

If you are finding yourself at a point in your career where you would tell my son that you are bored with forensic science day after day, go back to that younger version of yourself who first learned about forensics and remind yourself why you chose this career path.  I hope that this meeting will continue to invigorate you, and shed some new light on why we all do what we do!

 

Keena Heise

MAAFS President