Outreach & Service
Maples Center for Forensic Medicine

Outreach

Lectures and programs in the various fields of forensic medicine are available to the surrounding community. Members of the Maples Center and their students are available to state law enforcement and their community programs for educational programs and training. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine faculty and students are continuously working in various community and continuing education programs. The C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory has been working with local law enforcement in their victim awareness programs, and their cold-case coalition.

Service

The training of forensic specialists, medical examiners, and law enforcement personnel is accomplished by the organization and presentation of accredited courses at various times throughout the calendar year. The presentation of “on-campus” courses provides immediate feedback to Maples Center faculty. This occurs through the evaluation of materials presented as well as critique of teaching methods. Moreover, interactions with practicing forensic scientists provide course instructors the opportunity to develop new research themes based on current issues in the forensic sciences. This creates a continuous loop between forensic practitioners, researchers, and academicians. Faculty and center members are able to use the resources of the Maples Center to offer topical programs lasting from one day to multi-week residential courses. The staff of the Maples Center serve as course directors in the planning, advertising, budgeting, and staffing of these courses. The need for courses in crime scene recovery, toxicological methods, forensic anthropology, forensic entomology, and other innovative forensic methods has been repeatedly called for by Florida’s Medical Examiners, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and various local law enforcement agencies. These courses are being advertised nationwide to attract students from all regions of the country. The University of Florida has excellent resources, facilities, and faculty to make these offerings successful ventures. Maples Center faculty have prior experience as course directors for accredited courses in the United States and Internationally.