Published on: 12-04-2014

Dear TIAFT members,

As spring has arrived in the Northern hemisphere, it is time to look at the upcoming activities. Last week, many TIAFT members from the Middle East, as well as some from other parts of the world (six continents were represented) attended the Annual Conference of The International Association of Law and Forensic Science (IALFS) and the 1st TIAFT Regional Meeting in the Middle East, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was an interesting meeting that covered all forensic sciences, but where forensic toxicology was very well represented.

In May, in Izmir, a seaport in Western Turkey on an inlet of the Aegean Sea, TIAFT will have a regional meeting in Turkey. At this occasion the board will meet and I will keep you informed of the new initiatives and decisions made during the meeting.

In June our young scientists will join the young scientists from the SFTA for a meeting on alternative matrices (oral fluid and hair) in Bordeaux.

And in November, the 52nd annual meeting will be in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The website now contains all the information about abstract submission (deadline July 31st) and registration (lower fees for members from developing countries). Luis Ferrari and his team are working very hard to make this meeting a success and I hope many of you will be able to attend.

During the business meeting in Buenos Aires, the triennial elections will be held and we will elect a president-elect, a secretary, a treasurer and three board members. Members who would like to serve as board members can be nominated from now on. Any full member can nominate candidates for office by writing to the President at least 30 days before the business meeting held at the triennial meeting.

At this time you can also nominate members for the different awards: the Alan Curry award and the TIAFT achievement award.

The social media committee will keep you informed of the latest TIAFT news. Please 'like' the TIAFT Facebook page or follow us on Twitter (@TIAFT_Tweets) for news and updates about upcoming meetings, new policies, and activities. See the buttons on the top part of the website.

Alain Verstraete,
TIAFT President