Parramatta Hills - Meeting & talk: James Indsto - Forensic botany in major crime and drug identification

Parramatta Hills Group of the Australian Plants Society Members Meeting Saturday 23 November at 2pm

The speaker will be James Indsto, one of our own members. Many members will remember James' fascinating talk to us last year about the mimicry used by Diuris Orchids to encourage pollination. This time, James will talk about his experiences as a forensic botanist. He has always had an interest in science and horticulture and started out by training in horticulture. A BSc. in biology led to a role in plant virology research and then in cancer genetics. This led to a position with NSW Police as a forensic botanist, where he has undertaken major crime case work.

In his talk, James will explore some of the techniques used to present evidence, such as analyzing leaf fragments, wood, pollen, and Cannabis. James says, "Simple microscopy techniques can be very useful. Quality photography is a big advantage. Forensic botanists usually have limited time and resources for specimen preparation, so simple is good. My forte is specialized photography techniques, so these will be featured. An important principle in expert evidence presentation is the idea that the expert needs to demonstrate their ability to do the work. Gone are the days when a respected person, such as the family doctor, might give an opinion on almost anything and be believed. So showing the actual evidence is important. Most forensic botanists spend most of their time on drug botany. I am in the process of writing up a project on Cannabis microscopic features photographed using photomacro technique with image stacking. This has been a reason to develop skills in this area."

The meeting will conclude with an end-of-year celebratory afternoon tea.

Visitors are welcome.