American Academy of Forensic Sciences Introduces Academy Connect

With a career spanning over four decades in the field of forensic pathology, Dr. Kris Sperry served as a chief medical examiner for the State of Georgia and taught courses to medical students at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. Dr. Kris Sperry maintains membership with various professional organizations including the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS).

Established in 1948, AAFS comprises over 6,600 members who specialize in different fields including medicine, law, education, and science. AAFS is committed to the accurate application and representation of scientific practices to the law. Guided by its mission, AAFS plans to launch the Academy Connect program which will serve as a platform for members and nonmember to view recorded forensic workshops online. The recordings are either in PowerPoint with voice overlay or in a video format and will be uploaded to Academy Connect after the meeting.

Presenters must sign an agreement beforehand to record their workshop. They will remain the owners of their presentations and are free to license the material or share to other forms of media. For more information about AAFS and Academy Connect, visit http://www.aafs.org.

Vancouver Aquarium Fights to Preserve the Northern Leopard Frog

A medical doctor with a concentration in clinical forensics and pathology, Dr. Kris Sperry was chief medical examiner for the State of Georgia from 1997 to 2015. For the past 36 years, he has operated his own forensic medicine consultancy in Peachtree City, Georgia. In addition to his professional scientific interests, Dr. Kris Sperry enjoys learning about issues related to herpetology, which is the study of reptiles and amphibians, in his free time. 

The northern leopard frog is fighting for survival in native environments that span Canada and the United States. In fact, this species ranks as the most endangered amphibian in the province of British Columbia. Its low numbers have concerned scientists since the late 1980s.

As part of its six-year collaboration with the Northern Leopard Frog Recovery Team, the Vancouver Aquarium has raised and released over 7,100 northern leopard tadpoles into the wild in an attempt to safeguard natural populations. The aquarium breeds tadpoles in a pool that is pH-balanced and designed to mimic the conditions of a wilderness pond. On June 24, 2019, Aquarium officials announced the release of 1,600 northern leopard tadpoles into the waterways of Cranbrook, British Columbia.