RECAP: RIGG 2023 and the DNA Doe Project Retreat

This past weekend, people from all over the world came to New Jersey for the inaugural Ramapo Investigative Genealogy Genealogy Conference (RIGG 2023). While my experience will differ slightly from others, it seemed that most attendees agreed that it was a huge success. I was a volunteer, so I spent most of Friday giving campus tours and the rest of the weekend introducing speakers in pre-assigned rooms.

DAY 1 - FRIDAY

Friday was mainly for everyone to get settled in, acquainted with the campus, and spend some time getting to know each other before the conference started. When we arrived, we all received swag bags with some fun goodies inside. Throughout the day there was check-in and campus tours, and then in the evening we had the welcome dinner and opening remarks delivered by the organizers, Cairenn and David.

(Photo above: David’s opening remarks. Video Below: Dinner crowd)

DAY 2 - SATURDAY SESSIONS

Saturday kicked off the first full day of conference sessions. I haven't had a chance to catch up on all the livestreams yet, but every talk seemed fascinating. The morning started off strong with three complementary presentations in Room G134. “The Value of Rootless Hair for DNA Analyses” by Kelly Harkins Kincaid, “Evaluation of enrichment strategies to improve outcomes of difficult samples” by Kevin Lord and “Evaluation and Validation of Genome-Wide SNP Profile Generation for IGG” by Ellen Greytak. Each speaker provided unique insights into their own processes while seemingly building on the material from previous speakers. It was a cohesive and informative morning of talks.

After lunch there were roundtable discussions involving report writing, documentation and data retention. It was fascinating to hear the different opinions and insights from people across various IGG-related fields such as practitioners, detectives, forensic scientists, lab technicians, lawyers, aspiring professionals, etc.

From there, I was in roomAC109 where Margaret Press and Gwen Knapp presented "DNA Quality and Relationship Prediction: Case Examples and Pilot Study". Although their pilot study is still in early stages, they have already uncovered some intriguing statistics relating to degraded DNA samples and segment sizes. Looking forward to hearing more as the study progresses.

DAY 2 - SATURDAY KEYNOTE AND DINNER

Due to pending rain, Cece Moore's keynote speech was moved indoors from The Grove to the Trustees Pavilion, which was fortunate as a storm raged for most of it. Before beginning her speech, Cece was presented with an honorary doctorate of science by Dr. Cindy R. Jebb, the President of Ramapo College. The keynote provided an inspiring retrospective on how far the field has progressed, the immense potential for the future, and why this work stirs such passion in all of us.

Thankfully, the rain let up just in time for the after party to still take place in the Grove as planned. The previous days had been hot and humid, but the rain broke the heat and made for the perfect evening weather. The Grove looked phenomenal with the string lights. The choice of music was excellent, the fireflies were out and we all had a great time. I didn’t take any photos because I was enjoying being in the moment, but thankfully the IGG center shared this short video that captures the atmosphere.

DAY 3 - SUNDAY MORNING/AFTERNOON

The final day of RIGG began with "In the Hot Seat: Testimony Training for Genealogists" presented by Tiffany Roy and David Gurney. Tiffany's presentation was fantastic, providing tons of valuable insights for IGG practitioners to consider. Unfortunately I had to slip out early to prep for the closing session, so I missed the mock cross-examination portion. I'm hoping to catch up on that and other presentations I missed soon through the recorded livestreams on the Whova app.

And the final session for me was in AC109, “Ramapo, New Haven, United Data Connect – Choosing an Educator” by Investigator Lauren Felix. The great thing about Lauren's presentation was that she has no affiliation with any of the educational programs, so she provided a neutral overview. She did a fantastic job comparing and contrasting the different offerings and highlighting the unique advantages of each. A key takeaway for me was that if financially feasible, enrolling in all three programs could provide well-rounded, comprehensive training for those that are new to the field. Her analysis was also helpful for anyone looking to choose a single program best suited for their goals and skill level.

DNA DOE PROJECT RETREAT - SUN AFTERNOON-WEDNESDAY

Right after RIGG concluded, many of the DNA Doe Project volunteers extended their stay to collaborate in-person for several days on a new case. Since our work is typically remote, having time together in-person was invaluable. While I cannot disclose case specifics, our team made excellent headway and learned a learned a lot from each other during the process.

It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to work alongside of this amazing group of people who I'm also honored to call trusted friends. I can’t wait for the next opportunity to work together in-person.