Scores of talented and dedicated people serve the forensic science community, performing vitally important work. However, they are often constrained by lack of adequate resources, sound policies, and national support. It is clear that change and advancements, both systematic and scientific, are needed in a number of forensic science disciplines to ensure the reliability of work, establish enforceable standards, and promote best practices with consistent application. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward provides a detailed plan for addressing these needs and suggests the creation of a new government entity, the National Institute of Forensic Science, to establish and enforce standards within the forensic science community. The benefits of improving and regulating the forensic science disciplines are clear: assisting law enforcement officials, enhancing homeland security, and reducing the risk of wrongful conviction and exoneration. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States gives a full account of what is needed to advance the forensic science disciplines, including upgrading of systems and organizational structures, better training, widespread adoption of uniform and enforceable best practices, and mandatory certification and accreditation programs. While this book provides an essential call-to-action for congress and policy makers, it also serves as a vital tool for law enforcement agencies, criminal prosecutors and attorneys, and forensic science educators.

In recent years the need for sustainable process design and alternative reaction routes to reduce industry?s impact on the environment has gained vital importance. The book begins with a general overview of new trends in designing industrial chemical processes which are environmentally friendly and economically feasible. Specific examples written by experts from industry cover the possibilities of running industrial chemical processes in a sustainable manner and provide an up-to-date insight into the main concerns, e.g., the use of renewable raw materials, the use of alternative energy sources in chemical processes, the design of intrinsically safe processes, microreactor and integrated reaction/ separation technologies, process intensification, waste reduction, new catalytic routes and/or solvent and process optimization.

Nieto-Galan examines the political role of chemistry in twentieth-century Spain, enriching understandings of the relationship between science and power.