Serious Science: Advanced Course in Blood Drug Analysis & Trial Advocacy

August 07, 2026 - August 12, 2026

The Serious Science Blood Drug Analysis course is designed to combine hard science and trial advocacy. There is no better course on forensic science and trial advocacy in America.

We start with hard science, including hands-on work in the Shimadzu Laboratory. Students will learn the basics of metrology, blood alcohol and the more complex blood drug analyses, and they will get hands-on experience preparing and analyzing their own samples. We focus on science for three full days; and then we transition to a focus on trial advocacy about science, with reviews of the scientific concepts, and trial skills practice with the scientists from the University of Texas-Arlington. We use trial skills techniques developed by, and instructors trained at the Trial Lawyers College, with grateful acknowledgement. This year we will have Joshua Karton, an absolute master of teaching trial advocacy! Learning science is a big challenge; but the bigger challenge is learning how to tell science stories that move a jury to NOT GUILTY! That takes more art than argument. We focus on both!

We will start with a Basic Metrology at 1:00pm on Friday afternoon, August 7, 2026. So plan to arrive in Arlington no later than Friday noon.

The NCDD provides breakfast and lunches, as well as transfers to and from the Shimadzu Laboratory. We will have a banquet at the hotel on Friday evening, An outing to the Texas Rangers ballgame )the new LOEWS is right at the stadium), a review of the science and science question and answer with the UT-A science faculty on Monday evening. Students will also receive a professional lab coat for use in the laboratory, which they may keep.

All students are required to take three hours of online lab safety courses from the University of Texas-Arlington, bring long pants and closed-toe shoes.

Hotel Accommodations:

Live! by Loews Arlington
Discounted Room Rate $269

Registration Fees:

NCDD Members: $2,650
Member Deposit Only: $650
Non-Members: $2,950
Non-Member Deposit Only: $950

Science Faculty:

• Kevin A. Schug, PhD, Analytic Chemistry
• Janine Arvizu, CQA, Laboratory Quality Control, Metrology
• Post Graduate Assistants from the University of Texas-Arlington

Trial Advocacy Faculty:

• Andrew Mishlove, Course Director, NCDD Fellow
• Joseph P. St. Louis, NCDD Regent
• Kimberly Benjamin, NCDD Regent
• Francisco Duarte, NCDD Faculty
• Joshua Karton

SEMINAR DAY ONE – Friday, August 7, 2026
Time (CDT)	Event Description	Guest Speaker
1:00p.m.– 1:45p.m.	Basic Metrology: The Science of Measurement	Joseph P. St. Louis
1:45p.m.– 3:00p.m.	Introduction to Chromatography and Flame Ionization Detection: From the Blood Draw to the Lab Report	Andrew Mishlove
3:00p.m. – 3:15p.m.	Break
3:15p.m. – 4:30p.m.	More Basic Chromatography and Flame Ionization Detection: Calibration-Chromatograms-Record Keeping	Andrew Mishlove
4:00p.m. – 5:30p.m.	Review of Gas Chromatography and Introduction to Mass Spectrometry: Another Dimension is Added	Andrew Mishlove
6:30p.m. – 7:00p.m.	Registration
7:00p.m. – 9:00p.m.	Attendees’ Dinner. Introduction of Faculty. Storytelling and Science

SEMINAR DAY TWO – Saturday, August 8, 2026
Time (CDT)	Event Description	Guest Speaker
7:00a.m.	Hike for those interested
7:45a.m. – 8:45a.m.	Breakfast
9:00a.m.	Bus to the Shimadzu Lab. BE ON TIME!
9:15a.m. – 10:15a.m.	Metrology, Calibration Curves, Chromatography, and Mass Spectrometry	Kevin A. Schug PhD
10:15a.m. – 10:30a.m.	Break
10:30a.m. – 12:15p.m.	Key Measurement Concepts, Lab Record-Keeping and Lab Errors	Janine Arvizu, CQA
12:15p.m. – 1:15p.m.	Lunch
1:15p.m. – 2:15p.m.	Discovery in a Blood Alcohol and Drug Case: What You Need and How to Ask for It	Andrew Mishlove and Janine Arvizu, CQA a
2:15p.m. – 3:15p.m.	Blood Analysis: Sample Preparation	Kevin A. Schug, PhD
3:15p.m. – 4:30p.m.	Lab Tour	All Science Faculty
4:45p.m.	Bus to Hotel. BE ON TIME!
6:00p.m.	Rangers Game

SEMINAR DAY THREE – Sunday, August 9, 2026
Time (CDT)	Event Description	Guest Speaker
6:30a.m.	Hike for those interested
7:45a.m. – 8:45a.m.	Breakfast
9:00a.m.	Bus to the Shimadzu Lab. BE ON TIME!
9:15a.m. – 10:30a.m.	Sample Preparation, Hardware demo, GS/MS and LC/MS
10:30a.m. – 10:45a.m.	Coffee Break
10:45a.m. – 12:15p.m.	Hardware Demo and Sample Preparation
12:15p.m. – 1:15p.m.	Lunch/Sample loading
1:15p.m. – 4:00p.m.	Spectrometry Interpretation
4:00p.m. – 4:30p.m.	Coffee Break/Compile data
4:30p.m. – 5:00p.m.	Discussion/Compare Results
5:00p.m.	Bus to Hotel. BE ON TIME!

SEMINAR DAY FOUR – Monday, August 10, 2026
Time (CDT)	Event Description	Guest Speaker
6:00a.m.	Hike for those interested
8:00a.m. – 9:00a.m.	Breakfast
9:00a.m. – 10:30a.m.	Finding the Story: How to Talk About Science	Joshua Karton
10:30a.m. – 10:45a.m.	Break
10:45a.m. – 11:15a.m.	How to Structure an Opening Statement About Science	Joshua Karton
11:15a.m. – 12:00p.m.	Opening Statements About Science: Demonstrations and Exercises	Joshua Karton, Francisco Duarte and Kimberly Benjamin
12:00p.m. – 1:00p.m.	Lunch
1:00p.m. – 2:30p.m.	Opening Statements: Large Group Exercises	Joshua Karton
2:30p.m. – 2:45p.m.	Break
2:45p.m. – 5:00p.m.	Small Group Workshops on Opening Statements	Joshua Karton, Francisco Duarte, Kimberly Benjamin, Joseph P. St. Louis and Andrew Mishlove
5:00pm	Dinner in Your Own
7:00p.m. – 9:00p.m.	Optional: Science Review and Trial Skills Review	University of Texas-Arlington Science Faculty, Andrew Mishlove and Joseph P. St. Louis

SEMINAR DAY FIVE – Tuesday, August 11, 2026
Time (CDT)	Event Description	Guest Speaker
7:00a.m.	Hike for those interested
7:30a.m. – 8:15a.m.	Breakfast
8:15a.m. – 9:45a.m.	Cross Examination: Basic Trial Skills	Lecture: Andrew Mishlove, Kimberly Benjamin and Francisco Duarte. Demonstration: Joseph P. St. Louis
9:45a.m. – 10:00a.m.	Break
10:00a.m. – 12:00p.m.	Cross Examination Workshop Groups
12:00p.m. – 1:00p.m.	Lunch
1:00p.m. – 5:00p.m.	Cross Examination Workshops Continued

SEMINAR DAY SIX – Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Time (CDT)	Event Description	Guest Speaker
7:00a.m.	Hike for those interested
8:00a.m. – 9:00a.m.	Breakfast
9:00a.m. – 10:00a.m.	Voir Dire: Lecture, Exercise and Demonstration	Andrew Mishlove, Francisco Duarte and Kimberly Benjamin
10:00a.m. – 10:15a.m.	Break
10:15a.m. – 12:30p.m.	Voir Dire Workshops
12:30p.m. – 1:30p.m.	Lunch
1:30p.m. – 2:30p.m.	Review and Closing Ceremony	Andrew Mishlove

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