Future and Past Forensic Science Meetings at NIST

Virtual-Forensics @ NIST 2020 & Workshops – November 5-6, 2020

Forensics@NIST will take place virtually on November 5^th and will consist of a morning session will be webcasted to include statistical methods in forensic science. The afternoon will be dedicated to breakout sessions covering drugs/toxins, firearms and tool marks, digital and multimedia, forensic genetics, and trace.

NIST 2020 Forensic Cannabis Workshop – November 6^th

This half-day event on November 6^th will consist of multiple presentations and 30 – 60 min roundtable discussion. Presentations will focus on the integrated measurement services program for Cannabis to ensure the quality of routine analysis in forensic laboratories. The tools developed at NIST will ensure the quality assurance of routine analysis for confiscated Cannabis (hemp and marijuana) samples and confirm the confidence in sample type differentiation. This workshop will include presentations from NIST researchers and outside collaborators from County and State laboratories in the United States. NIST presenters will provide an overview of the newly developed sample preparation protocols, qualitative colorimetric test, quantitative analytical methods (i.e. LC-UV, LC-MS/MS, GC-MS, and portable IR detectors), interlaboratory study results, and updates on a Cannabis RMs. NIST collaborators will present on their in-house Cannabis protocols, analytical methods, validation schemes, and involvements with NIST through interlaboratory studies. The workshop will include a round table discussion for the presenters to answer questions and exchange ideas with the audience.

Applications, Considerations, and Strategies for Implementation of DART-MS in Forensic Laboratories – November 6^th

This workshop aims to provide forensic practitioners, laboratory managers, and legal personnel with the information to understand what DART-MS is, identify whether it would be beneficial for their laboratories, and learn about how other laboratories are utilizing the technique. Topics that will be covered in the workshop include fundamentals of Dart-MS, current drug applications, validation strategies, practical and legal implementation, novel sampling protocols, and casework approaches. Presenters will include researchers from NIST and NIJ, chemist from state an federal laboratories who are active users of the technology, and instrument manufacturers.