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Special Programs Office (SPO)

News and Updates

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OSAC Annual Report 2018

August 29, 2018

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science has released its 2018 Annual Report. OSAC continues to make steady progress toward

Three New Standards Approved for OSAC Registry

June 26, 2018

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC) has approved three new standards for inclusion on the OSAC Registry. This registry

OSAC Releases Draft Implementation Plan and Draft Human Factors Technical Publication for Comment

May 21, 2018

DRAFT Guidance on Testing the Performance of Forensic Examiners The Human Factors Committee (HFC) of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for

In this illustration, a gas well field has a circle on it. A dual-comb spectrometer at the center sends out laser light which bounces off mirrors, goes through a gas cloud and returns to the spectrometer for analysis.

Mobile ‘Dual-Comb’ Device Significantly Improves Methane Leak Detection

March 22, 2018

Accurately detecting, locating and quantifying leaks of methane, the main component of natural gas and a major fuel source worldwide, is critically important

OSAC Releases an Online Lexicon for the Forensic Sciences

March 13, 2018

The forensic sciences encompass dozens of disciplines, each with its own history and vocabulary. As a result, a word might mean one thing to forensic

A graph with vertical lines showing the mass spectrum of fentanyl

Free Software Can Help Spot New Forms of Fentanyl and Other Illegal Drugs

March 7, 2018

Fentanyl, the synthetic drug that is driving a nationwide overdose epidemic, is not only a killer. It’s also a shape shifter. Illicit chemists are constantly

Graphic explaining the CMC method for comparing ballistic surfaces

How Good a Match is It? Putting Statistics into Forensic Firearms Identification

February 8, 2018

On February 14, 1929, gunmen working for Al Capone disguised themselves as police officers, entered the warehouse of a competing gang, and shot seven of their

A Framework for Harmonizing Forensic Science Practices and Digital/Multimedia Evidence

January 11, 2018

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC), which works to strengthen forensic science through the development of

NIST to Assess the Reliability of Forensic Methods for Analyzing DNA Mixtures

October 3, 2017

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will undertake a study to assess the reliability of forensic methods for analyzing DNA evidence that

The Forensic Scientist Who Knows How to Build Consensus

September 26, 2017

Jeremy Triplett has had a busy three years. Since the inception of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science ( OSAC) in 2014, Triplett

The Physicist Who is Working to Accelerate Change in Forensic Science

September 26, 2017

Sylvester James Gates, Jr. is a world-recognized researcher in theoretical physics. Formerly of the University of Maryland and now a professor at Brown

Lynn Garcia at the 2017 International Error Management Symposium

Speaking of Error in Forensic Science

September 5, 2017

When Continental flight 3407 crashed on approach to Buffalo Niagara airport on February 12, 2009, all 49 persons on board, and one on the ground, were killed

NIST Seeks Input on OSAC 2.0

August 30, 2017

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking public input on a potential new organizational

Do You Have What It Takes to be a Forensic Fingerprint Examiner?

May 18, 2017

Being a forensic examiner seems glamorous on TV. But working in a crime lab requires long hours of intense focus that are anything but action-packed. This is

Department of Justice and the National Institute of Standards and Technology Name New Member of National Commission on Forensic Science

December 13, 2016

DOJ Contact: Office of Public Affairs, 202-514-2007 WASHINGTON—The Department of Justice and the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and

Trace Evidence Databases: A Force Multiplier for Forensic Investigators

November 7, 2016

A window is broken. A home is burglarized. Investigators identify a suspect and find a sliver of what appears to be glass embedded in his shoe. In the forensics

Fire and Explosion Investigation Guideline Approved for OSAC Registry

September 20, 2016

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science has approved the National Fire Protection Association Guide for Fire and Explosion

Robotic Exoskeletons: The Standards Gap

September 15, 2016

Robotic exoskeletons are a common sight in science fiction movies—think Ironman, or the power loader that Ellen Ripley used to wrestle her nemesis in Aliens—but

The box cover for Asteroids for the Atari 7800 gaming system

Digital Forensics Rescues Retro Video Games and Software

September 12, 2016

Starting in the mid-1980s, a young man named Stephen Cabrinety filled his home with video games and software. He piled unopened boxes to the ceilings—everything

Department of Justice and National Institute of Standards and Technology Name Two Experts as New Members of National Commission on Forensic Science

June 16, 2016

DOJ Contact: Office of Public Affairs, 202-514-2007 WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Commerce's National Institute of