The Trace Materials Subcommittee focuses on standards and guidelines related to examination and interpretation of physical evidence that may result from the transfer of small or minute quantities of materials (e.g., hairs, fibers, paint, tape, glass, geological materials).
Officers | Members | Standards | Discipline-Specific Baseline Documents | Research & Development Needs | Presentations
Diana Wright, Ph.D., Subcommittee Chair, Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory
Celeste Grover, Subcommittee Vice Chair, Oregon State Police Forensic Services Division
Kathleen Boone, Subcommittee Executive Secretary, Indiana State Police Laboratory Division
Hal Arkes, Ohio State University (Human Factors Representative)
Madeline Ausdemore, South Dakota State University (Statistics Representative)
Jason Beckert, Microtrace LLC
Catherine Brown, Collaborative Testing Services (CTS)
Patrick Buzzini, Sam Houston State University
Jason Chin, Alameda County Superior Court (Legal Representative)
Ruthmara Corzo, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Amy Duhaime, Rhode Island Crime Laboratory
David Edwards, JEOL USA, Inc.
Troy Ernst, Michigan State Police Grand Rapids Forensic Laboratory
David Green, Lake County (Ohio) Crime Laboratory (Quality Representative)
Susan Gross, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Ethan Groves, Microtrace LLC
Jack Hietpas, Microtrace LLC
Katherine Igowsky, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
Wayne Isphording, Self-employed
Patrick Jones, Kansas City Police Crime Laboratory
Brad Lee, University of Kentucky
Jenny Lounsbury, Texas Department of Public Safety
Daniel Mabel, Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner
Ted Manasian, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation
Andria Mehltretter, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Michelle Mercer, Monroe County Crime Laboratory
Jeremiah Morris, Johnson County Sheriff's Office Criminalistics Laboratory
David Northrop, Ph.D., Washington State Patrol
Troy Nowak, Department of Defense, Defense Forensic Science Center
Christopher Palenik, Ph.D., Microtrace LLC
Alex Rugh, Colorado Bureau of Investigation
Ian Saginor, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Michael Smith, Federal Bureau of Investigation (Statistics Representative)
Lara Steidel, Kentucky State Police Central Forensic Laboratory
Libby Stern, Federal Bureau of Investigation
David Szymanski, Bentley University
Tatiana Trejos, Ph.D., West Virginia University
Jodi Webb, Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory
Standard Guide for Microspectrophotometry and Color Measurement in Forensic Paint Analysis.
Standard Guide for Using Scanning Electron Microscopy/X-Ray Spectrometry in Forensic Polymer Examinations.
Standard Guide for Using X-Ray Fluorescence (XFR) in Forensic Polymer Examinations.
Standard Guide for Using Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography and Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in Forensic Polymer Examinations.
Standard Practice for Training in the Forensic Examination of Hair by Microscopy.
Standard Guide for the Microscopical Examination of Human Hair.
Standard Guide for Forensic Examination and Comparison of Pressure Sensitive Tapes.
Standard Guide for Forensic Glass Analysis and Comparison.
Standard Guide for the Forensic Examination of Non-Reactive Dyes in Textile Fibers by Thin-Layer Chromatography.
Standard Guide for Powdered X-Ray Diffraction of Soils and Geological Materials for Forensic Applications.
The former Geological Materials Subcommittee, in collaboration with the University of Kentucky, the FBI, and the IUGS-Initiative of Forensic Geology have developed a Forensic Soil Evidence Collection Training Video to accompany the draft Standard Guide for the Collection of Soils and Other Geological Evidence for Forensic Applications. Learn more about this project by reading our news story.
Standard Practice for Interpretation and Report Writing in Forensic Comparisons of Trace Materials.
Standard Guide for Assessing Physical Characteristics in Forensic Tape Examinations.
Standard Guide for Using Light Microscopy in Forensic Tape Examinations.
Standard Practice for a Forensic Fiber Training Program.
Standard Practice for a Forensic Glass Analysis and Training Program.
Standard Guide for Forensic Fiber Analysis and Comparison.
Standard Guide for Forensic Analysis of Fibers by Microspectrophotometry (MSP).
Standard Guide for Using Raman Spectroscopy in Forensic Polymer Examinations.
Standard Practice for Physical Fit Training Program for Forensic Comparisons of Trace Materials.
Standard Guide for Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)/ Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) Analysis of Soils and Geological Materials for Forensic Applications.
Standard Guide for Polarized Light Microscopy of Soils and Geological Materials for Forensic Applications.
The Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB) has provided the opportunity for OSAC subcommittees to identify baseline documents and reference materials that best reflect the current state of the practice within their respective disciplines.
These documents contain practical information regarding these disciplines that can help forensic scientists, judges, lawyers, researchers, other interested parties and the general public, to better understand the nature, scope, and foundations of the individual disciplines as they are currently practiced.
It is important to note that the identification of these documents in this venue does not represent an endorsement by OSAC or NIST. Only documents that are posted on the OSAC Registry constitute OSAC endorsement. All copyrights for these documents are reserved by their owners. Subcommittee position statements or responses to data collections by the subcommittee represent the consensus opinion of the subcommittee, not necessarily the position of the entire OSAC organization or NIST.