NIST Proposed Organization of 

Scientific Area Committees (OSAC)

- what were previously called “Guidance Groups”

Presentation for National Commission 

on Forensic Science 

February 4, 2014 

Washington, DC 
Agenda 

• Structure 

• Membership 

• Value to forensic science community and criminal 

justice system 

• Legacy data from Scientific Working Groups-SWGs 

• NIST experience in coordinating standards 

development 
Why NIST? 

NIST’s Enabling Legislation - 15 U.S.C. 272.2b 

(10) to cooperate with other departments and agencies of the 

Federal Government, with industry, with State and local 

governments, .., and with private organizations in 

establishing standard practices, codes, specifications, 

and voluntary consensus standards; 

• Estimated 460 NIST staff are committee members

of 119 national and international SDOs 

• NIST identified more than 50 times in the 286-page 

NAS Report “Strengthening Forensic Science in the 

United States – A Path Forward” 
National Institute of 

Standards and Technology (NIST) 

• Non-regulatory 

 agency within 

 U.S. Department 

 of Commerce 

 

• Founded in 1901 as 

 National Bureau of 

 Standards

Article I, Section 8: The Congress shall have the power to ...

coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, 

and fix the standard of weights and measures 

Unique Mission within the Federal Government ... 

to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing 

measurement science, standards, and technology 

 in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life 
NIST:	A	Premier	Scien/fic	Ins/tu/on	

§ Work resulting in 4 + 1 Nobel Prizes since 1997 

§ Kyoto Prize winner in 2011 

§ MacArthur Fellowship winners in 2003 and 2013 

§ National Medal of Science winners in 1998 and 2007 

§ ~ 10 National Academy Members 

§ ~120 National Society Fellows 

§ ~60 National/International Awards/yr

A world-leading measurement science and standards program 

Bill Phillips 

1997 Nobel Prize 

in Physics 

Eric Cornell 

2001 Nobel Prize 

in Physics

John Hall 

2005 Nobel Prize 

in Physics 

Dan Shechtman

2011 Nobel Prize 

in Chemistry 

based on work while 

Visiting Scientist at NIST 

John Cahn 

1997 National Medal of 

Science and 2011 Kyoto Prize 

 in Materials Science 

David Wineland

2007 National Medal of Science 

2010 Nobel Prize 

Debbie Jin 

2003 MacArthur 

Genius Grant 

2013 L’Oreal/UNESCO 

“For Women in 

Science” award 
Major Assets 

• ~ 3,000 Employees; 1800 Scientists and Engineers 

• ~ 2,800 Associates and Facilities Users 

• ~ 400 NIST Staff on ~1,000 national and international 

standards committees 

 

• JILA – amo physics 

• JQI – quantum science

• IBBR – biotech – adv. 

therapeutics 

• HML – marine bioscience 

• NCCoE – cybersecurity

• CHMaD – “materials by design” 

NIST-at-a-Glance 

NIST has two main campuses...... and six joint institutes 

Gaithersburg, MD 

62 buildings; 578 acres 

Boulder, CO 

26 buildings; 208 acres 

+ two sites housing NIST radio stations: 

• Ft. Collins; 390 acres 

• Kauai; US Navy 30 acre site 

Plus 

~ $120 M from other Government Agencies 

~ $50 M for other reimbursable services 
NIST has a long and rich history of work 

in support of law enforcement 

Currently providing research and measurement services such as validated test 

methods, Standard Reference Materials, and Reference Data in areas such as: 

• crime scene investigations 

• computer forensics 

• fire investigations 

• drug detection 

• drunk driving testing 

• biometrics (fingerprints and handwriting analysis) 

• firearms/ballistics 

• standards for body armor, nonlethal weapons 

• explosives detection technologies 

• sports integrity/fairness 

• genetics and DNA-based identification 

that support the Departments of Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security 

in carrying out their programs. 

Forensics at NIST 
Some Concerns about Current 

Scientific Working Groups (SWGs) 

from Judge Harry Edwards, co-chair of the 2009 NAS Committee

• Need regular source of funding 

• Need membership criteria 

• Need to produce specific, enforceable 

standards 

• Need mandate for community to follow 

• Need follow-up to measure impact of 

work 

Source: Honorable Harry T. Edwards, Presentation at the Superior Court of the District of 

Columbia Conference on The Role of the Court in an Age of Developing Science & Technology: 

The National Academy of Sciences Report on Forensic Sciences: What it Means for the Bench 

and Bar (May 6, 2010) 

Harry T. Edwards 

U.S. Court of 

Appeals (DC) 

Co-Chair, 

Forensic Science 

Committee 
Individual SWGs vs. Organized Effort 

 • • • 

OSAC 

funded support 

enforceable standards 

unified effort 

greater influence and impact 
National Commission 

on Forensic Science 

(NCFS) 

Attorney General 

Forensic Science 

Standards Board 

(FSSB) 

Organization of 

Scientific Area 

Committees (OSAC) 

Limited Term (FACA) Ongoing (Forensic Science 

Quality Infrastructure) 

Outputs Forensic Science 

Code of Practice 

FSSB 

Registry of 

Approved 

Standards 

List of SAC 

Approved 

Best 

Practices 

and 

Guidelines 

Policy focused 

Recommendations 

Laboratories 

Appropriate ISO/IEC documents 

and discipline-specific approved 

standards and documents 

Accreditors 

Appropriate ISO/IEC 

documents, e.g. 17011 

Practice focused 

Department of Justice NIST 

Process & 

technical merit 

Technical merit 
Organization of Scientific Area 

Committees (OSAC)

Value 

• Practitioner generated (forensic scientists) 

• Courtroom connected (legal input) 

• Scientifically valid (researchers and statisticians) 

• Standards enforcement (standards developers & accreditation bodies) 

Public Input – NIST seeks public input – and we listen

• Met with SWG Chairs at NIST on June 18, 2013 

• Collected public input through Notice of Inquiry (NOI) published in Federal 

Register (Sept 27 – Nov 26, 2013) 

• NIST planning team developed a proposed infrastructure (Dec 2013/Jan 2014); 

discussions with AAFS, AFTE, IAI, NAME, and SOFT 

• 30-minute presentation before the National Commission on Forensic Science 

at their first meeting (Feb 4, 2014) 

• Posting slides and plan on NIST.gov/forensics website following NCFS 

presentation 

• Meeting with all five forensic science accreditation bodies on Feb 10, 2014 

• 90-minute presentation at AAFS (with webcast) on Feb 18, 2014 
Notice of Inquiry (NOI) Responses Received 

• 82 responses received 

– 12 SWGs commented 

– 15 other groups including ASCLD, CAC, CFSO, IAI, Innocence 

Project, NACDL 

– More than a dozen labs and a half dozen companies 

– Individuals from 21 states and four countries (UK, Canada, 

Germany, and Australia) 

• Public posting of comments on NIST.gov/forensics 

• Highlights: 

– Practitioner voice should be a major player 

– Strongly urged to include all forensic science disciplines 

– Concern about funding (no “pay-to-play” fees) 

– Interest in consistent and open support for web postings 

– Interest in face-to-face and virtual meetings 

– Encouragement to include existing professional organizations 

In general, the responses support 

the proposed structure offered in 

the next slide. 
Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) 

 SAC = Scientific Area Committee 

 Sub = Subcommittee 

Imaging Technologies Sub Firearms & Toolmarks 

Sub 

Questioned Documents 

Sub 

DNA Analysis Sub1 Controlled Substances Sub Anthropology Sub Facial Identification Sub 

Disaster Victim 

Identification Sub 

Friction Ridge Sub 

Fire Debris and Explosives 

Sub (lab) 

Materials (Trace) and Gun 

Shot Residue Sub 

Medical/Legal Death 

Invest Sub 

Blood Stain Pattern 

Analysis Sub 

Toxicology Sub 

Dogs and Sensors Sub 

Footwear 

& Tire Tread Sub 

Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB) 

Wildlife Forensics Sub 

Geological Materials Sub 

Speaker Recognition Sub 

SAC 

Biology/DNA 

Quality Infrastructure 

Committee (QIC)

SAC 

Physics/Pattern

SAC 

Chemistry/ 

Instrumentation 

SAC 

IT/Multimedia 

SAC 

Crime Scene/ 

Death Investigation 

Fire Scene and 

Explosives Sub 

Legal Resource 

Committee (LRC)

DNA Analysis Sub2 

Human Factors 

Committee (HFC)
Scientific Area Committees (SACs) 

• Sets priorities for subcommittee work and enables a bigger picture 

view on topics like report wording and statistical analysis

• Recommends (to FSSB) creating, merging, or abolishing subcommittees

• SAC meetings will be open to the public and agendas made available 

prior to meetings 

• Each SAC is comprised of up to 15 members including 

– Subcommittee chairs 

– Representatives of professional forensic science organizations appropriate to the 

scientific area (e.g., AAFS, AFTE, IAI, NAME, and SOFT) 

– Researchers 

– Measurement scientists (including statisticians, epidemiologists, etc.) 

SAC 

Biology/DNA 

SAC 

Physics/Pattern

SAC 

Chemistry/ 

Instrumentation 

SAC 

IT/Multimedia 

SAC 

Crime Scene/ 

Death Investigation 
Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) 

 SAC = Scientific Area Committee 

 Sub = Subcommittee 

Imaging Technologies Sub Firearms & Toolmarks 

Sub 

Questioned Documents 

Sub 

DNA Analysis Sub1 Controlled Substances Sub Anthropology Sub Facial Identification Sub 

Disaster Victim 

Identification Sub 

Friction Ridge Sub 

Fire Debris and Explosives 

Sub (lab) 

Materials (Trace) and Gun 

Shot Residue Sub 

Medical/Legal Death 

Invest Sub 

Blood Stain Pattern 

Analysis Sub 

Toxicology Sub 

Dogs and Sensors Sub 

Footwear 

& Tire Tread Sub 

Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB) 

Wildlife Forensics Sub 

Geological Materials Sub 

Speaker Recognition Sub 

SAC 

Biology/DNA 

Quality Infrastructure 

Committee (QIC)

SAC 

Physics/Pattern

SAC 

Chemistry/ 

Instrumentation 

SAC 

IT/Multimedia 

SAC 

Crime Scene/ 

Death Investigation 

Fire Scene and 

Explosives Sub 

Legal Resource 

Committee (LRC)

DNA Analysis Sub2 

Human Factors 

Committee (HFC)
SAC Subcommittees 

• Develops and vets formal documents to be submitted for approval 

by SAC (in case of guidelines) or SAC & FSSB (in case of standards) 

• Communicates activities and progress to SACs 

• Each subcommittee has a maximum membership of 20 voting 

members (and up to 5 invited guests per meeting) 

– Distribution goal of [70% practitioner (20% federal, 30% state & local, 20% civil or 

other), 20% researchers (including statisticians, epidemiologists, etc.), and 10% 

R&D technology partners and providers] [Under consideration!] 

– Practitioner is defined as someone actively doing or managing casework 

Imaging Technologies Sub Firearms & Toolmarks 

Sub 

Questioned Documents 

Sub 

DNA Analysis Sub1 Controlled Substances Sub Anthropology Sub Facial Identification Sub 

Disaster Victim 

Identification Sub 

Friction Ridge Sub 

Fire Debris and Explosives 

Sub (lab) 

Materials (Trace) and Gun 

Shot Residue Sub 

Medical/Legal Death 

Invest Sub 

Blood Stain Pattern 

Analysis Sub 

Toxicology Sub 

Dogs and Sensors Sub 

Footwear 

& Tire Tread Sub 

Wildlife Forensics Sub 

Geological Materials Sub 

Speaker Recognition Sub 

Fire Scene and 

Explosives Sub 

DNA Analysis Sub2 

Where the real work will happen 

Many aspects and participants 

may map to current SWGs 
Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) 

 SAC = Scientific Area Committee 

 Sub = Subcommittee 

Imaging Technologies Sub Firearms & Toolmarks 

Sub 

Questioned Documents 

Sub 

DNA Analysis Sub1 Controlled Substances Sub Anthropology Sub Facial Identification Sub 

Disaster Victim 

Identification Sub 

Friction Ridge Sub 

Fire Debris and Explosives 

Sub (lab) 

Materials (Trace) and Gun 

Shot Residue Sub 

Medical/Legal Death 

Invest Sub 

Blood Stain Pattern 

Analysis Sub 

Toxicology Sub 

Dogs and Sensors Sub 

Footwear 

& Tire Tread Sub 

Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB) 

Wildlife Forensics Sub 

Geological Materials Sub 

Speaker Recognition Sub 

SAC 

Biology/DNA 

Quality Infrastructure 

Committee (QIC)

SAC 

Physics/Pattern

SAC 

Chemistry/ 

Instrumentation 

SAC 

IT/Multimedia 

SAC 

Crime Scene/ 

Death Investigation 

Fire Scene and 

Explosives Sub 

Legal Resource 

Committee (LRC)

DNA Analysis Sub2 

Human Factors 

Committee (HFC)
OSAC Oversight and Support 

• FSSB ensures communication flow among SACs and overall OSAC infrastructure and 

the forensic science community 

• Approves standards for inclusion in Forensic Science Code of Practice and 

Forensic Science Registry of Standards 

• FSSB composed of 16 members initially appointed by NIST-DOJ leadership and 

membership selection committee 

– 5 SAC Chairs, 5 representatives of professional forensics organizations (e.g., AAFS, AFTE, IAI, NAME, 

SOFT), 5 Members at large from the research and measurement science communities, 1 NIST ex-officio 

• LRC composed of up to 10 judges, lawyers, and legal experts who provide guidance 

about the legal ramifications of forensic standards under development and input on 

presentation of forensic results to the legal system; 

• QIC composed of up to 10 standards experts, quality systems managers, and 

accreditation and certification specialists who are responsible for writing and updating 

the Forensic Science Code of Practice 

• HFC composed of up to 10 psychologists, quality systems managers, and usability 

experts will provide guidance on the influence of systems design on human performance 

and on ways to mitigate errors in complex tasks 

Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB) 

Human Factors 

Committee (HFC)

Legal Resource 

Committee (LRC)

Quality Infrastructure 

Committee (QIC)
OSAC Membership 

• Initial selection of FSSB, LRC, QIC, HFC and SACs will be 

by NIST-DOJ leadership/membership committee 

• SAC subcommittee members will be selected by FSSB and 

SACs (after review by NIST-DOJ committee) 

– FSSB will define term-limits and plan to apply uniformly 

– NIST scientists will participate as standards and coordination 

experts as appropriate in the FSSB, SACs, and subcommittees 

• Planned Timeline 

– Solicit applications and recruit potential OSAC members 

starting in February 2014 

– Appoint FSSB and meet in April 

– Appoint LRC, QIC, HFC and SAC membership in May 

– Select subcommittee membership in June (with NIST-DOJ review) 

– Conduct OSAC training virtually over the summer via webinar 

– Hold in-person meeting in September 2014 
Administering Organization 

• Funds travel for OSAC participants 

• Handles logistics of in-person and virtual meetings 

• Ensures communication support including regularly 

updating OSAC external website 

• Responsible for rendering a decision in event of an 

appeal or dispute 

• NIST will serve in this role with a goal to transition 

OSAC support to an independent professional 

organization with a target of 3 to 5 years, maintaining: 

– Quality and integrity 

– A participative role to ensure science and technology excellence 
Organization of Scientific Area 

Committees (OSAC)

Creating a quality infrastructure for forensic 

science with a connection to accreditation bodies 

• Practitioner generated (forensic scientists) 

• Catalog existing SWG documents for continued 

access 

• Courtroom connected (legal input) 

• Scientifically valid (researchers) 

• Standards enforcement 

www.nist.gov/forensics 
Organization of Scientific Area 

Committees (OSAC)

• Abbreviations: 

AAFS American Academy of Forensic Sciences 

AFTE Association of Firearms & Toolmark Examiners 

IAI International Association for Identification 

NAME National Association of Medical Examiners 

SOFT Society of Forensic Toxicologists 

CAC California Association of Criminalists 

CFSO Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations 

NACDL National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers