1 

Message from the Chair

By Ray Wickenheiser, FSSB Chair

It is my pleasure to serve as the Chair 

of the Forensic Science Standards 

Board (FSSB) to provide this message 

and an update on our OSAC activities. 

Thank you to our dedicated OSAC 

volunteers and OSAC Program Office 

professionals who continue sharing 

their passion, experience, and skills 

to generate proposed standards, 

populate the OSAC Registry, and 

support our activities. As of July, the 

OSAC Registry contains over 150 

forensic science standards, with the 

first standards available for the forensic document examination and 

speaker recognition disciplines! That is great progress!

Our focus has shifted to also include implementation of standards on the OSAC Registry. OSAC shared 

the results of its second Registry Implementation Survey in March 2023. This survey assessed the state 

of implementation of 95 standards that were posted on the Registry through June 2022. Of the 177 

responses, 128 forensic science service providers (FSSPs) reported that their organization had fully or 

partially implemented at least one standard on the OSAC Registry. Instead of a survey, OSAC will be 

taking a different approach for gathering implementation statuses. This summer, we’ll be inviting FSSPs 

to update an existing declaration form or complete and submit a new declaration form during our new 

“open enrollment” season. 

Continuing our support for implementation, the FSSB has also recently established a new Implementer 

Cohort Task Group to help mentor other FSSPs with implementation efforts. This core group will be 

instrumental in developing ideas and creating additional teams of subject matter experts to provide our 

colleagues in other organizations with guidance, answer their questions, and create potential tools to 

support implementation. The group kicked off an initial meeting after a Fireside Chat held at the 2023 

JULY 2023

In this Issue:

• Message from the 

Chair

• OSAC Registry 

Implementation 

Updates

• OSAC News

• OSAC in the News

• OSAC & Other 

Forensic Science 

News & Events

• NIST Research 

Activities Ray Wickenheiser, FSSB Chair 
2 

ASCLD Symposium in Austin, where several OSAC implementers had an opportunity to share their 

experiences and lessons learned. This proved to be a valuable session as it also provided a chance for 

dialog with others in the community to hear their concerns and questions. 

This spring, OSAC members and affiliates came together to continue their work on developing standards 

for the forensic science community. Members of OSAC’s Chemistry: Trace Evidence, Physics/Pattern 

Interpretation, and Scene Examination SACs and subcommittees met in April in Houston, while members 

of the Biology, Chemistry: Seized Drugs & Toxicology, Digital/Multimedia, and Medicine SACs and 

subcommittees met in May in Indianapolis.

 

In the spirit of continuous improvement, the FSSB wants to hear from our stakeholders. In March and 

June, we hosted our first public feedback sessions. These sessions will continue to be held during each 

quarterly FSSB meeting and are intended to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to share feedback 

related to FSSB agenda items or matters within the FSSB’s authority. The next public feedback session 

will be held on September 14. We encourage you to visit the FSSB Meeting webpage for more 

information and to participate. 

Thank you again for your dedication to the development and implementation of standards on the OSAC 

Registry! Together we are making huge progress in improving our field of forensic science!

Respectfully,

Ray Wickenheiser 

FSSB Chair

OSAC Registry Implementation Updates

OSAC Registry Implementation Open Enrollment Initiative

Many employers allow staff to update their health insurance or 

benefit information during an open enrollment period that typically 

occurs at the same time each year and operates in a predictable 

fashion. This provides employees with a consistent approach to an 

important annual activity. 

OSAC is taking a similar approach and providing a focused “open 

enrollment” period during which forensic science service providers 

(FSSPs) are encouraged to update or initiate their implementation 

activities. The OSAC Registry Implementation Open Enrollment 

period will occur during the summer season each year. OSAC will 

continue to accept OSAC Registry – Standards Implementation Declaration Forms throughout the year 

but is designating this open enrollment period as an opportunity for FSSPs to standardize their annual 

voluntary declaration submissions or updates. 

The 2023 open enrollment period is July 18 - September 1, 2023.

Learn more about

OSAC’s Registry 

Implementation Open 

Enrollment initiative, 

why we are doing it, 

and how your

organization can 

participate.
3 

Helping Agencies Improve the Implementation of Standards on the OSAC 

Registry

OSAC has posted more than 150 standards in 22 disciplines on the Registry. More 

than 130 national and international government, private, and university FSSPs 

have submitted declaration forms identifying which standards they have either 

partially or fully implemented. Those FSSPs have each been awarded OSAC 

Registry Standards Implementer Certificates in recognition of embracing 

standards implementation. Of the OSAC Registry Implementers which have 

received recognition certificates, 64 have published news releases announcing 

their achievement. 

Despite the accelerating rate of certificates being awarded, there still exists a 

surprising level of hesitation on the part of many FSSPs to initiate standards implementation or to share 

communication with OSAC about their progress. 

In response to the 2021 and 2022 OSAC Registry Implementation Surveys, we have received many 

responses to the questions related to the challenges FSSPs are facing in deciding whether to complete 

and submit an OSAC Registry - Standards Implementation Declaration Form. We have learned from the 

surveys and from members of OSAC who help write and evaluate standards that some of their 

colleagues share common misconceptions about standards implementation.

To read more about these common misconceptions and their solutions in the context of actual OSAC 

Registry Implementers, please visit the Overcoming Implementation Misconceptions page on the OSAC 

website. 

 

OSAC Registry Implementation: Expanding Our Outreach to Non-Traditional 

FSSPs

As we approach the final quarter of the 

federal fiscal year (FY 23), it’s 

important to keep the OSAC 

membership apprised of the 

continuing standards implementation 

effort. In this article by Steve Johnson 

(former FSSB chair and current 

Implementation Ambassador), read 

about OSAC’s implementation journey 

and the efforts we’ve taken to expand 

our outreach to non-traditional FSSPs. 
4 

OSAC News

Call for Nominations: 2023 Sharon B. Nakich Award

OSAC is seeking nominations for the 2023 Sharon B. Nakich Award.

In honor of our colleague, Sharon Nakich, this OSAC peer-to-peer 

award acknowledges a helpful attitude, kindness, teamwork, or 

behind-the-scenes contributions to support the goals of OSAC. It 

recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to 

promote OSAC’s mission through their support of OSAC. This 

nominee works diligently and tirelessly as a champion for OSAC, at 

times without recognition.

Eligibility:

● All OSAC members and affiliates.

● Any non-OSAC member who has contributed significantly to furthering the mission of OSAC.

To submit your nomination, please provide two or more narrative statements from two or more

different individuals addressing the criteria mentioned above. Nomination justifications should include,

but are not limited to, a description of:

● Specific activities the nominee was involved in that had a positive effect in supporting OSAC’s 

mission.

● How the individual’s action helped the organization further its goals.

● Describe the nominee’s willingness to go the extra mile.

Please send your nomination and supporting documentation to crystal.degrange@nist.gov by

Wednesday August 16, 2023.

OSAC Holds Fourth Stakeholder Outreach Meeting: OSAC Implementers

Every year OSAC hosts a Stakeholder Outreach Meeting for specific groups within the forensic science 

communities that have a vested interest in the success of industry standards to advance the science. 

These meetings are held to increase engagement with key groups involved with furthering OSAC’s 

mission. Thus far, Stakeholder Outreach Meetings were convened for standards development 

organizations (SDOs), proficiency test providers, accreditation and certification bodies, laboratory 

leaders, and forensic science professional organizations. 

To date, more than 130 organizations have completed an OSAC Registry – Standards Implementation

Declaration Form in support of active standards implementation within their organization with 64 of 

these organizations having issued press releases publicly indicating their goals and successes with 

respect to adoption of these standards.

Sharon B. Nakich 
5 

As incredible as these numbers are, 

there is still a great distance to go on 

the implementation pathway. To this 

end, the most recent Stakeholder 

Outreach Meeting was organized to 

bring together FSSPs who have 

implemented standards on the OSAC 

Registry (i.e., OSAC Registry 

Implementers). 

OSAC’s Forensic Science Standards 

Board (FSSB) established the Outreach 

and Communications and the 

Implementer Cohort Task Groups 

(TGs) to support engagement and 

implementation efforts. On June 15, 

2023, these FSSB TGs and the OSAC 

Program Office hosted a virtual forum 

during which a substantial number of 

OSAC Registry Implementers provided 

feedback and experiences regarding the promulgation and implementation of forensic standards from 

their various points of view. The goal of this event was to gather information and experiences from 

implementation leaders to further support the development of quality benchmarks, enhance 

consistency across the forensic science community with respect to standards development, and further 

encourage implementation of standards throughout a broader sector of the field.

During the meeting, OSAC’s ongoing standards implementation initiatives were discussed, OSAC’s new 

“Open Enrollment” period was presented, and the implementer attendees engaged in discussion 

regarding some of the benefits and challenges faced by their agencies with respect to their individual 

implementation efforts. During the discussion period, several implementers shared their experiences 

and provided suggestions for tools and resources OSAC might develop to assist other FSSPs with further 

implementation efforts. The hope is that this open dialog and sharing of ideas will enable OSAC and 

other organizations to better support the forensic science community and potentially identify common 

goals to work towards.

To learn more, visit the OSAC Registry Implementation webpage. 

Map of OSAC Registry Implementers permitting posting on the OSAC website
6 

2023 OSAC Meetings 

Over 400+ members and affiliates 

met in-person this April and May 

to participate in the OSAC 

Meetings in Houston and 

Indianapolis! The OSAC 

subcommittees and task groups 

were hard at work drafting 

standards during this time. You 

can expect to see the results of 

these diligent efforts in the form 

of numerous additional standards 

moving through the standards 

development and Registry 

approval processes soon! 

Do you want to help strengthen forensic science through standards? Then join us! Learn more about 

membership opportunities and how you can apply to join OSAC. 

In Memoriam: Chris Cieri 

In March, OSAC lost Chris Cieri, a valuable member of the Speaker 

Recognition Subcommittee. Chris was a long-time partner and collaborator 

in the digital community, specifically in the speech and linguistic 

disciplines. He always provided thoughtful input from his decades of 

experience. In addition to his service to OSAC, Chris was also the Executive 

Director of the Linguistic Data Consortium (LDC). Please take some time to 

read more about Chris and his important legacy on the LDC’s 

remembrance page. 

Images from the 2023 spring OSAC Meetings in Houston and Indianapolis

Chris Cieri
7 

OSAC in the News

An Update from the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science

The May 2023 issue of the ISHI Report shared updates about the validation standard (ANSI/ASB 038) 

that was added to the Registry this May, and the efforts OSAC’s Human Forensic Biology Subcommittee

is taking to identify current research, standards, and training needs for the forensic biology community. 

OSAC & Other Forensic Science News & Events

Upcoming Events

August 20 – 26 International Association of Identification (IAI) Education Conference | National 

Harbor, MD. There will be many OSAC and standards-related presentations at 

this year’s IAI conference!

August 16 OSAC FSSB Monthly Meeting | virtual

August 30 OSAC Leadership Strategy Session (OLSS)

September 13 – 14 OSAC FSSB Quarterly Meeting | Kansas

September 18 – 21 International Symposium on Human Identification (ISHI) | Denver, CO

September 18 – 21 Scientific Working Group on Digital Evidence (SWGDE) Meeting | Bedford, MA

October 17 – 20 Association of Forensic Quality Assurance Managers (AFQAM) Training 

Conference | Dallas, TX

October 23 – 27 Law Enforcement & Emergency Services Video Association International (LEVA) 

| Portland, ME 

October 29 – Nov 3 Society of Forensic Toxicologist (SOFT) Annual Meeting | Denver, CO

NOW AVAILABLE: 2023 AAFS Workshop “Seven Habits for Highly Effective 

Standards Development” 

The workshop, “Seven Habits for Highly Effective Standards Development” was presented at the 2023 

AAFS Scientific Symposium in Orlando. 

This workshop is now available on AAFS Connect, free of charge! 

To access it:

● Please go to AAFS Connect: accounts.aafs.org/aafs/AAFS-Connect

● On the left-hand navigation block, click on STANDARDS VIDEOS, from there you should see 

AAFS 2023 Workshop 7, The Seven Habits for Highly Effective Standards Development.

● NOTE: You will have to create an AAFS account if you don't have one. But when you add the 

video to your cart, it will be at no cost.
8 

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: Questionnaires on Use of Geophysical Methods to 

Assist in Law Enforcement Investigations

Courtesy of the FBI

Geophysical methods, such as ground penetrating radar, may be used along with canine deployment 

and line searches when law enforcement seeks to find buried or obscured targets. The capability of 

geophysical methods to detect targets of interest in law enforcement searches is dependent on casespecific conditions including, but not limited to: the target’s composition and size, the material enclosing 

the target, vegetation cover, burial depth, the size of the search area, and the technology applied. 

Very few cases are published which describe the application of geophysical methods in law enforcement 

searches, and those published cases are usually successful searches. Recently, the FBI Laboratory has 

created a set of questionnaires to document how law enforcement has used metal detectors and 

geophysical methods to include investigations where the application of these methods was deemed 

effective or ineffective in detection of a target.

The goal of these surveys is to gather details on real world applications of geophysical methods in law 

enforcement searches, including metal detectors and advanced geophysical methods (such as ground 

penetrating radar (GPR), magnetometry and electrical resistivity) to search for hidden or buried targets 

(clandestine graves, weapons, etc.) in criminal investigations. 

Two of the three questionnaires are aimed toward law enforcement personnel, and the third requests 

the perspective of those providing geophysical expertise and/or equipment to a law enforcement 

search. The intent of these questionnaires is to better understand how geophysical methods are 

deployed for law enforcement investigations and how effective the method was under case specific 

conditions.

● Survey 1- Target participants: Law enforcement personnel or organizations who have used 

hand-held metal detectors in criminal investigations. Metal Detectors use in Crime Scene 

Investigations: https://govsurvey.us/survey/809910645015576577 

● Survey 2- Target participants: Law enforcement personnel or organizations who have engaged 

with external experts (including geotechnical firms, academic or government scientists) to 

conduct geophysical surveys for one or more criminal investigations. Law Enforcement use of 

Geophysical Methods: https://govsurvey.us/survey/806500985499025409 

● Survey 3- Target participants: Persons (such as academic or government scientists, private 

contractors and/or law enforcement personnel) who have conducted one or more geophysical 

surveys for criminal investigations. Geophysical Service Providers in Support of Law 

Enforcement: https://govsurvey.us/survey/808748715106959361

Please participate in any of these three questionnaires and share these web links with any associates 

with relevant experience. If you have any concerns or to clarify the purpose of this study, reach out to 

geophysics@fbi.gov. All surveys can be completed anonymously.
9 

NIST Research Activities

Researchers Analyze THC in Breath of Cannabis Smokers

NIST researchers are taking steps to develop protocols for breath measurements of cannabis smokers.

Animal Tranquilizer Floods Illicit Drug Markets in Maryland

An animal tranquilizer has flooded the illicit drug market in Maryland, according to a new study by the 

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Maryland Department of Health. When 

injected, the tranquilizer, xylazine, causes wounds at the injection site, in some cases so severe that 

people need to have their arms or legs amputated.