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NIST International Symposium Seeks Improved Quality in Forensics

Evidence bag
Credit: Sgt. Thomas Duval, 1/25 SBCT Public Affairs, U.S. Army

For decades, research programs at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have made significant contributions to forensic science, strengthening its scientific underpinnings and ensuring the credibility necessary for effective use in criminal justice proceedings, both in the United States and around the world. NIST also champions the sharing of information, research findings and best practices among the members of the global forensic community. As part of that mission, NIST is hosting the International Symposium on Forensic Science Error Management on July 20-24, 2015.

Organizers expect nearly 1,000 attendees for NIST's first-ever international forensic science meeting, which will be held at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. The technical program will cover eight tracks: death investigation, crime scene, human factors, digital evidence, legal factors, quality assurance, laboratory management and criminalistics. Each track will consist of plenary lectures, poster sessions and panel discussions.

The deadline for signing up to attend the symposium is July 10. Papers must cover topics within one of the eight focus areas; abstracts must be submitted by April 30. After acceptance, submitters will be notified whether their abstract will be considered as an oral or poster presentation. 

"We anticipate that this symposium will draw global attention to the best practices for detecting, reducing and eliminating errors in forensic science laboratories," said Mark Stolorow of the NIST Forensic Science Program. "We will be addressing quality assurance, bias and ethics―topics relevant to every discipline of forensic science."

Get more information about the International Symposium on Forensic Science Error Management. To learn more about NIST forensic science research, activities and resources, see www.nist.gov/forensics.


Edited on March 31, 2015, to update the new deadline for submitting abstracts.
Edited on April 15, 2015, to update the new deadline for submitting abstracts.

Released March 20, 2015, Updated January 23, 2023