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NIST Guidance Groups: Input Received & Proposed Plan Development Presentation & Live Webcast
February 18, 2014

NIST presenters will share information received in response to the posted Notice of Inquiry inviting comments on the structure of forensic science guidance groups. In addition, information describing the launch of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) will be shared.

Abstract
The development of a quality infrastructure for forensic science was a key component of some of the reforms anticipated in the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report. In response to the report, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the US Department of Justice signed a bilateral agency Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in March 2013 which specified the establishment of "Guidance Groups" now termed Scientific Area Committees (SACs). NIST created the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) model to promulgate NIST's responsibility to administer and coordinate support for the discipline-specific SACs. In September 2013, NIST issued in the Federal Register a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) to obtain national and international input on the establishment and structure of governance models. Eighty-two submissions were received in response to the NOI. NIST envisions uniform administration of development, promulgation and adoption of standards through the OSAC as well as supporting communication flow between the SACs and the forensic science community. The plan design intends to bring structure, scientific rigor and increased communication among forensic scientists, research scientists, academicians, statisticians, attorneys, managers and quality assurance specialists.