2019 Bronze Medal Award

The group is cited for preserving bullet forensics evidence from the John F. Kennedy assassination, for the benefit of future generations. The team digitized and topographically mapped the complex micrometer surface structure of these historic objects so that a highly detailed digital model could be created. The collaboration between the NIST team and the National Archives and Records Administration required innovation in several areas: designing 3D printed fixtures to hold the objects without damaging them, developing methods to display the digital evidence so that it can be understood by the public, and adherence to strict security protocols to protect the objects.