The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced several updates to the structure and processes of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science, a group administered by NIST.

OSAC facilitates and promotes the development and use of technologically sound standards for forensic science, supporting minimum requirements, best practices, standard protocols, and other guidance for reliable and reproducible forensic analysis. The organization drafts proposed standards and sends them to standards developing organizations (SDOs) to further develop and publish.

The updated structure and improved processes will enable OSAC to make these standards available to forensic laboratories more quickly. OSAC has also reorganized some of its scientific area committees and now allows for the formation of interdisciplinary committees.

“These changes, developed with extensive stakeholder input, will optimize OSAC processes while strengthening the rigorous technical review of proposed standards,” said Shyam Sunder, NIST’s senior science adviser and acting director of the Special Programs Office, which oversees the forensic science program at NIST, including OSAC. “Our goal is to accelerate the widespread adoption and use of high-quality standards by forensic science practitioners.”

Read more about the changes to the OSAC in the NIST news item.