The need for standardization in the forensic sciences is not a novel idea. Through various activities, numerous forensic practitioners and researchers have valiantly dedicated their time and efforts to the creation of forensic standards since at least 1970 when ASTM International’s Committee E30 on Forensic Science was first formed. These efforts were amplified by the formation of various scientific and technical working groups (SWGs and TWGs) beginning in 1988 and continuing mostly through 2014 with some SWGs still producing documents to this day. In 2009, the National Academy of Sciences’ National Research Council (NRC) issued its seminal report, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward. Among the many recommendations put forth was the call for higher levels of standardization within the forensic sciences. Following these recommendations, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ), launched the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science to better meet the standardization needs of the field. Now ten years after the formation of OSAC, a tremendous amount of progress has been made, and the OSAC Registry now includes over 180 standards from more than twenty forensic science disciplines.

Standards development and implementation aligns well with the theme of “Think Globally, Act Locally.” A coherent system of standards that is useful to the criminal justice system must be taught in the classroom, pass into the laboratory, and end in the courtroom where results of forensic analyses are presented. As this is ultimately a scientific endeavor, forensic science standards should not be viewed from a local perspective. Global advancements must be considered to produce scientifically sound standards that can gain broad acceptance.

This presentation will provide a brief history of forensic science standards development and discuss the benefits of standardization in the forensic laboratory environment, the important role research plays in standards development, and the benefits of implementing standards in the educational environment.

In support of the themes of this presentation, specific examples will be provided, and the audience will be introduced to various tools and resources that are useful from both the research and implementation related perspectives.