Source: Lucy A. Davis, BHS, Chair, ASB Board of Directors The AAFS Standards Board (ASB) is pleased to announce the publication of its first American National Standard (ANS), titled ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 007, Postmortem Impression Submission Strategy for Comprehensive Searches of Essential Automated Fingerprint Identification System Databases, First Edition, 2018. This standard is produced […]
Source: Mary C. McKiel, PhD, ASB Communications Liaison The Organization of Scientific Area Communities (OSAC), housed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), recently invited OSAC professional association representatives to share information on OSAC events with their members. The invitation highlighted the opportunity to comment on inclusion of two forensic related standards, published […]
Source: Mary C. McKiel, PhD, ASB Communications Liaison The AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB) facilitates the development of forensic-related consensus standards according to procedures based on the American National Standards Institute’s (ANSI) Essential Requirements: Due Process Requirements for American National Standards. Among other things, due process requires that the ASB, as an ANSI-accredited standards developer, […]
Source: Mary C. McKiel, PhD, ASB Communications Liaison The Academy Standards Board (ASB) announced the opening of the public comment period for three new standards. American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) members and the public at large are encouraged to review and comment on the following documents: ASB Standard 019, Wildlife Forensics General Standards, First […]
Source: Mary C. McKiel, PhD, Communications Liaison ASB is pleased to announce that Teresa Ambrosius has been selected as the organization’s new Secretariat, following the retirement of Brad Wing. Teresa started with the AAFS Standards Board in January 2016 as its first Technical Coordinator. Teresa’s knowledge of data management and understanding of the documentation needs […]
Source: Mary C. McKiel, PhD, Communications Liaison After two years as ASB’s first Secretariat, Brad Wing retired this month. Mr. Wing saw ASB through its initial development and the successful completion and publication of its first two forensic documents. Mr. Wing joined ASB directly following his retirement from the National Institute of Standards and Technology […]
Source: Mary C. McKiel, PhD, Communications Liaison The public comment period has opened for AAFS Standards Board (ASB) Best Practice Recommendation 009, Examination of Human Remains by Forensic Pathologists in the Disaster Victim Identification Context, First Edition. Please visit the Notification of Standard Development and Coordination area of the ASB website to view the draft […]
Source: Mary C. McKiel, PhD, Communications Liaison Less than two weeks after posting its first Technical Report, ASB Technical Report 033, First Edition, 2017, Terms and Definitions in Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Standards Board (ASB) has just released a second Technical Report — ASB Technical Report 025: First Edition, 2017, […]
Source: Lucy A. Davis, BHS, Chair, ASB Board of Directors Over the past year, I have had the honor of representing the AAFS on the OSAC Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB). My position on this Board is to represent the AAFS membership concerning the OSAC process and selection of standards to be placed on the […]
Source: Mary C. McKiel, PhD, Communications Liaison The AAFS Standards Board (ASB) published its first technical report: ASB Technical Report 022, First Edition, 2017, Terms and Definitions in Bloodstain Pattern Analysis. The Report is a list of recommended terms and definitions for bloodstain pattern analysis. These terms and definitions address basic bloodstain pattern types and […]
Source: Mary C. McKiel, PhD, Communications Liaison The AAFS Standards Board (ASB) welcomed more than 30 new voting members this month as a result of the ASB annual review of membership. In accord with their accreditation by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the ASB reviews membership at least annually to ensure that each of […]
Source: Mary C. McKiel, PhD, ASB Communications Liaison Officer On August 30 of this year, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) issued a Request For Information (RFI) on potential organizational changes to the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC). NIST, along with the Department of Justice, established OSAC to facilitate development of sound […]
Source: Steven C. Clark, PhD, Section Secretary Another summer is history, and fall is here. Now is the time to make your plans to attend the 2018 AAFS Annual Scientific Meeting in Seattle, WA. Hotels around the Washington State Convention Center fill up quickly because Seattle is such a great meeting site! There are […]
Source: Betty Layne DesPortes, JD, MS, AAFS President The following statement has been submitted in response to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) request for input on the future structure of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC). STATEMENT OF THE AAFS BOARD OF DIRECTORS The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Board […]
Source: Mary C. McKiel, PhD, Communications Liaison Officer Not all standards are developed in a process that requires consensus, balance, openness, and due process. For example, industry standards, consortia standards, and regulatory standards are developed through their own unique documented procedures and are incredibly useful for their intended purposes. However, in the larger United States and […]
Announcement: The public comment period has opened for ASB Best Practice Recommendation 021, Best Practices for the Preparation of Test Impressions from Footwear and Tires, First Edition (Comment period closes Monday, October 23, 2017). A reminder that the public comment period is also open for ASB Technical Report 025, Crime Scene/Death Investigation – Dogs and […]
Source: Betty Layne DesPortes, JD, MS, 2017-18 President The week of August 21-25, 2017, I had the pleasure of attending the 21st Triennial Meeting of the International Association of Forensic Sciences (IAFS) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The opening ceremony highlighted the global span of the 1,440 delegates from 86 countries and 6 continents. IAFS President Michael Pollanen […]
Source: Teresa Ambrosius, ASB Technical Coordinator The public comment period has opened for ASB Technical Report 025, Crime Scene/Death Investigation – Dogs and Sensors – Terms and Definitions, First Edition. (The comment period closes Friday, October 6, 2017). Please visit the Notification of Standard Development and Coordination area of the ASB website to view the […]
The following is a request for public comment on revisions to the FBI National QAS for Forensic DNA testing laboratories. The Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) has posted the proposed revisions on their website at https://www.swgdam.org/public-comments. The SWGDAM is a group of scientists representing federal, state, and local forensic DNA laboratories in […]
Source: Mary C. McKiel, PhD, ASB Communication Liaison This is the first in a series of articles that will delve into the inner workings of standards development that are underway through the American Academy of Forensic Sciences’ subsidiary, the Academy Standards Board (ASB). The purpose is to share information with the broader AAFS community on […]