2015/03/27

NIST March 24, 2015: PML Helps Lead Standardization for Firearm and Toolmark Examinations

Xiaoyu Alan Zheng and Ted Vorburger of PML’s Semiconductor and Dimensional Metrology Division were appointed to the Organization of Scientific Area Committees’ (OSAC) Subcommittee on Firearms and Toolmarks, part of an initiative by NIST and the Department of Justice to strengthen forensic science in the United States. The subcommittee will focus on standards and guidelines related to determination of whether an evidence bullet or cartridge case was fired from a suspect weapon. At present, there are no national standards in this field. Current guidelines and recommendations in the Firearms and Toolmarks field are used as quality check documents, however these guidelines have not gone through a standards development process. In their respective roles, Zheng and Vorburger will bring NIST expertise and provide leadership in the standardization of firearm and toolmark examinations. They attended the first OSAC subcommittee meeting in Norman, OK, on Jan. 20-22, 2015. more