2026 Wisconsin NAFSB Conference logo on a dark blue background.

The annual National Association of Forensic Science Boards (NAFSB) Conference will be Oct. 13-16 at the Milwaukee Crime Lab Bureau in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Alicia Carriquiry, CSAFE director, and Jeff Salyards, a CSAFE research scientist, will be featured speakers on three panels. The panel descriptions are provided below. For more information and to register, visit the NAFSB 2026 Conference website.

Validation, Benchmarking, and Interpretability of Artificial Intelligence in Forensic Evaluation

Alicia Carriquiry, Jeff Salyards, Peter Stout

The use of AI-driven technologies to aid forensic examiners in their evaluations is not yet prevalent, but it will not be long before this changes. Therefore, now is the time for State Forensic Boards to establish the criteria that AI-driven methods must meet before they are adopted by forensic providers. Method performance on benchmark databases and validation experiments, and the degree of interpretability and access to both the algorithm and the data on which they were tested are particularly relevant given that most of the methods proposed to date are either opaque, proprietary, or both.

ISO/TC 272 Quality Management and Conformity Assessment

Jeff Salyards, Jennifer Naugle

This Panel will discuss the work of the ISO Technical Committee 272 (ISO/TC 272 – Forensic Sciences) and the development of ISO standards specifically for forensic science. Its primary current work is the ISO 21043 series, which provides forensic-specific requirements and guidance for:

  • Vocabulary and terminology
  • Evidence collection and preservation
  • Forensic analysis
  • Interpretation of results
  • Reporting and testimony

Investigative Reviews by Forensic Science Boards

Tebah Browne, Linda Freel, Peter Stout, Alicia Carriquiry, Amy Watroba, Jessica Goldthwaite

Investigative reviews of forensic laboratories are conducted to address serious problems, ranging from issues with a single examiner’s work to systemic issues that call into question the quality and integrity of work performed in a specific discipline or across the lab as a whole. The fundamental goals of the review are to understand the scope and consequences of the identified problems, to provide necessary remedies, and to take preventive measures. An investigative review may be initiated by a range of people, from employees to supervisors to external individuals or groups. Reviews may be conducted to uncover facts about a specific issue, incident, or pattern across cases. While reviews may be conducted to address potential issues proactively, they are more typically conducted in response to issues raised by prior work. As a result, investigative reviews can vary in scope and outcome, leading to differences in how complaints, concerns, and errors are addressed and/or issues are identified.

This session offers an in-depth look at various forensic science investigative reviews, comparing and contrasting their methodologies and key differences. A central component will be the insights gleaned from publicly available investigative review reports. Furthermore, we will share preliminary findings from an upcoming survey distributed to the forensic science and medicolegal death investigation communities. This survey aims to understand how quality issues are investigated in practice and where variability occurs. Findings from this work will identify key components of effective investigative review processes and highlight shared principles that support more consistent and thorough reviews. Finally, the session will conclude with an open discussion regarding the current and potential roles of forensic science boards in overseeing or guiding investigative reviews, as well as in using investigative reviews proactively for laboratories within their purview.

From the Blog

Journal article titled "Challenges in Modeling...Images as Forensic Evidence" by Kafadar and Carriquiry.

Two Journals for Sharing Your Forensic Science and Statistics Research

If you’re looking for a journal to showcase your latest research findings, consider exploring these …

NIST sign outside, surrounded by flowers and trees, on a sunny day.

NIST Report Highlights Key Challenges in Forensic Science and Provides Strategies for Addressing Them

In September, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a new report titled …

Recent Posts

ICFIS 2026 logo features a clock tower and the Forensic Inference and Statistics name.

Keynote Speakers Announced for ICFIS 2026

August 10, 2026

The Scientific Committee for the 12th International Conference on Forensic Inference and Statistics is pleased to announce the keynote speakers …

ICFIS 2026 logo features a clock tower and the Forensic Inference and Statistics name.

ICFIS 2026 Moves Online, Abstract Deadline Extended to Aug. 17

July 27, 2026

The 12th International Conference on Forensic Inference and Statistics (ICFIS) will now be an online-only event, allowing participants from around the world …

CSAFE Logo

CSAFE Researchers to Present at Upcoming Conferences in May

May 5, 2026

Researchers from the Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence (CSAFE) will present at three upcoming conferences. Those conferences …