
The entrance sign at NIST’s Gaithersburg campus. Credit: J. Stoughton/NIST
Posted December 12, 2024
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) hosted Forensics@NIST virtually Nov. 18-20, 2024. During this three-day event, NIST scientists delivered presentations on advanced methods in metrology, computer science, and statistics to enhance forensic science.
On Nov. 20, the Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence (CSAFE), a NIST Center of Excellence, presented a session titled “Enhancing Forensics Through Innovation, Tools, and Training.” This 90-minute session highlighted the resources CSAFE offers to the forensic science community, including a suite of open-source software tools and various educational opportunities.
Alicia Carriquiry, CSAFE director and Distinguished Professor and President’s Chair in Statistics at Iowa State University, started the session with a quick overview of CSAFE before going in-depth on the resources available to the forensic and legal communities.
Heike Hofmann, professor of statistics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, then provided an update on the development of BulletAnalyzr, a software tool that calculates the probability that bullets came from the “same gun” by using 3D images generated by most imaging systems.
Stephanie Reinders, CSAFE research scientist, discussed the features and capabilities of Handwriter, CSAFE’s open-source software tool that computes the probability of writership of a questioned document for a closed set of possible authors.
Finally, Anthony Greiter, CSAFE learning and development specialist, provided an overview of the courses and resources available through CSAFE Learning.
You can watch the presentations at https://www.nist.gov/news-events/events/2024/11/forensicsnist-2024. CSAFE’s presentations can be found at the beginning of Day 3 in the list of videos.
From the Blog

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 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

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 …

CSAFE Researchers will be Panel Speakers at NAFSB 2026 Conference
August 7, 2026
The annual National Association of Forensic Science Boards (NAFSB) Conference will be Oct. 13-16 at the Milwaukee Crime Lab Bureau …

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 …

