ASB Newsletter – April 10, 2026

AAFS Webinar
Demystifying ISO 21043: Introduction and Overview

This webinar (part 1 in a five-part series) will introduce attendees to the operations of ISO Technical Committee 272 (TC 272) and the affiliated United States Technical Advisory Group (US TAG) with the goal of framing how the ISO 21043 series of standards was developed and providing a general overview of where these standards fit into the forensic operational environment. Later parts of this series will address each part in further detail to provide background on their applicability and address questions from potential implementers.

Target Audience: Interdisciplinary  
Knowledge Level Required: Basic
Speaker: Jody M. Wolf, PhD, Assistant Director of Technical Services, Phoenix Police Department
When: May 13, 2026, 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM EDT

Register Now!

ASB Documents Open for Public Comment

The ASB encourages all interested parties to provide comments on documents in progress.

The following documents are open for public comment:

• Recirculation* - ASB Standard 078, Standard for Training in Forensic Autosomal Short Tandem Repeat (STR) and Y-STR DNA Data Interpretation and Comparison (Comment Deadline, May 11, 2026)
• Recirculation* - ASB Standard 081, Standard for Training in Statistical Calculations Used for Forensic Short Tandem Repeat (STR) DNA Data (Comment Deadline, May 11, 2026)
• Recirculation* - ASB Standard 173, Standard for Education, Training, Continuing Education, and Certification of Forensic Toxicology Laboratory Personnel (Comment Deadline, May 25, 2026)
• Recirculation* - ASB Standard 225, Standard for Skeletal Preparation and Sampling in Forensic Anthropology (Comment Deadline, May 18, 2026)
• Recirculation* - ASB Standard 234, Standard for Qualifications for Forensic Anthropology Practitioners (Comment Deadline, May 18, 2026)

* Please note that comments on a recirculation will only be accepted on revised sections of a document, comments made to text not revised from the previous public comment period will not be accepted.

The documents and additional information on the ASB can be accessed through the ASB website  

Recently Published Documents from the ASB!

To date, the ASB has published over 140 Standards/Best Practice Recommendations and Technical Reports. All ASB standards can be accessed through the ASB site.

Project Initiation Notification

The following proposed documents have recently been approved by the ASB for work:

• ASB Std 028-202x, Standard for Wildlife Forensic Morphology Analysis (revision of ANSI/ASB Std 028-2019)
  PINS response end date of 5/10/2026
• ASB Std 046-202x, Standard for Wildlife Forensics Validation STR Analysis (revision of ANSI/ASB Std 046-2019)
  PINS response end date of 5/10/2026
• ASB Std 047-202x, Standard for Wildlife Forensics Validating New Primers for Sequencing (revision of ANSI/ASB Std 047-2019)
  PINS response end date of 5/10/2026
• ASB Std 048-202x, Standard for Wildlife Forensic DNA Procedures (revision of ANSI/ASB Std 048-2019)
  PINS response end date of 5/10/2026

Order Your Very Own ASB 10-year Anniversary Gear!

The ASB now has a Lands End Business Store! Choose your item and Apply Logo to add the special limited time 10-year Anniversary Logo! Visit the Storefront! 

ASB Standards Included FIU Research Forensic Library

This library is a curated collection of publicly-accessible articles, reports, drug monographs, controlled substance notifications, historical documents, and other material relating to every discipline of the forensic sciences. The Library provides access to groundbreaking research and to historical articles, all available for free. There are currently over 7,600 articles and reports in the library, with more added every day. Visit the Library here! 

Checklists Available on Forensic Standards
These Checklists provide a tool to allow a forensic science service provider to evaluate the level of standard implementation and/or audit conformance to a standard.  Each checklist, provided in Excel, uses a standardized format that also allows flexibility when used. Checklists are in continuous production with more coming soon! Visit the AAFS Standards Resources and Training site to access the Checklists!

AAFS Factsheets on ASB, ASTM, and NFPA Standards Available
The AAFS Standards Factsheets provide a concise summary of each standard and facilitate broader understanding, they also highlight the purpose of a standard, why it is needed, and the benefits of adoption. Factsheets are in continuous production and more are coming soon. Visit the AAFS Standards Resources and Training site for more details!

Standards Webinars on AAFS Connect
AAFS Connect is the hub of digital forensic science content provided by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. AAFS Connect hosts conference workshops, presentations, webinars, educational training, and other resources. Webinars and updates on Forensic Standards are now available in the Standards Videos portion of AAFS Connect, free of charge. Visit the AAFS Educational Webinars page for more details!