The Special Programs Office (SPO) advances cross-laboratory research, standards, and innovation in areas of critical national need, including forensics science and greenhouse gas measurements, through collaboration and partnerships between NIST and external communities.

• NIST is a national leader in pioneering forensic science advances through research and standards that are adopted and used by practitioners, law enforcement agencies, and the broader U.S. criminal justice system at the federal, state, and local levels and by the private sector.
• NIST is a global leader in greenhouse gas measurements, providing highly accurate emissions estimates at the urban to regional scales by combining atmospheric measurements with measurements from NIST-operated urban testbeds.

News and Updates

New Report Reveals Evidence Handlers’ Common Practices, Makes Recommendations

December 16, 2025

In 2021 a committee established by NIST and NIJ surveyed evidence handlers to identify best practices in retention, preservation, integrity, and disposition of

OSAC's Wildlife Forensic Biology Subcommittee Develops Process Map

September 19, 2025

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science’s Wildlife Forensic Biology Subcommittee has developed a process map that captures

Texas Forensic Science Commission Supports NIST Recommendations

January 13, 2025

By Christina Reed There is one answer forensic scientists sometimes provide after analyzing evidence that confounds lawyers and judges: inconclusive. When

NIST Publishes Report on DNA Mixture Interpretation Methods

December 19, 2024

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published DNA Mixture Interpretation: A Scientific Foundation Review. This report reviews the

Awards

2024 - Gold Medal Award---Melissa Taylor

For extraordinary leadership in improving the quality and transparency of forensic science practice through development of process maps.

2024 - Bronze Medal Award---Lisa Borsuk, John Butler, Katherine Gettings, Kevin Kiesler, Angela Lee, Adam Morey, Karen Ann Price, Erica Romsos, Arlin Stoltzfus, Peter Vallone

For the modernization of the Short Tandem Repeat DNA Internet Database, a key data resource for human identity DNA testing practitioners worldwide.

2023 - Gold Medal Award---James Whetstone

For development of the NIST Urban Testbeds Program to determine the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on climate change and to mitigate their impact.

2023 - Gold Medal Award---John Jones II, Karen Reczek, Allison Getz, Donna Sirk, Barbara Guttman, Marcela Najarro, Alan Zheng, Will Guthrie, John Butler

For extraordinary national leadership in improving the scientific quality of forensic science practices through standards development.