COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND LAW (CSTL)

The National Academies in 1998 established the Science, Technology, and Law Program, (now called the Committee on Science, Technology, and Law) to bring together the science and engineering community and the legal community to explore pressing issues, improve communication and help resolve issues between the two communities. A major activity for the program has been the convening of a distinguished committee chosen for their knowledge and expertise and who represent a wide range of organizations including federal courts, the legal community, industry, academia, and government. Under the leadership of co-chairs David Korn and Richard Meserve, the committee meets twice a year in a neutral and non-adversarial setting to discuss critical issues at the interface of science, technology, and the law; to promote understanding; and to develop imaginative approaches to solving problems of mutual concern.

The next meeting of the committee will be November 18-19, 2013 in Washington, DC.

PAST MEETINGS / PAST ACTIVITIES / PROJECTS TIMELINE

PAST ACTIVITIES

SCIENCE IN LITIGATION: POST DAUBERT
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
FEDERAL INFORMATION POLICY/ACCESS TO DATA
SCIENCE AND NATIONAL SECURITY
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
HUMAN RESEARCH SUBJECTS
ANIMAL LAW

sCIENCE IN LITIGATION: POST DAUBERT

What is Daubert?

In 1993, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., laid out a new test for federal trial judges to use when determining the admissibility of expert testimony. In the Daubert case, the Court recognized that issues requiring expert testimony are, by definition, outside the realm of an ordinary juror’s scope of knowledge. The Court ruled that judges should act as gatekeepers in the courtroom, assessing the reliability of the scientific methodology and reasoning that supports expert testimony as a condition of allowing such testimony to be presented to the jury. 

More information on Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, 509 U.S. 579, may be found here. 

Committee on the Development of the Third Edition of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence

Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, Third Edition (2011)

Committee on Identifying the Needs of the Forensic Science Community

Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward (2009)

Committee on the Evaluation of the First and Second Editions of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence

Evaluation of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence (2009)

Annual National Conference on Science and Law (2005, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999)
A collaboration with National Institute of Justice with support provided by the STL Program.

Brooklyn Law School, Science for Judges Program (2005, 2004, 2003)
Staff support provided by the STL Program

Joint STL/American Law Institute Seminar on Causation in Tort Litigation (January 2003)
Transcript
Sponsors: American Law Institute and STL Program

Scientific Evidence Workshop (September 2000)
Workshop Report: The Age of Expert Testimony: Science in the Courtroom (2002)
Sponsors: Warren and Eloise Batts Fund, Federal Judicial Center, Procter & Gamble, National Academies Endowment Fund

Issues in Science and Technology
This project focused on the implications of Daubert for civil litigation (Science and Law, Summer 2000) and criminal litigation (Flaws in Forensic Science, Fall 2003)
Sponsor: STL Program

Committee on Daubert Standards

Discussions of the Committee on Daubert Standards: Summary of Meetings (2006) 

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

Opportunities and Challenges in the Emerging Field of Synthetic Biology: A Symposium (July 2009)

OECD / Royal Society Report on Symposium

Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing: A Cross-Academies Workshop (August-September 2009)

Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing: Summary of a Workshop (2010)

FEDERAL INFORMATION POLICY/ACCESS TO RESEARCH DATA

Improving the Use of Science in the Administrative Process: A Workshop (September 2012)
Sponsor: Alfred P Sloan Foundation

Transcript
Project Information

Follow-up meeting with representatives of the academic, business, and public interest communities to discuss revisions to the proposed OMB Peer Review Standards (May 2004)
Sponsor: National Academies

Workshop on OMB Proposed Standards for Peer Review of Regulatory Science and Technical Information Disseminated by the Federal Government (November 2003)
Sponsors: Environmental Protection Agency and STL Program

Ensuring the Quality of Data Disseminated by the Federal Government: (Three workshops, March and May 2002)
Workshop Report: Ensuring the Quality of Data Disseminated by the Federal Government (2003)
Sponsors: Environment Protection Agency, National Science Foundation, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Energy, and Department of Labor

Workshop on Seeking Access to Research Data in the 21st Century: An Ongoing Dialogue Among Interested Parties (2001)
Summary report: Access to Research Data in the 21st Century (2002)
Sponsors: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and STL Program

sCIENCE AND NATIONAL SECURITY

Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI's Investigation of the 2001 Anthrax Mailings (2011)

Microbial Forensics: Nexus between Science, Public Health and Law Enforcement (January 2008)

Agenda

Sponsor: CSTL and The American Association for the Advancement of Science

Committee on a New Government-University Partnership for Science and Security

Science and Security in a Post 9/11 World: A Report Based on Regional Discussions Between the Science and Security Communities (2007)

Issues Raised, Lessons Learned, and Paths Forward for Dual-Use Research in the Life Sciences: The H5N1 Controversy; A Workshop (May 2012)

Perspectives on Research with H5N1 Avian Influenza: Scientific Inquiry, Communication, Controversy; Summary of a Workshop (2013)

Committee on the Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI's Investigation of the 2001 Bacillus anthracis Mailings