Tips for Students Pursuing Careers in Forensic Science

The exciting role of forensic scientist combines the power of observation, inference and research-based analysis to fight crime. From identifying the time of death to taking a closer look at fingerprints found at the scene, these scientists play an essential role in forensic examinations and linking suspects to specific evidence. 

The expert training and education of different types of forensic scientists is key to the investigation process and trial proceedings. Are you interested in joining the field? The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates jobs for forensic scientists will grow at twice the anticipated rate for other occupations, with a 17 percent increase between 2016 and 2026.  

Tips on Preparing to Become a Forensic Scientist

A forensic science job requires a minimum of a four-year bachelor’s degree in a field such as biology, chemistry or forensic science. Professionals recommend students seek out the following educational experiences to prepare for futures as a forensic investigator. 

  •     Search for a program with a strong academic core in natural sciences and math like biochemistry, toxicology, analytical chemistry and instrumental analysis. 
  • Obtain a thorough grounding in laboratory procedures and the use of scientific instruments. 
  • Build technical skills by taking courses in criminal justice, evidence handling and ethics.
  • Get acquainted with the criminal justice system and its processes through courses in criminology.
  • Develop strong written and oral communication skills to improve dialogue with law enforcement or explain findings to a judge and jury.
  • Seek out opportunities to gain additional hands-on experience through forensic science-related internships.

A Sneak Peek at an Advanced Degree

Students interested in jobs such as laboratory directors, professors or a specialist role can pursue advanced degrees. During a graduate program, you can choose a specialty such as ballistics, digital evidence or toxicology. In addition to classwork, master’s and Ph.D. students develop advanced skills in the laboratory. 

A Look at Continuing Education and Certifications

Education for the forensic scientist continues after the job begins with additional employer training. Certifications in various specialties such as blood pattern analysis, forensic photography and latent print analysis are available from organizations such as the International Association for Identification.

Impacting Society With A Career In Forensics

CSAFE offers students interested in pursuing forensic science careers the opportunity to discover how statistics apply to forensic evidence analysis. Learn more about our hands-on experiences for graduate and undergraduate students on our Forensic Education page and see how one student’s CSAFE research is preparing him for his dream job of DNA analyst.

Forensic science is a rigorous and demanding subject, but students committed to academic work and practical experience can stand out amongst other job applicants. Students can look forward to a gratifying career that contributes to the fair administration of justice.

 

First Interdisciplinary Training Standard Approved by OSAC

OSAC Registry Ribbon

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science registry of approved standards now includes its first interdisciplinary training standard. This new standard provides guidelines to help laboratories ensure their team stays up-to-date on the latest forensic science methods and best practices. 

 

According to OSAC, ASTM E2917-19a Standard Practice for Forensic Science Practitioner Training, Continuing Education, and Professional Development Programs outlines what essential knowledge, skills and abilities laboratory training programs should address. Previously, these types of standards existed only in DNA and seized drug analysis disciplines. The standard also specifies continuing education requirements for forensic science professionals. 

 

OSAC Registry standards define minimum requirements, best practices, scientific protocols and other guidance to help ensure that the results of forensic analysis are reliable and reproducible.

 

Access Details:

OSAC, through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has entered into a contract with ASTM International that gives 30,000 public criminal justice agencies free access to standards published under ASTM Technical Committee E30 on Forensic Science. To access these standards, click the green “ASTM Standards Access” button on OSAC’s Access to Standards webpage to enter the ASTM Compass website.

The Flipped Classroom: Strategies to Increase Student Engagement in Forensic Statistics

How often have you sat in a classroom, half-listening to a teacher lecture, feeling uninterested and not engaged? Many of us can relate to this type of often boring, idle instruction.

While some students may find long lectures on forensic statistics dry, a flipped-classroom approach can make statistics and its real-world applications to criminal investigations exciting and fun for all students. Try using this method to transform students from simply receptors of information to active participants in their learning.

Understanding the Flipped Classroom

Focusing on collaborative learning rooted in higher student-control, the flipped classroom reverses the traditional model of teaching to focus class-time not on lectures, but on problem-solving, projects and discussions.

Dr. Simon Cole, CSAFE researcher and professor at the University of California, Irvine is a strong believer in the flipped classroom, using it to teach his undergraduate course “Forensic Science, Law and Society.” He explains the theory behind its success.

“The flipped classroom is the idea that currently we use the classroom for content delivery such as lecturing or video and expect the students to solve problems at home through homework, writing exercises or tests. The flipped classroom says that’s exactly wrong,” said Cole.  “The thing about lectures is that it’s so passive. Students aren’t required to do anything. Lecturing is not the best way for students to learn, they need to be active with group exercises and solving problems.”

The flipped classroom first exposes students to new material outside of class through reading or lecture videos. Class time then becomes an opportunity for students to process what they’ve learned through time for inquiry and application with immediate feedback from peers and the instructor.

Advantages to Flipped Classroom Learning

  1. Promotes deeper learning through in-class opportunities that emphasize higher-level cognitive functions
  2. Gives students more control through freedom to learn at their own pace at home
  3. Increases student-centered learning and collaboration where students teach and learn concepts from each other with instructor guidance
  4. Enables instructors to better assess student understanding and adjust teaching methods accordingly

General Strategies to Implement

Cole paints a picture of the traditional classroom. “You have a huge room of students where 10 percent sit in the front and are working hard, 20 percent are in the back shopping on their computers, and many in the middle who are kind of confused and having trouble keeping up with the ones in the front,” he said. Cole recognizes that as a lecturer it’s hard to keep yourself from teaching only to the students in the front.  But the flipped classroom changes that.

Cole recommends that instructors move about the room, asking a variety of students questions. He suggests potentially cold calling on students and staying with them until they answer the question.

“I force myself to not let all the students in the front answer the questions and I learned much more about what the students were comprehending,” Cole said. “What I learned was that there were things that I had taught and lectured about for 10 minutes and it took them 2 or 3 weeks to understand that concept so I slowed down and didn’t move on until I called on someone at random, and they could explain it back to me.”

Another suggestion is to shorten lectures.  “All the studies say that no one can listen for more than 12 minutes, not even professors,” Cole said. He advises chunking his lectures into mini-lectures via podcast, allowing students more time to digest the material.

Specific applications of the Flipped Classroom to Forensic Statistics

“The flipped classroom works well with teaching forensic statistics because you can focus on statistical problems and slowly work through them together,” Cole said. “I have some very simple exercises with likelihood ratios such as “state the probability that you think it’s going to rain tomorrow and state how much you hate getting wet. Now show that you can plug those numbers into this equation and that will tell you you’re likelihood ratio and your utility function.” Through this hands-on approach, students are actively interacting with key statistical concepts, promoting a deeper understanding of its importance to criminal investigations.

CSAFE is committed to mentoring the next generation of forensic scientists, researchers, law enforcement agents, lawyers, judges and more. Our innovative approaches to enhancing education for students across the country are paving the way for new talent committed to the fair administration of justice.

The CSAFE undergraduate course “Forensic Science, Statistics and Law” will be taught again in Fall 2018. Cole is looking forward to utilizing the new UCI Anteater Learning Pavilion, featuring seating designed to facilitate flipped classroom collaborative work.

Learn more in the CSAFE news section, and explore additional undergraduate opportunities in our education center. For questions on how you can implement these techniques in your classroom, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

 

3 Top Universities For Forensic Science Programs

A CSAFE Partner School Spotlight

One of the core research areas at CSAFE is training and education. The next generation of forensic scientists, laboratory technicians and other practitioners in the forensic community are vital to the innovation and integrity of the forensic field and to our country’s justice overall. We are proud to be partnered with institutions that are preparing this next generation of forensic scientists, and we look forward to working in collaboration and spreading the advancement of forensic sciences from practicing forensic scientists to those aspiring to join the field.

1. Albany State University | Albany, Georgia

Albany State University offers a Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science within a challenging academic environment. Its program is accredited by the Forensic Science Education Program Accreditation Commission of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Students receive fundamental scientific knowledge, laboratory and analytical skills, communication skills and ethical principles through their studies and hands-on experiences. The program integrates research activities focused on forensic areas such as programming, data analysis, real-time instrument control and project planning.

Students should consider the forensic BS program at Albany State University if they are seeking careers in:

  • Forensic chemistry
  • Forensic microscopy
  • Forensic toxicology
  • Forensic photography
  • Forensic fingerprinting
  • Forensic DNA

In collaboration with CSAFE, Albany State University forensic science faculty are working to elevate their program to even greater heights and to advance the overall level of forensics education in the country.

2. Fayetteville State University | Fayetteville, North Carolina

The Bachelor of Science program in Forensic Science at Fayetteville State University helps students develop their technical skills, and their basic foundational science and laboratory problem-solving skills. The program touches on areas such as DNA analysis, forensic chemistry and trace evidence. Students will also learn how to prepare reports, document their findings and their laboratory techniques, and communicate their findings. Upon graduation, students are prepared to contribute to a modern crime laboratory — as well as help advance the forensic science community overall.

Students can choose between one of two concentrations:

  • Forensic biology
  • Forensic chemistry

In collaboration with CSAFE, the professors and faculty in the forensics program at Fayetteville State University aspire to provide their students with the latest training in forensic techniques and models, and to foster innovation among its students.

3. Eastern New Mexico University | Portales, New Mexico

The forensic science program offered at Eastern New Mexico University develops the technical talents of students as well as their ability to critically think and actively synthesize information. The program adheres to the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission standards. Students will learn from practitioners at the local, state and national levels, and they will gain both theoretical and practical experience within classrooms and laboratories.

Within the Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science program, students can concentrate their studies in one of three emphasis areas:

  • Forensic biology
  • Forensic chemistry
  • Forensic anthropology

The school has plans to add digital forensics in the near future, and its collaboration with CSAFE will help it better achieve its goal by staying on the cutting edge of digital forensic practices.

Does your school’s forensic science program have a passion for the advancement of the forensic science industry? Do you want to not only stay on the cutting edge of forensic technology — but help lead it? Contact CSAFE today.