1. Tell me are you a patient person? When have you displayed patience in the workplace?
I am. As we know, in science, things don't happen overnight. Sometimes troubleshooting experiments takes a great deal of patience. Also, large labs tend to have an array of personalities, and patience is often the key to working with others who differ from you.
2. Suppose i'm in high school; how can I prepare myself to be a forensic scientist?
If you want to get ready for this career starting in high school, you should take as many mathematics and science courses as possible, develop public speaking skills, enhance your writing skills.
3. Tell me what is the working environment like?
The office is like any office - desks and computers.
Crime scenes vary. They can be very dirty, or contaminated with bodily fluids. The smells can be quite bad, but, in my opinion, are part of the scene - decomposing bodies, rotting food, unclean houses. You get used to it.
Heath and Safety is important, body fluids can be health hazards, hepatitus, general biological hazards, such as bacteria as well. Drug addicts may drop used needles, broken glass at a point of entry is sharp, exposed sharp objects such as nails, structural collapse in fire scenes, this list is endless (well, almost).
You may have to deal with unpleasant, or upset (emotional) people, both complainants and offenders.
Working with very young, or very old, victims can be upsetting, but you have to be able to rise above it to do a good job.
Absolutely. I have been a forensic scientist and thought it was the best job in the world. Now I am a CSI I think I have the best job in the world. It is very rewarding (tjhough not financially).
5. Tell me how many hours do you work a week?
Typical 40hr work week.
6. Tell me what was your minor in college?
Did not have a minor.
7. Tell me what's the most challenging thing about the job?
I'm not the first at the scene, the state folks are. The challenge on my part as a defense criminalist is to go back and look at the photos, look at the write-ups, the lab notes, and decide if they actually collected all the evidence they needed. A lot of what I do deals with the underbelly of society and it's not necessarily fun to do that. I encounter bad stuff: mutilated bodies, child abuse, autopsies. Sometimes people say, “I can't do this anymore, I don't want to see any more dead bodies.”
8. Tell me if you weren't in forensic science, what career would you choose?
I always enjoyed the science field as well as helping others; I believe I would end up as a nurse. possibly working as a sane sart nurse.
9. Tell me what would your current coworkers say about you?
They would say that I am very much about quality and that I take my work very seriously but I am also easy to get along with and humble in my tasks. I am not afraid to ask for help or get a second opinion because I always place the patient or result first but I am assertive enough to speak up if I think something has compromised a result. I know there is more than one way to get the same result and I learn from others techniques and try them to see what best fits for me as long as it does not violate policy.
10. To you, what is forensic science?
On television shows like CSI they have criminalists interviewing and arresting people. In real life criminalists do not do that. In some states we can only use the evidence that has been collected by police officers, in other states there are teams that process crime scenes. The person who collects the evidence may not be the one who actually analyzes it. Each piece of evidence goes to its own specialty: DNA, firearms, drugs, toxicology or trace evidence.
11. Tell me is there anything about this field of work that you don't like?
There is a fair amount of political bureaucracy. Forensic labs may be run by police departments who don't fully understand the scientific aspects of the lab.
12. Tell me which is the best institution to work at in your opinion? (FIB, CIA, etc)
"Best" is a relative term....
National labs (FBI) may require analysts to travel all over the country for testimony. If you have a family with small children, you may not want this. Additionally you may have to work with attorneys from all over the country - you may not obtain a rapport being able to work with any single attorney on a regular basis.
State labs have smaller jurisdictions, so the travel is less. However, the funding may be less than a national lab. Fewer attorneys; more chance for rapport.
County of city labs have a very small jurisdiction, so very little travel. Sometimes the courthouse is next door to the lab. These smaller labs may have fewer staff. This could be good if everyone works well together - may be bad if they don't. Also, with only a single jurisdiction you work with only a limited number of attorneys. Again, could be good if they work well with the lab; could be bad if they don't.
Then there are also private labs. These have their pros and cons vs government labs too. Private labs have to be financially stable; some may close or be bought out by other labs. Private labs also generally service any client in the country (or world) so you are back to similar issues as with national labs.
13. Explain what type of highschool or community activites would help prepare for this career?
Photography and video courses would be of assistance - both media formats are used to record crime scenes for presentation in court, and also for briefing purposes for the investigating officers (so they do not have to enter the crime scene).
Science club - a background in science is always useful.
Public speaking - we give talks to interested parties, briefings to investigating officers, and have to stand up in court to answer questions from barristers and magistrates. This can be quite intimidating until you get used to being the centre of attention.
14. Tell me what are the services of a crime laboratory?
A crime laboratory usually includes five basic services:
☛ Physical Science unit: uses the principles of chemistry, physics, and geology to identify and compare physical evidence;
☛ Biology unit: applies knowledge of biological sciences in order to investigate blood samples, body fluids, hair and fiber samples;
☛ Firearms unit: investigates discharged bullets, cartridge cases, shotgun shells and ammunition;
☛ Document unit: provides the skills needed for handwriting analysis and other questioned document issues; and
☛ Photographic unit: applies specialized photographic techniques for recording and examining physical evidence.
Additional services may include toxicology, fingerprint analysis, voiceprint analysis, evidence collection and polygraph (lie detector) administration.
15. As you know what are the services of a crime laboratory?
It includes five basic services:
(1) Physical Science unit: uses the principles of chemistry, physics, and geology to identify and compare physical evidence.
(2) Biology unit: applies knowledge of biological sciences in order to investigate blood samples, body fluids, hair and fiber samples.
(3) Firearms unit: investigates discharged bullets, cartridge cases, shotgun shells and ammunition.
(4) Document unit: provides the skills needed for handwriting analysis and other questioned document issues.
(5) Photographic unit: applies specialized photographic techniques for recording and examining physical evidence. Additional services may include toxicology, fingerprint analysis, voiceprint analysis, evidence collection and polygraph (lie detector) administration.
16. Explain me what do you like least about being a Forensic Science Technician?
I do not like that I may not always get the results I would like to see but I understand this is necessary in order to maintain an ethically sound and accurate analysis.
17. Explain me how do your soft skills help you to be a successful forensic science technician?
I know how to handle laboratory equipment, use proper pipetting, awareness of the specimen handling requirements including body fluids. At the U of M I handled non-human primate specimens which utilized very strict biohazard procedures to prevent the possibility of fatal encephalitis. I also had to be very organized and carefully handle research information so it went to the right place and not into the wrong hands. From the airlines to the military and healthcare I have handled numerous stressful and time critical situations as well as sensitive material and expensive technology. I feel that the BCA is a place that I am now ready to experience as well as appreciate for its unique testing specialties and well experienced staff. I know the training can be 2-3 years from what I've read and that I will be working with people who are not only skilled but enthusiastic about their jobs for that reason.
18. Tell us are you comfortable testifying in court? Have you ever had to testify in court?
I have had practice testifying in mock cases. While I am sure I will be nervous, I know I am qualified in my.
19. Explain what is most satisfying about forensic science?
What I enjoy most about forensic science is the problem solving. You look at the evidence to see what it's telling you. How can you use the experts, scientific tests, and your own knowledge to answer questions and solve problems?
The forensic field is changing. Laboratories are being accredited and there are different standards. There are written procedures detailing how to do the analysis. You can't just say, “I know how to use these instruments and I can figure it out.” The changes are driven by arguments that attorneys make. There's a standardization for everything. They have to know how the procedure is done, what the normal range is. They want to read a result and know it's the same, no matter which lab did the test.
20. Tell me what's a typical day in the life of a forensic scientist?
Depends on the field of forensic science.
As a forensic biologist I tell people that "I cut up crusty underwear and move small amounts of water around." About half the day is spent in the lab looking at evidence and performing labwork. The other half of the day is documentation and analysis at the computer.
Lots of paperwork needs to be maintained... this is something that is often ignored when people consider going into forensic science. Again, since every case has the potential to go to court, lots of documentation needs to be maintained to prove to the court that the analysis was done according to validated protocols.
21. Explain me is it anything like forensic scenes on tv?
Not really. The science on television is usually correct, but scenes take longer, evidence takes loger to get results, and the amount of resources is usually less than the shows indicate.
Also, we do not always get a result - on television, they nearly always get the offender.
22. Explain me what is Forensic Science?
Forensic science the application of science to those criminal and civil laws that are enforced by police agencies in a criminal justice system. A forensic scientist analyzes physical evidence and gives written information and/or expert testimony in a court of law. There are many disciplines and career paths within forensic science.
23. Tell me how can I prepare myself to be a forensic scientist in high school?
If you want to get ready for this career starting in high school, you can prepare yourself by acquiring several skills listed at the College Board career website. These include:
☛ taking as many math and science courses as possible
☛ developing public speaking skills
☛ organizing notes of class lectures and keeping lab notebooks
☛ visiting a courthouse and watching legal cases
☛ enhancing your writing skills
24. Tell me what do you most/least enjoy about your job?
Likes: My colleagues, helping people, every scene is a puzzle and challenge.
Dislikes: nothing in particular, unpleasant people (a rarity), working on child abuse cases, working on cases where people target old people (who tend to be very trusting). Knowing that I cannot always help people get justice.
25. Tell me while attending university/college, what was your most challenging subject and why?
English and contemptibly health issues. I have always struggled with spellings and grammar and contemptibly health issues just didn't interest me.
