The Perry Mason types dominate crime fiction, but when it comes to real crime fighting, most cases are solved by highly trained forensic scientists who use physical, biological, medical and sometimes the behavioral sciences to analyze and evaluate physical evidence relating to matters of law.
Physical evidence does not forget, according to Paul L. Kirk, a legendary Berkeley professor who is known as the father of criminalistics. It is not confused by the excitement of the momentIt cannot perjure itself; it cannot be wholly absent.
Since O.J. Simpson introduced most of America to DNA evidence, public and media interest in forensic science has skyrocketed. More than 26 million weekly viewers, for example, have made CSI the most popular program on American television. Dramatic series such as Law and Order have a cult following; Court TV and like programming bring real trials into living rooms.
An increasing number of prospective college students, including UVM applicants, are looking for colleges that offer programs in forensic science. Responding to that need, the Department of Biology will offer a new undergraduate concentration in forensic biology starting this year.
The cornerstone to the new concentration is an upper-level seminar course that will encompass all aspects of crime scene investigation, from gathering evidence, DNA analysis, forensic entomology and toxicology to chain-of-custody protocol and court testimony. Guest lecturers and adjunct instructors will include Dr. Steven Shapiro, Vermonts deputy medical examiner, and other professionals who ply their forensic skills in Vermont crime labs, law enforcement and the courtroom.
Our intent is to position students to be adequately prepared for careers and graduate study in this discipline, says Judith Van Houten, professor and chair of biology.
Were offering the courses and knowledge that employers and graduate schools are telling us they are looking for, adds Bill Kilpatrick, professor of biology.
Kilpatrick provides expert testimony on DNA fingerprinting which has made regular fingerprints practically obsolete in state and federal trials throughout New England. He will co-teach the forensic science seminar with Bill Bress, Vermonts State Toxicologist and adjunct professor of biology and pharmacology.
People are more attuned to crime and, since 9/11, are more aware of what the FBI and other law enforcement agencies do, says Bress, who is also a forensic toxicologist. The tremendous depth of information now available to forensic experts, he says, has made people more aware that crimes are solved not by some guy a with gun, but by highly trained scientists.
While the forensic science concentration is new for UVM, Kilpatrick notes that several former biology students who self-designed a program in forensic science now work at crime labs throughout the nation. The new concentration will provide a more directed and comprehensive education for biology majors, primarily through the seminar and by enhancing the forensic aspects of related science courses.
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