Two students in the Reed College of Media developed a new video that highlights the
forensic and investigative science program. This video is the culmination of a
term-long project in Professor MaryKay McFarland’s course, Advanced Video Storytelling.
Jacob Shockley and Sijie Yuan (Andy) interviewed faculty and students, visited
classes and laboratories, and went to our simulated late night crime scene investigations.
Some 20 hours of video recordings were captured and condensed to this dynamic presentation.
Thirty-four students from the WVU FIS program attended this event. Students had
the opportunity to attend workshops and lectures to further their knowledge in
the field of forensic science. Attendance at the conference also provided students
with the opportunity to network with professionals in the field, a skill that
is very important.
This semester, there were two night crime scenes: one for Dr. Keith Morris’ bloodstain
class and the other for Professor Robert O’Brien’s crime scene I class. On Thursday,
April 13th, Professor O’Brien’s crime scene I class was called to the scene of
an assault at 4 am. Sophomore Jennifer Ho comments on the experience saying, “being
called out to the scene at 4 am allows us to not only get the academic portion
of the material but the practical experience as well.”
During recent years, though, problems with some aspects of forensic science have
come to light. Examples include false convictions based on
faulty fire scene and burn pattern analysis and on
bite mark analysis, incorrect fingerprint identification and instances
of
misconduct in forensic labs. Recognizing these shortcoming has led to various
efforts to propel forensic science forward, helping us recognize which parts
of it are scientifically valid, which parts aren’t and where more research must
be done.
“Who you are, where you’ve been, what you eat, what drugs you take — it all shows
up in your hair,” says Glen P. Jackson, Ph.D. “Depending on the question being
asked, the chemical analysis of human hair can provide amazing insights into the
life and lifestyle of a person.”
The two-day event consisted of tours of departmental
facilities on the downtown and Evansdale campuses as well as opportunities to
meet with Forensic & Investigative Science faculty and graduate students.
Dr. Liu’s fellowship is associated with the Center on Wrongful Convictions at
the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and thus he visited with Associate
Professor of Law Valena Beety, Director of the WVU Innocence Project.
There’s no one way to analyze gunshot residue, but in the last seven years of her 34-year-career as a chemist and forensic scientist, Suzanne Bell, a commissioner for the National Commission on Forensic Science, has been working to develop new methodologies that focus on organic residues.
Ms. Kelli Sullivan, a junior in the FIS program, was chosen
by the faculty as having the best forensic photography presentation in
Professor Ken Bauer’s forensic photography course.
In West Virginia University’s Department of Forensic and Investigative Science, much of that hands-on experience comes from assisting faculty with active research. Thanks to the newly developed Ph.D. program, students are able to be trained in undergraduate and stay to continue long term research.
With dreams of becoming a Supreme Court justice, the West Virginia University junior aspires to be the kind of attorney who understands the science behind the evidence.
