DOCSLIB.ORG

Influence of the Csi Effect on Education and Mass Media

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2010 Influence Of The Csi ffE ect On Education And Mass Media Sarah E. McManus University of Central Florida Part of the Anthropology Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation McManus, Sarah E., "Influence Of The Csi ffE ect On Education And Mass Media" (2010). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 1577. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/1577 INFLUENCE OF THE CSI EFFECT ON EDUCATION AND MASS MEDIA by SARAH E. McMANUS B.A. University of Tennessee, 2008 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Anthropology in the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Summer Term 2010 ABSTRACT Forensic science television shows, especially CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, have been said to influence the public’s perception of how forensic science is used and create interest in studying forensic science and pursuing jobs in the field. This study investigates this claim through a variety of methods. First, definitions of the CSI effect are discussed, including how it was first used and mentioned in the media. Second, survey data from students in a forensic anthropology course regarding interest in forensic science media and educational and career choices are analyzed. Third, the number and debut dates of forensic science non-fiction books, novels, non-fiction television shows, and television dramas are investigated. Finally, a content analysis of the television show Bones is undertaken in order to understand how the forensic anthropology presented in this show differs from the actual practice of forensic anthropology. Results of this study indicate that, overall, students who wanted to pursue forensic science careers and graduate study did not watch more forensic science television shows and read more forensic science novels than those who did not want to pursue forensic science careers and graduate study. Also, based on the decreased interest in a number of forensic careers, it appears that respondents may have started the course with false perceptions regarding the actual job descriptions of these careers. Regarding the number and debut dates of forensic science media, this study found that the majority of non-fiction forensic anthropology books, non-fiction television shows, television dramas debuted after CSI appeared, corroborating the claim that CSI led to an increase in interest in forensic ii anthropology. In addition, this study found that while much of Bones is fictionalized for entertainment purposes, many of the techniques and analyses presented on the show have a peripheral basis in scientific methods. iii Dedicated to my parents and John iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank a number of people for their help in the completion of this thesis. I would first like to thank my committee, Dr. John Schultz, Dr. Tosha Dupras, and Dr. Jana Jasinski. Dr. Schultz has provided a tremendous amount of help in the formulation of this thesis, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him. I am also grateful for the knowledge I have gained working under and learning from him in the past two years. Dr. Dupras provided important guidance for both the improvement of this thesis and in general while I was a graduate student at UCF. Dr. Jasinski provided a great deal of help with statistical analysis and understanding survey data and content analysis. I would also like to thank my parents for both their financial and emotional support and my brother John for his encouragement. Furthermore, thanks to my fellow graduate students and Lauren, Mike, Joanna, and William in particular. It’s been fun. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................................................. viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................... 1 Research Objectives ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................................................. 5 CHAPTER 2: AN ANALYSIS OF THE CSI EFFECT AND ITS IMPACT ON THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM ................................................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 7 Media Impact on Crime, Public Perception of Crime, and the Criminal Justice System ........ 8 Origin of the CSI Effect .................................................................................................................................... 9 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ............................................................................................................ 11 CSI’s portrayal of forensic science ..................................................................................................... 13 What is the CSI effect?............................................................................................................................. 22 Different definitions of CSI effect ....................................................................................................... 26 Influence of CSI on the Criminal Justice System ................................................................................ 31 Discussion and Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... 33 Literature Cited .............................................................................................................................................. 36 CHAPTER 3: FORENSIC REALISM IN THE TELEVISION SHOW BONES AND THE CSI EFFECT’S IMPACT ON POPULARITY OF FORENSIC SCIENCE MEDIA ........................................... 40 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 40 Non-fiction Books .......................................................................................................................................... 41 Fiction Book Series ....................................................................................................................................... 44 Non-fiction Television Series .................................................................................................................... 48 Forensic Science Television Dramas...................................................................................................... 49 Content Analysis of Bones .......................................................................................................................... 51 Methods ........................................................................................................................................................ 54 Results........................................................................................................................................................... 54 Discussion and Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... 64 Literature Cited .............................................................................................................................................. 72 CHAPTER 4: THE CSI EFFECT: IMPACT ON FORENSIC SCIENCE EDUCATION AND INTEREST IN FORENSIC SCIENCE CAREERS .......................................................................................... 78 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 78 Forensic Science and Education .............................................................................................................. 79 Forensic science programs at the college level ............................................................................. 79 Influence of forensic science in primary and secondary education ..................................... 81 Forensic Science University Programs ................................................................................................. 84 Survey of Forensic Anthropology Students ........................................................................................ 88 Methods ........................................................................................................................................................ 89 Results........................................................................................................................................................... 93 Discussion and Conclusions ...................................................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Cause of Death: the Role of Anthropology in the Enforcement of Human Rights

    Cause of Death: the Role of Anthropology in the Enforcement of Human Rights

    Forward The Fellows Program in the Anthropology of Human Rights was initiated by the Committee for Human Rights (CfHR) in 2002. Positions provide recipients with strong experience in human rights work, possibilities for publication, as well as the opportunity to work closely with the Committee, government agencies, and human rights-based non-governmental organizations (NGOs). 2003 CfHR Research Fellow Erin Kimmerle is a graduate student in anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Kimmerle came to the position with a strong background in the practice of anthropology in international human rights. Between 2000 and 2001 she served on the forensic team of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in its missions in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. In 2001 Kimmerle was made Chief Anthropologist of that team. Janet Chernela, Chair Emeritus (2001-2003) Cause of Death: The Role of Anthropology in the Enforcement of Human Rights Erin H. Kimmerle Submitted to the Human Rights Committee of the American Anthropological Association April, 2004 University of Tennessee, Department of Anthropology 250 South Stadium Hall Knoxville, TN Phone: 865-974-4408 E-mail: [email protected] pp. 35 Keywords: Forensic anthropology, Human Rights, Forensic Science Table of Contents Introduction Background Forensic Science and Human Rights The Roles of Forensic Anthropologists Current Challenges and the Need for Future Research Summary Acknowledgments Literature Cited Introduction One perfect autumn day in 2000, I attended eleven funerals. I stood alongside Mustafa, a middle-aged man with a hardened look punctuated by the deep grooves in his solemn face. Around us people spilled out into the streets and alleys, horse drawn carts filled with the bounty of the weekly harvest of peppers, potatoes, and onions jockeyed for space on the crumpled cobblestone road.
  • The Potential Impact of Television on Jurors Prepared for August 2010 Impression and Pattern Evidence Symposium

    The Potential Impact of Television on Jurors Prepared for August 2010 Impression and Pattern Evidence Symposium

    Kimberlianne Podlas, JD Associate Professor University of North Carolina at Greensboro [email protected]; (336) 334-4196 The Potential Impact of Television on Jurors Prepared for August 2010 Impression and Pattern Evidence Symposium Introduction Because television is society’s most pervasive medium, we all have experience with and opinions about it. Our experiences, however, are not the same as expertise in the production of the medium, and our opinions cannot substitute for empirical facts about its effects. Particularly when forecasting the impact of television on juror pre- conceptions, biases, and decision-making, adjusting trial strategies accordingly, and/or making evidentiary decisions in response, justice requires that we privilege the facts about television above the perceptions and myths about it. To help separate fact from fiction and to guide practitioners, the following materials synopsize the main research findings regarding the influences of televisual depictions of law. First, to provide a foundation for understanding television’s effects and how they may operate in individual cases, the materials outline the primary theories of television impact. Next, the materials summarize the research on contemporary law television programs (in particular judge shows, crime procedurals, and lawyer dramas), and analyze the impacts these shows may or may not have. The Importance of Television to the Law Television’s power is undeniable: It is one of society’s primary conduits of information and agents of socialization (Shrum 1998). Indeed, much of what people know comes from television. Sometimes it supplements information from other sources, such as family, school, and work; other times it substitutes for direct experience, taking us into worlds with which we would otherwise have no contact (Signorielli 279-80; Podlas 2008, 11-14).
  • CSI Effect’ Impacts Justice in Tucson

    CSI Effect’ Impacts Justice in Tucson

    ‘CSI effect’ impacts justice in Tucson Juries demand the Crime scenes: impossible of TV vs. reality investigators By Enric Volante and Kim Smith ARIZONA DAILY STAR May 8, 2005 Some Pima County jurors take longer to deliberate because they expect evidence to be as clear-cut and stunning as on hit TV shows like "CSI: Crime Scene DNA results Investigation." • TV: DNA results come back in a few hours. Because of the so-called "CSI effect." judges and attorneys are being more • REALITY: Nuclear DNA can take several selective when they choose jurors and days to a week to process, and the present cases, and some exasperated cops samples are normally tested in batches that are worrying that such TV shows could take about a month. It can take a month just to lead to criminals avoiding prison. get enough of a sample to test in mitochondrial DNA because it can be so Courts across the country are difficult to get enough matter from bone, teeth scrambling to deal with the phe- or hair. nomenon, according to news reports. In Phoenix, several criminal cases appear to have turned on the lack of such TV- inspired evidence, said Barnett Lotstein, a special assistant Maricopa County attorney. In Peoria, Ill., investigators matched the DNA from saliva on a rape victim's breast to the DNA of a gang member who said he never touched her. But jurors said police also should have tested the soil at the rape scene, and refused to convict Fingerprints the man. • TV: Fingerprints can be retrieved from And in San Francisco, homicide nearly any surface in nearly every case.
  • Tiffany B. Saul

    Tiffany B. Saul

    Tiffany B. Saul Middle Tennessee State University Forensic Institute for Research and Education 1301 East Main Street Box 89 Wiser-Patten Science Hall 106H Murfreesboro, TN 37132 [email protected] Education 2013-2017 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Anthropology, University of Tennessee 2010-2013 Master of Science (MS) in Biology, Middle Tennessee State University 1998-2002 Bachelor of Science (BS) in Anthropology, Middle Tennessee State University Academic Appointments 2017-present Research Assistant Professor, Middle Tennessee State University (Forensic Institute for Research and Education and Dept. of Anthropology) 2015-2017 Graduate Research Assistant, University of Tennessee (Dept. of Anthropology) 2014-2015 Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Tennessee (Anthropology & Biology) 2013 (Fall) Graduate Research Assistant, University of Tennessee (Dept. of Anthropology) 2012-2013 Graduate Research Assistant, Forensic Institute for Research and Education 2010-2012 NSF Graduate Fellow, Middle Tennessee State University Teaching Experience 2017 World Prehistory (ANTH 2210/ 1 section-MTSU), Instructor 2016 Basic Forensic Crime Scene Processing School (TBI), Presenter 2016 Forensic Skeletal Search and Recovery Course (MTSU), Instructor 2016 Biometrics Field Training (FBI Fly Team), Instructor 2015 Human Origins (ANTH 110/1 section-UTK), Instructor 2014-2015 Human Osteology Lab (ANTH 480/3 sections-UTK), Teaching Assistant 2014 General Biology for Non-majors Lab (BIOL 102/ 2 sections-UTK), Instructor 2013 Career and Technical Education (CTE) Workshop, Session Director 2012 Basic Forensic Crime Scene Processing School (TBI), Presenter 2012-2013 NSF TRIAD GK-12 Program, Program Master Fellow 2011-2012 Career and Technical Education (CTE) Workshop, Curriculum Developer 2011 Homicide Investigation Course (TBI), Instructor Assistant 2011-2014 CSI: MTSU Summer Camp, Curriculum Developer and Instructor 2010-2012 NSF TRIAD GK-12 Program, Visiting Scientist/Research Mentor 2010 CSI: MTSU Summer Camp, Assistant Instructor T.
  • Crime Scene Investigation

    Crime Scene Investigation

    CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION DESCRIPTION OF SESSION This session provides participants with an understanding of some of the procedures that are employed during a crime scene investigation. CATEGORIES . Exploring: Law Enforcement . U.S. Department of Education: Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security OBJECTIVES By the end of this session, participants will be able to: . Explain why it’s important to cordon off a crime scene and to limit the number of people entering the scene. Discuss the importance of documenting a crime scene. Identify and distinguish between the standard methods of documenting a crime scene. Define the chain of custody and explain why it’s important. Differentiate between the three types of photographs taken at a crime scene and explain why each is important. Apply proper crime scene photography methods to a mock crime scene. Describe the importance of taking scaled photographs. Explain the importance of taking notes. Conduct note taking at a mock crime scene. Prepare a rough sketch and explain how it differs from a finished sketch. Demonstrate proper evidence collection and packaging procedures. SUPPLIES . (1) computer with internet access For each group of two or three participants: . (1) cellphone camera or digital camera . (3) blank index cards . (1) Sharpie marker . (3) evidence bags or blank brown paper bags . (1) roll of evidence tape (if evidence tape is unavailable, clear packing tape will do) . (1) 6-inch scale or ruler . (1) measuring tape . (1) clipboard . (1) pencil with eraser . (1) compass . (1) note pad . A variety of proxy evidence items . “A Visual Guide to Properly Packaging Physical Evidence” (PDF, see below)—one for each participant PREPARATION See Activity 6 for suggestions of speakers who could attend the meeting or places where participants could visit, and make arrangements as needed.
  • Genocide Studies and Prevention: an International Journal

    Genocide Studies and Prevention: an International Journal

    Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal Volume 11 Issue 1 Information and Communications Technologies in Mass Atrocities Research and Article 2 Response 5-2017 Full Issue 11.1 Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/gsp Recommended Citation (2017) "Full Issue 11.1," Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal: Vol. 11: Iss. 1: 1-128. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5038/1911-9933.11.1 Available at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/gsp/vol11/iss1/2 This Front Matter is brought to you for free and open access by the Open Access Journals at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal by an authorized editor of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. i ISSN 1911-0359 eISSN 1911-9933 Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal Volume 11.1 - 2017 ©2017 Genocide Studies and Prevention 11, no. 1 http://doi.org/10.5038/1911-9933.11.1 ii ©2017 Genocide Studies and Prevention 11, no. 1 http://doi.org/10.5038/1911-9933.11.1 iii Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/gsp/ Volume 11.1 - 2017 Randle DeFalco, Christian Gudehus, Douglas Irvin-Erickson, Yasemin Irvin-Erickson, Roland Moerland, Melanie O’Brien, and Y-Dang Troeung Editors’ Introduction ................................................................................................................1 Symposium on the State of the Field Colette Mazzucelli and Anna Visvizi Querying the Ethics of Data Collection as a Community of Research and Practice: The Movement Toward the “Liberalism of Fear” to Protect the Vulnerable ............................2 Kristin B.
  • Desiring Dexter: the Pangs and Pleasures of Serial Killer Body Technique

    Desiring Dexter: the Pangs and Pleasures of Serial Killer Body Technique

    Desiring Dexter: The pangs and pleasures of serial killer body technique Author Green, Stephanie Published 2012 Journal Title Continuum DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/10304312.2012.698037 Copyright Statement © 2012 Taylor & Francis. This is an electronic version of an article published in Continuum, Volume 26, Issue 4, 2012, Pages 579-588. Continuum is available online at: http:// www.tandfonline.com with the open URL of your article. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/48836 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au Desiring Dexter: the pangs and pleasures of serial killer body technique Stephanie Green1 School of Humanities, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia Abstract The television series Dexter uses the figure of appealing monstrosity to unfold troubled relationships between corporeality, spectatorship and desire. Through a plastic-wrapped display of body horror, lightly veiled by suburban romance, Dexter turns its audience on to the consuming sensations of blood, death and dismemberment while simultaneously alluding to its own narrative and ethical contradictions. The excitations of Dexter are thus encapsulated within a tension between form and content as ambivalent and eroticised desire; both for heroic transgression and narrative resolution. Arguably, however, it is Dexter’s execution of a carefully developed serial killer body technique which makes this series so compelling. Through an examination of Dexter and his plotted body moves, this paper explores the representations of intimacy and murderous identity in this contemporary example of domestic screen horror entertainment. Keywords: Dexter, body-technique, desire, crime television, horror 1 [email protected] Launched in 2006, the television drama series Dexter has been a ratings record- breaker for its network producers (Showtime, CBS 2007-2011).
  • Forensic Biology 205 Administration Building • 419-372-2015

    Forensic Biology 205 Administration Building • 419-372-2015

    Fall 2020 Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science Specialization in Forensic Biology 205 Administration Building • 419-372-2015 BG Perspective (BGP) Requirements FSCI Major Core Requirements (38 Hrs.) Must complete at least 1 course in each of the following: Hrs Grade English Composition and Oral Communication 4 BIOL 2040 Concepts in Biology I Course Credits 4 BIOL 2050 Concepts in Biology II 4 BIOL 3310 Human Anatomy & Physiology Quantitative Literacy 4 BIOL 3320 Human Anatomy & Physiology II _____________________________ ________ 3 CHEM 1770 Intro to Forensic Science 3 CRJU 4400 Law, Evidence, & Procedures in Must Complete at least 2 courses in each of the following: Forensic Science Humanities and the Arts 3 CRJU 4510 Criminal Justice Ethics 3 MATH 2470 Fund. of Statistics 5 PHYS 2010 or 2110 University Physics I 5 PHYS 2020 or 2120 University Physics II Natural Sciences - at least one Lab Science required FSCI Forensic Biology Specialization Requirements (16 hrs.) Social and Behavioral Sciences 4 BIOL 3500 Genetics 3 BIOL 4080 Molecular Biology 3 BIOL 4230 OR FSCI 4230 Forensic Biology Complete total required BGP credit hours by selecting courses from any 3 BIOL 4240 OR FSCI 4240 Forensic DNA Analysis of the above categories: 3 FSCI 4890 Internship OR FSCI 4990 Capstone Additional Requirements (25-26 Hrs.) These courses also fulfill the requirements for a minor in chemistry. Consult with an advisor about declaring the minor. University Requirements Designated courses in Humanities and the Arts and the Social and Behavorial Sciences
  • Cognitive Human Factors and Forensic Document Examiner Methods and Procedures Author(S): Mara L

    Cognitive Human Factors and Forensic Document Examiner Methods and Procedures Author(S): Mara L

    The author(s) shown below used Federal funding provided by the U.S. Department of Justice to prepare the following resource: Document Title: Cognitive Human Factors and Forensic Document Examiner Methods and Procedures Author(s): Mara L. Merlino, Chandler Al Namer, Taleb Al Namer, La’Quida Smith, Veronica Blas Dahir, Charles Edwards, Derek L. Hammond Document Number: 254581 Date Received: March 2020 Award Number: 2015-DN-BX-K069 This resource has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice. This resource is being made publically available through the Office of Justice Programs’ National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Cognitive Human Factors and Forensic Document Examination Methods and Procedures 1 Cognitive Human Factors and Forensic Document Examiner Methods and Procedures Final Summary Overview NIJ Award Number 2015-DN-BX-K069 Principal Investigator: Mara L. Merlino Research Assistants: Chandler Al Namer, Taleb Al Namer, La’Quida Smith Kentucky State University Frankfort, Kentucky 40601 Subaward Principal Investigator: Veronica Blas Dahir Research Assistants: Charles Edwards University of Nevada, Reno Reno, Nevada 89557 Expert Consultant: Derek L. Hammond U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory Forest Park, Georgia Acknowledgements: Bryan J. Found, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department Adrian Dyer, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Kentucky State University: Piarre Easley, Robert Olson University of Nevada, Reno: Mauricio Alvarez, J. Guillermo Villalobos, Denise Schaar Buis, Emily Wood, Chris Swinger, Chris Sanchez, Katherine Caufield Submitted to the U.S.
  • FICTIONAL TALK Gender, Power and Kay Scarpetta

    FICTIONAL TALK Gender, Power and Kay Scarpetta

    FICTIONAL TALK Gender, Power and Kay Scarpetta Författare: Frida Green Handledare: Dr. M. Anne Moskow Examensarbete i Engelska 10p, fördjupningsnivå 1 10 p Uppsats Institutionen för Individ och Samhälle © December 2005 Table of Contents 1. Introduction and Rationale………………………………….2 2. Research Questions…………………………………………..3 3. Literature Review…………………………………………….3 4. Methods……………………………………………………….7 5. Delimitations and Limitations……………………………….8 6. Definitions…………………………………………………….8 7. Findings……………………………………………………….9 7.1. Background……………………………………………………………...9 • Summary of the Novel.......................................................................10 • Characters in Cruel & Unusual.........................................................11 7.2. Scarpetta versus Marino……………………………………………….12 7.2.1. Tentative/Direct Speech……………………………………………...12 • Hedges……………………………………………………………...12 • Interruptions………………………………………………………..14 • Directives…………………………………………………………..16 7.2.2. Standard/Non-standard Speech…………………………………….18 7.2.3. Swearing and Taboo Language..........................................................20 7.3. Code-switching………………………………………………………....22 8. Conclusion…………………………………………………….24 9. Works Cited…………………………………………………..27 2 1. Introduction and Rationale “Women readers reading women writers writing women characters righting wrongs” (Klein 3). “If one goes back in history no further than the founding days of the [detective] genre ... women were second-class citizens. Legally they had almost no rights; economically; they had little power; personally,
  • The Body Farm 1 the Body Farm Rachel Hilton Salt Lake Community College Mortuary Science Department

    The Body Farm 1 the Body Farm Rachel Hilton Salt Lake Community College Mortuary Science Department

    The Body Farm 1 The Body Farm Rachel Hilton Salt Lake Community College Mortuary Science Department The Body Farm 2 The Body Farm The Body Farm, a strange and eerie term you may have heard in a book or on a television show, meaning exactly what it sounds like: an outdoor research facility where bodies are strategically placed in the sun, in the shade, in ponds and in trunks and examined to see the effects of time and certain elements. Why do we have several body farms in the United States and what purpose do they serve? One day the students and staff of body farms across the U.S. hope to aide law enforcement in catching criminals by making an atlas of what happens to the human body after death. By developing this atlas equipped with pictures, copious amounts of time will be saved by law enforcement, time that would otherwise be wasted on trying to develop a time of death. The education a body farm can provide for aspiring forensic anthropology students is endless. Many teachers have tried to simulate crime scenes in classrooms, and while they do work and give students a broader spectrum of inquiries, to have an actual body to study over time is the ultimate gift. Body Farms in the U.S Dr. William M. Bass’ inspiration for starting the body farm stemmed from a possible murder case presented to him by local police where they asked him to approximate time of death of a body whose resting place was disturbed when a couple decided to remodel their home.
  • Master of Science in Biomedical Forensic Sciences Master of Science in Biomedical Forensic Sciences

    Master of Science in Biomedical Forensic Sciences Master of Science in Biomedical Forensic Sciences

    MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BIOMEDICAL FORENSIC SCIENCES MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BIOMEDICAL FORENSIC SCIENCES Program Overview The M.S. in Biomedical Forensic Sciences trains individuals for a variety of disciplines applied to crime scene investigation and evidence analysis. The only program of its kind based at a major medical center, students benefit from unique opportunities to engage with forensic science practitioners, examine cadavers, utilize extensive laboratory and library resources and access a 32-acre outdoor forensic science research facility that includes: • A crime scene house • Open fields, wooded areas and a cranberry bog • A decomposition field In addition, the University’s medical campus, home to Boston’s largest research park, is very close to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for Massachusetts as well as the Boston Police Department’s Crime Laboratory. Program Highlights: Through the class curriculum, laboratory • Only program of its kind based at a medical school, experiments, thesis research and mentoring, and one of the few forensic science graduate programs I had many opportunities to learn from professors offered in New England who have practical experiences and are active • Emphasis on biomedical specialties including toxicology, members in their fields. pathology, DNA analysis and bloodstain pattern analysis - Drew Horsley, Class of 2014 • Access to state-of-the-art laboratory equipment used in forensic DNA analysis, drug chemistry, trace analysis, and microscopy • Coursework in criminal law including a mock court