LIsa Black
Cape Coral, FL
Female, 49
I spent the five happiest years of my life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office I analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now I'm a certified latent print examiner and CSI for a police department in Florida. I also write a series of forensic suspense novels, turning the day job into fiction. My books have been translated into six languages.
Usually I'm annoyed most often by people asking for things to be done immediately while ignoring a) that we are working on more cases than just theirs, b) that some processes take time, and/or c) that what their asking for isn't going to prove anything for them anyway.
As for fellow scientists, the worst offenses are a) finding typos in my reports and b) taking the last piece of cheesecake out of the communal fridge.
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Sorry it took me so long to get back to you!
Yes, fingerprints are impressions made by the oil and sweat on our fingers. If a surface is very dusty, we take away dust on our fingers instead of leaving prints on the object. It will look like fingerprints should be there because there will be finger marks in the dust, but actually we just removed dust.
Hope that helps!
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I’m sorry but I have no idea. that would be the detective’s job, not mine.
Best of luck!
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Before I worked in forensics, I was a personnel secretary, a hotel maid, and an ice cream counter server and a gas station 'full service specialist'. My husband is an elevator field engineer. There is 'politics' in every profession. Every. Single. One.
Best of luck!
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Fashion Model
How prevalent are eating disorders in modeling?
Border Patrol Agent
What's the most creative way you saw cartels getting drugs across the border?
CPR Trainer
Are you supposed to perform CPR differently on a man vs. a woman?
I have no idea as I’ve never worked as a first responder. I would suspect that’s largely a plot device for film or books, but I don’t actually know.
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I don’t know what you mean by pure math. Most crime scene work, fingerprints, tool marks, serology, might need regular adding and subtracting, but I don’t know of any field that uses calculus or algebra. DNA analysis uses a lot of statistics and ballistics and traffic accident investigation might use physics and geometry. But those are the only examples I can think of.
Best of luck!
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Usually simple black powder will show gloveprints as well as fingerprints. The bubbly sort of pattern they make will be visible.
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