Forensic Scientist

Forensic Scientist

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.

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Last Answer on July 21, 2022

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I am back to school to complete some science and math courses, like Organic Chemistry and Physics. I then plan on going onto graduate school for a master's program in forensic science. Will that increase my chances of getting a job in the field?

Asked by Yuna over 4 years ago

I think it would absolutely help your chances. But all agencies might not be looking for the same things. I would check the websites for all the agencies you’re interested in to see their job postings.

Best of luck to you!

What majors and minors do you recommend someone interested in forensics to take? Should I major in forensics or something else? And how can one determine which area of forensics they would like to go into?

Asked by Serena over 5 years ago

Titles and job requirements aren't uniform, so the only way to know is to call the crime labs in your area or whereever you might be interested in working and ask them. At the coroner's office we had to have at least a bachelor's in a natural science (this was before they had forensic science majors). At the police department where I am now, they only require a high school diploma but you get more points in the interviewing process for having a four year degree, so we all have one. You can also go on the websites for professional organizations such as the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and check out their job vacancy postings and see what the various positions require. As for determining which area, I would suggest you visit crime labs in the area to see what they do and talk to the people working there. Good luck!

What if you set someone up with white powder with kool aid that turns colors with water say its red kool aid will it test positive by dying the thing even if it would other wise work just fine? Asking for a friend ;)

Asked by Darren over 5 years ago

Interesting idea, but again I don't know. I don't know what liquid is used for the tests, so that might affect things.

How would you determine if the dye on two pieces of thread are the same? Would you use Ramen Spectroscopy?

Asked by Mike over 5 years ago

That's an excellent question that unfortunately I can't answer. One probably would use it, but back when I did hairs and fibers it was generally thought that the only way was to extract the dye and do thin-layer chromatography, which we didn't have. We also didn't have a Ramen, so all I could do was microscopic comparison.

Best of luck!

Also, is it possible to specifically detect that the DNA is from saliva and nothing else?

Asked by AJ over 5 years ago

I don't believe so, but I haven't done DNA analysis in 20 years so I'm not the best person to ask. I know there's an amylase test for saliva, but I don't know if it's used any more. And if you have a mixture I doubt it would be possible to tell what DNA is from what bodily fluid.

Can a coroner make a arrest? People like to always make the point about a “citizens arrest” but I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.

Asked by Richard almost 6 years ago

I don’t really know, but at the coroner’s office I worked at I was told that our coroner was actually the highest law enforcement officer, technically, in the county. She was the only person who could arrest the sheriff if necessary. That never became necessary though so I don’t know how it would actually work.

At a postmortem crime scene where hair has fallen out from the victim, over time, is all the loose hair collected for evidence or just some of it

Asked by Leesa about 5 years ago

That would depend a great deal on the circumstances. Any hair actually on the victim that does not appear to belong to the victim would likely be collected. If there was obviously a struggle, if the victim was beaten or strangled, hairs on their hands or caught in their fingers would warrant special attention or any clumps of hair nearby. If the victim's lying on a carpet that apparently hasn't been vacuumed for the past decade, then single hairs might be disregarded. If the person is outside and shot from a distance, then hairs would likely be disregarded.

I hope that helps!