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

Best Rated

What does it mean if a cadaver had "abundant amount of mud on the hands," if the body was in the water for two weeks and it was swift water for days?

Asked by Lina N Lete over 6 years ago

‘Abundant’ probably just means the hands were smeared with mud on some parts, not that they had clumps of mud in them. Why it would be on the hands after being in water—some possible reasons might be that the body got hung up in muddy shallows and that’s why it was found, or it was dragged over muddy areas when pulled from the water. As I don’t have any picture of where it was or how it was recovered, that’s my best guess.

what would i need to study to become a forensic pathologist?

Asked by esthers33741212 over 6 years ago

Medicine. Forensic pathologists are doctors and go to medical school. So I would suggest you take every science course you can, especially biological sciences. Best of luck to you!

what is the importance of physical fingerprinting in a scientific sphere of DNA profiling?

Asked by Nic over 6 years ago

I”m sorry but I don’t understand the question. What is physical fingerprinting and what is a scientific sphere?

What is the regular intern day/night shift?

Asked by Crime Scene Investigator over 6 years ago

We don't have a set schedule for interns. They'll come in on weekdays, but other than that we work with their school/work schedule.

If you were looking to find the amounts of lead in paints, would it be better to analyze liquid paint or paint chips?

Asked by NJ210 over 6 years ago

I used to analyze dried paint with an FTIR, which I believe would detect lead, but as to what would be better I really don’t know. Sorry I can’t be more help.

Which is better to be forensic scientist, forensic science in the middle and low university or biology in the good university?

Asked by Kim over 6 years ago

It may depend on what you want to do. If you want to work crime scene, then you might be a more attractive candidate with all the hands-on practical work of a forensic science degree. But if you want to be a DNA analyst, then I’d go with biology. Best thing to do is call the labs where you might someday apply and ask them. Best of luck!

Do you worry about the corona virus?

Asked by Jamie over 5 years ago

So far it hasn’t come up in my work, and we have lots of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).