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What began as a childhood hobby reading mysteries and detective stories blossomed into academic pursuit and a new Forensics emphasis in Greenville College’s Biology program. Dr. Dunkley began teaching Forensics during interterm of 2004 and now, after several semesters of full classes with long waiting lists and help from other science faculty, the course has become a minor.
The perfect addition to any major whether history, psychology, or one of the other sciences, Forensics has attracted the attention of students across campus. “Even Religion and Philosophy [courses] go with Forensics [courses] because they compliment the understanding of justice and the pursuit of truth. Everything is rolled into a liberal arts education,” said Dr. Dunkley.
Walking into a laboratory assignment set up as a crime scene has dispelled the notion that science is boring and only for those gifted with stellar IQs. “I thought that this course would be a good way for students to see how science could be used and applied in something that people are quite interested in,” said Dr. Dunkley.
Junior Joshua Bond studies Digital Media with an emphasis in Video and Film. The Forensics minor has allowed Bond to fulfill his passion for solving puzzles and figuring things out. Bond plans to use his film expertise to analyze surveillance feeds and authenticate videos. “We use things in the background of the video, for instance, a counter, to get a rough estimate of how tall a person in the room is,” said Bond.
He has participated in several forensics classes as well as an actual crime scene demonstration with local officials. After collecting and analyzing evidence he and team members presented their findings to a Criminal Justice class. This project gave Bond a taste of the practical side of forensic science. “It’s certainly not as fast as you see it go on TV,” said Bond. “It takes a while.”
The program’s curriculum covers topics such as crime scene investigation, collection of evidence, processing of evidence, DNA analysis, drug and narcotic analysis, psychological profiling, arson investigation, and crime scene reconstruction. Additionally, laboratory exercises include fingerprint analysis, hair and fiber analysis, simulated ballistics and chemical analysis. Internships in this program have been sponsored by the state police and the FBI. Covering the theoretical and practical aspects of crime scene investigation, the text GC students use is the same text employed by Illinois State police.
“To make this a premier program we need to be able to employ outside faculty and adjuncts who have experience in the field. I think the dividends would pay off almost immediately,” said Dr. Dunkley. The program is also in need of large ticket items such as an instrument for breath analysis and one for DNA analysis. The department would like to purchase a compound microscope. These items would allow students to test suspects for DUI as well as doing testing on DNA evidence. “If we had these things,” said Dr. Dunkley, “we would have everything we need to become certified.”
A certified lab would allow students an advantage when applying to graduate school. It would also give students an opportunity to work with the states attorney to help with backlogged state cases as well as train qualified candidates.
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