Forensic Science

Jay A. Siegel holds a PhD in analytical chemistry from The George Washington University and received its Distinguished Faculty Scholar award in 2009. He worked as a forensic chemist with the Virginia Bureau of Forensic Sciences for three years before spending 25 years as a professor and director of the forensic science program in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. In 2003 he went to Indiana University–Purdue University as founder and director of the forensic and investigative sciences program in the School of Science. In 2008 he was named the chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. He retired in 2012. Dr. Siegel is the co-editor of Forensic Science Policy and Management: An International Journal and Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences, Second Edition, the co-author of Fundamentals of Forensic Science, and the author of Forensic Science: A Beginner’s Guide. He has testified over 200 times in federal and military courts, and was named distinguished fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in 2009. Kathy Mirakovits teaches forensic science and physics at Portage Northern High School in Portage, Michigan, and physics at Kalamazoo Valley Community College in Michigan. She holds an MS in science education from Western Michigan University. She has taught general science, physical science, chemistry, biology, earth science, and physics at the high school and two-year college level for 25 years. She also conducts workshops across the United States for teachers who wish to learn the application of forensic science in a school curriculum. She has developed numerous forensic science educational products and has led workshops at the National Science Teachers Association. Kathy has served as president of the Michigan Chapter of the American Association of Physics Teachers and as a curriculum writer for the Michigan Department of Education. She is currently the high school director for the Michigan Science Teachers Association. She received the RadioShack Science Teaching Award and is a state finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching.

FORENSIC SCIENCE AND INVESTIGATION. Introduction to Forensic Science. Crime Scene Investigation. Nature of Evidence. TOOLS OF THE TRADE. Separating Complex Mixtures. Light and Matter. Microscopy. Detector Dogs as Forensic Tools. Digital Evidence, Computer Forensics, and Investigation. Forensic Engineering. PATTERNS AND IMPRESSIONS. Fingerprints and Other Impressions. Questioned Documents. Firearms and Toolmarks. FORENSIC BIOLOGY. Forensic Pathology. Anthropology and Odontology. Forensic Entomology. Serology. DNA Typing. Hair. FORENSIC CHEMISTRY. Illicit Drugs. Forensic Toxicology. Fibers, Paints, and Other Polymers. Glass and Soil. Fires and Explosions. LEGAL ASPECTS OF FORENSIC SCIENCE. Presentation of Forensic Evidence in Court.