Exploration of a topic (to be determined) not covered by the standard curriculum but of interest to faculty and students in a particular semester.

Exploration of a topic (to be determined) not covered by the standard curriculum but of interest to faculty and students in a particular semester.

Laboratory course intended to prepare students for research in analytical laboratories, including chemical and biochemical analyses, and working with proteins and nucleic acids. Basic manual laboratory operations and use of advanced instrumentation.

Selected areas of current interest in forensic science presented. The application of scientific methods and techniques to crime detection and the law.

Statistical concepts and methods relevant to forensic science. Includes probability, error limits, confidence intervals. Correlation, regression, and calibration. Focus on practical application, including DNA population probabilities, evidence evaluation, and hypothesis testing.

Provides practical skills and resources for research and careers in forensic science. Effective and ethical research and literature interpretation, critical thinking skills, communication methods specific to forensic science and their potential discovery issues, trial procedures.

Application of the ISO standard for accredited forensic laboratories. Ethical decision model; case studies; root cause analysis; correcitve action; document control; method validation; roles of police, attorneys, forensic scientists; ethical issues in U.S. legal system.

Relationships between the structures and functions of the human body. Care of the human body and application to forensic pathology and death investigation. Skin, skeletal system, muscles, nervous system, sensory organs, endocrine system. Additional work for graduate students.

Medicolegal death investigation which deals with the history, purpose and legal underpinning of death investigations, effectively handling a death scene, and protocols for public safety and scene processing. Additional work required of graduate students.

Second course in the sequence dealing with information on medicolegal death investigation and deals with procedures for MDI processing and other topics for conducting scientific medicolegal investigations. Additional work required of graduate students.

Course focuses upon the information needed by emergency responders in dealing with suspicious or unexpected deaths. Topics will include dealing with sudden or unexpected deaths, handling the scene, death investigation laws and other topics. Additional work required of graduate students.

An in-depth study of scientific disciplines engaged in the criminal justice and legal systems by providing a rational basis for interpreting the scientific analysis of forensic evidence through relevant case studies. Additional work required of graduate students.

Scientific background, methodology, and theory of body fluid identification techniques criminal investigation. Laboratory with mock evidentiary samples, similar to those examined in criminal cases. Report writing, overlaps with other forensic disciplines. Additional work for graduate students.

FSC 644 is a lecture course in forensic chemistry. It focuses on concepts and theory behind many of the commonly used forensic chemical analysis techniques and their application.

Lecture and laboratory course in forensic biochemistry. Concepts and theory behind bioanalytical techniques, along with direct experience in many of the commonly used forensic biochemical analysis techniques. Students must have undergraduate level general chemistry experience.

FSC 646 is a lab course in forensic chemistry designed to provide in-depth, hands-on training on selected forensic chemical analysis techniques used by forensic chemists & toxicologists. The course aims to prepare students for independent research with focus on method development, data collection & analysis.

Introduction to forensic pathology and medi-colegal investigation of death. Role and jurisdiction of the Medical Examiner, including the autopsy. Specific patterns of injury, types of deaths referred to the Medical Examiner, postmortem decompositional changes, and special topics of interest in death investigation will be discussed. Additional work required of graduate students.

Role of consultation, research and clinical practice in areas in which psychiatry is applied to legal issues. Covers how mental health and legal systems function together; issues common to forensic psychiatric analyses. Additional work required of graduate students.

Procedures utilized in forensic toxicology, including specimen types, sample preparation, instrumentation, analytical methods, and interpretation of findings. Knowledge of organic and analytical chemistry is strongly advised. Additional work required of graduate students.

The investigation of forensic science problems using computational methods, including machine learning and artificial intelligence. Use of Python for automation and artificial intelligence. Additional work required of graduate students.

Examines the use of digital forensic techniques to safely secure, extract and analyze digital evidence from mobile devices and social networks for use in criminal investigations. Additional work required of graduate students.

This course examines key aspects of human toxicology, including dose-response relationships, absorption, distribution, biotransformation, elimination, toxicokinetics, molecular mechanisms of toxicity, pesticides, metals, and toxic responses in specific organ systems. Additional work required of graduate students.

Basis for regulations and implications for different careers in complying with laws, regulations, guidelines and specifications relevant to businesses like pharmaceutical, biotechnology, research, forensic and government laboratories. Implications for not complying with regulations. Case studies.

Forensic analysis of firearm and impression evidence and its presentation through court testimony. Manufacturing methods' impact on identification. Serial number restoration, distance determination, full auto conversions, trace evidence, latent print analysis, laboratory quality assurance. Additional work required of graduate students.

Application and utility of insects as evidence in criminal investigations. Biology and importance of different insect groups in decomposition process. Collection, identification, and processing of insect evidence. Temperature-time relationship in insect growth, its practical use in calculating post-mortem intervals. Additional work required of graduate students.

A lecture and laboratory introduction to the analysis of bloodstain patterns in a forensic context. History, theory, and scientific principles behind the analysis methods are supported by laboratory creation and analysis of various types of bloodstains. Additional work required of graduate students.

Provides practical knowledge of how to search for, develop, document, and preserve latent prints in a mock crime scene and laboratory setting. Utilizes visual, physical, and chemical methods. Additional work required of graduate students.

Biology of friction ridge skin including pattern class recognition. Digital imaging of latent prints, analysis and comparison, evidence processing including individual mock cases near the end of the semester. Additional work required of graduate students.

Use of photography in criminal and civil investigations and trials. Changing face of photography and how use of digital cameras has altered rules of evidence and admissibility. Proper use of digital single lens reflex cameras and digital flash. Additional work required of graduate students.

History and practice of crime scene investigation, including photography, sketches, note-taking, processing and collection of evidence. Includes bloodstain pattern interpretation, collision reconstruction, case studies, mock crime scenes, moot court.

Scientific basis and means for countering WMDs, including biological systems. Protective measures, proven doctrines, practical questions, and problem solving. Additional work required of graduate students.

Participation in a discipline or subject related experience. Student must be evaluated by written or oral reports or an examination. Permission in advance with the consent of the department chairperson, instructor, and dean. Limited to those in good academic standing.

Modeled after an internationally recognized firearms examiner training program. Students operate comparison microscopes, perform firearms comparisons, receive operability/armorers training, and view firearms manufacturing processes to understand the forensic identification of fired ammunition components.

Theory and practice of modern light microscopy, including the fundamentals of image formation and applications in the biological and biomedical sciences, including reviews of microscopy methods and analog and digital image capture. Additional work required of graduate students.

Provides hands-on understanding of firearms through supervised assembly/disassembly of various firearms. Determination of firearm safety, malfunctions, safety mechanisms, and repairs. Forensic significance of each part, impact of manufacture on forensic identification. Additional work for graduate students.

Explores the present-day state of forensic DNA analysis with a focus on the workflow, instrumentation and methods for data interpretation. Includes a computer laboratory component. Additional work required of graduate students.

Advanced level coverage of latent print: advanced analysis, comparison, identification; distortion, understanding causes of error; understanding forms of bias; courtroom preparation and testimony; topics research and presentation. Additional work required of graduate students.

Methods and practice in solving unsolved cases using fundamental science, court documents, and other sources of information. Will include work on real cases. Additional work required of graduate students.

Complex aspects of various forensic disciplines will be used concurrently to properly document mock crime scenes and properly collect evidence from those scenes. Crime scene processing decisions will be required based on the varying components of the mock crime scene scenarios. Additional work required for graduate students.

Exploration of the several fields that Microbial Forensics is applied to and the application of scientific methods and techniques for identification and characterization of microbes. Includes case studies and the scientific methods used in those cases. Additional work required of graduate students.

A series of seminars presented by a combination of invited experts, faculty, and/or students covering topics such as published work, original research, and other relevant topics. Provides opportunities to learn about developments, challenges, and issues in forensic science areas, and networking.