"Careers in Chemistry"
Forensic Scientists
Forensic Scientists are also known as criminologists or crime lab analysts. Forensic scientists gather evidence from various places at the scene of a crime, which could be from the victims themselves or from the vehicles that were perhaps used in the crime. They then analyze this evidence and data scientifically. Their findings are usually used to help prove a person that was accused of a crime either guilty or innocent. Just about all Forensic scientists work for the government at any of the three levels, and also at investigative agencies.
Forensics Scientists use chemistry quite often throughout their line of work. They use chemistry to test samples of blood and urine to check for various things such as drugs, alcohol, or if the victim was poisoned. For these purposes, a chemistry unit is always present in any forensics laboratory. Chemistry is also commonly used in analyzing some synthetic materials, which include dyes, stains, and even medicines. They also use chemistry to analyze trace physical evidence like blood splatters, glass, paint, and soil. To identify chemicals from crime scenes, they rely on instruments such as mass spectrometers, gas chromatographs, and microscopes.
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References:
http://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/401/Forensic-Scientist.html
http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/1999/Fall/art01.pdf
http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/00206/index1.htm
http://www.usd116.org/calexander/forensics/
http://www.ballisticstestinggroup.org/careers.htm
http://www.albany.edu/nerfi/dna_academy/professionals.html
Page prepared by: Nicole Noall
