10/19/04

 

WEST LAFAYETTE -- Some of the most popular shows on television are centered around solving crimes. As a result, Purdue University Administrator Dave Tate said many more students are pursuing careers as crime scene investigators or lab technicians.

Pittsboro resident Erin Berry, a sophomore at Purdue, is one such student.

"(Forensic science) has always been an interesting topic for me," Berry said, "especially when all the crime shows came out."

Tate said he started noticing more attraction to the field after Court TV's "Forensic Files" and similar programs on the Discovery Channel began airing.

"Once CSI hit, the floodgates opened," he said. "That's both good and bad."

Tate said he doesn't want students signing up for the wrong reasons and is afraid that the spate of television shows offer a distorted representation of reality.

"I don't know of any department that will drive Hummers," he said. "The labs don't always look as spiffy as they do on TV."

He also said the time involved in receiving lab results is much longer than is portrayed on TV and not everyone has the talent to spot "esoteric" clues like the shows' stars seem to do on a regular basis.

"There is a fair amount of truth in the basic principles," he said of the shows, but viewers need to realize that everything on TV is "enhanced."

Computer programs used to match up fingerprints and test DNA, for example, do exist, but "they just don't look as sexy," Tate added.

On the other hand, he said, the job market is very strong as there is always a need for people to fill these positions.

Job security is a factor that Berry, a 2003 graduate of Tri-West High School, considered when she chose to pursue a science degree at Purdue, but she said her main ambition was to seek justice for others.

"There's always going to be crime," she said, "but the main part is wanting to speak for the victims since they can't speak for themselves anymore."

Berry is minoring in genetic biology and says she would like to work in the Indianapolis Police Department or the Marion County crime labs in biology, focusing on blood and bodily fluids. She's hoping that internships and job shadowing while she's in college will help her get a job after she graduates.

For now, Berry is working with Tate and Professor Pat Jones, helping them with various projects.

Jones is a former Illinois crime scene investigator and the current coroner of White County. Berry said she is assisting him by scanning photos from cases he worked on to put on slides so Jones can use them in his presentations.

Forensic science is not yet approved as a major at Purdue, but it is offered as a minor. An official document has been prepared and approved by the dean. If the provost and board of trustees sign it, and Tate said he is confident that they will, it will go before the joint commission and possibly be passed by next fall.

Those interested in earning a forensics degree, however, could come in right now and take all the same courses, Tate said. The only difference, he explained, is that their degrees would read "science" instead of "forensic science."

In an effort to further educate the public, the Purdue Forensic Department will be hosting a "CSI Night" on Nov. 11 at Tippecanoe Library in West Lafayette. Representatives will be talking to people about forensics and fingerprinting everyone who attends. They will also recommend books on the topic.

The department additionally offers its services to high schools. If a science teacher were to contact Tate about doing a demonstration for a class, he said he "would be glad to do that" whenever he has time.

He is also willing to answer questions potential students or parents may have about the program at Purdue or forensics in general. Tate may be reached by calling (765) 494-1392 or by e-mailing to dgtate@purdue.edu.

lynn.hamilton@flyergroup.com

SIDEBAR

Forensic classes at Purdue University include:

n "Introduction to Forensics," offered in the fall, which covers the broad scope of forensics.

n "Criminalistics," offered in the spring, goes deeper into the subject matter and includes a lab. Students learn everything from how to lift fingerprints and collect hairs and fibers to filling out investigative reports to establishing a time of death. They also learn about setting up lasers and using blood spatter to determine the direction in which shots were fired.

n "Advanced Forensics," offered in the fall, allows students the opportunity to solve a case with a team that they must stick with throughout the entire semester. They each perform different duties as if they were real crime scene technicians, whether it be drawing sketches, filing paperwork, or taking digital photos at the scene.

Other necessary classes include entomology, chemistry, and biology.