What exactly do forensic scientists do?
TV gives students wrong impression of profession
Blake Ellett
Issue date: 3/3/05 Section: News
Lab rats. That's the term William Eggleston uses to describe forensic scientists.
"Forensic scientists are problem-solvers," he said. "(They are) lab rats."
And he should know - Eggleston, a biology professor who directs the Forensic Science Program at VCU, now oversees more than 500 students.
That's a 485 percent jump - a high jump - from the 15 majors the program started with almost four years ago.
Why so much interest in forensic sciences?
Eggleston said television shows have played a major role concerning people's interest in the field, but students who became interested in it because of these shows could be in for a surprise.
"There are things in the show that are quite inaccurate, though it would be great if they were (accurate)," he said. "Although some of the instrumentation is accurate, the television shows blend the jobs of four or five people, and it's hard to tell where one job stops and another starts."
Kari Magner, vice president of VCU's Forensic Science Student Club, said students enrolling in forensic science classes as a result of their interest in these shows tend to be disappointed once they begin attending class.
"Their bubbles are busted when they learn that the same person doesn't retrieve evidence, run tests, question witnesses and arrest suspects," she said.
When Eggleston and the forensic-science faculty visit high-school and college fairs looking for prospective students they find themselves having to explain exactly what forensic science is and exactly what forensic science is not.
"There are always a few families who get up, and we direct them over to the criminal justice table," Eggleston said.
Because of his interest in forensic science Chris Olson, now a criminal justice major, found himself having to choose between the two fields.
Would it be forensic science or criminal justice?
"I think it came down to whether I wanted to be in the lab or in the field," he said, "and being in the field interested me more."
"Forensic scientists are problem-solvers," he said. "(They are) lab rats."
And he should know - Eggleston, a biology professor who directs the Forensic Science Program at VCU, now oversees more than 500 students.
That's a 485 percent jump - a high jump - from the 15 majors the program started with almost four years ago.
Why so much interest in forensic sciences?
Eggleston said television shows have played a major role concerning people's interest in the field, but students who became interested in it because of these shows could be in for a surprise.
"There are things in the show that are quite inaccurate, though it would be great if they were (accurate)," he said. "Although some of the instrumentation is accurate, the television shows blend the jobs of four or five people, and it's hard to tell where one job stops and another starts."
Kari Magner, vice president of VCU's Forensic Science Student Club, said students enrolling in forensic science classes as a result of their interest in these shows tend to be disappointed once they begin attending class.
"Their bubbles are busted when they learn that the same person doesn't retrieve evidence, run tests, question witnesses and arrest suspects," she said.
When Eggleston and the forensic-science faculty visit high-school and college fairs looking for prospective students they find themselves having to explain exactly what forensic science is and exactly what forensic science is not.
"There are always a few families who get up, and we direct them over to the criminal justice table," Eggleston said.
Because of his interest in forensic science Chris Olson, now a criminal justice major, found himself having to choose between the two fields.
Would it be forensic science or criminal justice?
"I think it came down to whether I wanted to be in the lab or in the field," he said, "and being in the field interested me more."
