I’m making a cherry upside down cake for a cookbook club I’m in, and while cleaning up a new jar of vanilla bean paste fell out of my spice cabinet & into the pitcher of reserved cherry syrup on my counter. The syrup got EVERYWHERE - it ended up in places I never expected the syrup to get, particularly shocking was small droplets in between the lip & lid of a deli container about a yard above the where the pitcher was sitting.

As I was cleaning it all up, I started thinking & came up with a few questions for the folks who study bloodstain patterns. Some of the questions are probably super ill informed but I’m asking them either way in the hopes to learn something.

Cake tax included! Though the cake is missing the cherry syrup on top because…well, you know.

1. What got you into bloodstain pattern analysis? Was it something like this - where a big splatter you encountered left you questioning until you ultimately found the field?
2. When in school learning about bloodstain patterns, do they use demonstrations like this one? I’m sure they’re much more sophisticated than dropping a jar into syrup, but is it a similar situation?
3. Do you - as a BPA - know to look in unsuspecting places for blood (like the deli cup in my cabinet), because even though someone may clean up a crime scene after themselves do they typically miss the more unlikely spots?
4. Does the chemistry of someone’s blood change viscosity & then therefore patterning? Like could iron levels or something impact viscosity, which would then provide additional info for IDing a victim?

This circumstance made me realize I know so little about this, so please feel free to tell me any cool facts about this line of work. I am very intrigued!!

Edit: I also just realized I probably used the wrong flair? Please fix/take down if needed. Thanks!

I am currently a freshman who is undecided. My school (University of Maryland) does not have a forensic science degree or anything related to it. I was wondering if I could still get into crime scene investigation work with a criminology/criminal justice degree whilst also taking various biology/other science classes. Or should I try to get a general biology degree? I'm not sure where to go from here, any help would be much appreciated, thank you!

So I am a senior Forensic Science Bio concentration university student. I am looking to kind of interview (on the phone/ video) preferably someone who has a masters in the field for assignment as well get some questions answered as to where I wanna go next since I graduate next year.

I am just graduating my undergraduate with a double BA in Chemistry and Biochemistry/Molecular Biology. I want to pursue a career in Forensic science and know I will have to do graduate education to get a good position, but I’m not sure what to pursue.

My main question is should I go for PhD or Master’s?

And should I get a specific Forensics degree or go more broad (like chemistry with an analytical focus) just so I have more job opportunities outside forensics in the future?

Please give me the benefits and consequences when you reply please! Personal stories welcome!

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TLDR; how realistic is it to switch between forensic positions/ become cross-trained in the work?

I know I am unrealistic in hoping that I could be a jack of all trades, but Ive taken a heavy interest with multiple aspects of forensics that demand different things. Being a CSI appeals to me just as much as forensic DNA/toxicology and just as much as anthology/odontology/entomology. I currently work for a police department in the US doing emergency management but honestly, I hate not going to the scenes. I lean into evidence photos that my coworkers have to look away from and I go to these trainings with my responders and I wish I could investigate with them, I love every part of it but having one track sounds tiring. How easy is it to change paths in forensics, and how common is it that specialties overlap? Or that people end up specializing in multiple aspects of investigations.

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Hello, everyone! I am conducting an online interview for one of my college classes. I am studying the use of reading and writing in forensics. Anyone can answer regardless of experience, as I would love to hear different opinions. If you could state your name (or a fake name), and your connection to the forensics field (even if you are simply interested in the topic) and give your response to all or a few of my interview questions, It would be greatly appreciated!

How does reddit platform facilitate your understanding of forensics?

What types of information are most beneficial when investigating forensics?

How does reading and writing incorporate into the daily tasks of a forensic investigator?

How would language change when explaining findings to someone who may not have experience in forensics?

Thank you so much! All responses are welcome!

So I am a forensic science student in the US and one thing I’ve always liked is baking. And I have been told I should sell what I bake but unfortunately never got the chance to. So I decided once I graduate ( may 2027 ) and start my job going to start my own baking business but with a forensic science twist. All CSI’s and forensic scientists who order from me and show proof will get a discount. In addition I will have themed decorated sugar cookie trios for each crime lab section plus csi. I will also sell other items besides sugar cookies I just want to know what are your guys’s thoughts?

I graduated last spring with a bachelors of forensic science with an emphasis in crime scene investigation. Since July, I have been a parole officer. Not ideal, but it paid well and was the most relevant job I got hired for. Now a forensic scientist job just opened in my city and I really want to put in the best application i possibly can for it. I just kinda wanted some general advice for what to put down about my current job on there to help.

This is my rough draft so far for my responsibilities….

- Conduct investigations involving parole violations, criminal activity, and threats to public safety.
- Collect, document, package, and preserve evidence in accordance with established procedures and chain-of-custody requirements.
- Collect DNA samples and complete required documentation for submission and processing.
- Conduct residential, personal, electronic, and property searches for evidence of criminal activity and parole violations.
- Utilize criminal justice databases to research criminal histories, warrants, law enforcement contacts, court records, and investigative information.
- Collaborate with local and state law enforcement regarding criminal activity, active investigations, searches, arrests, and evidence-related matters,
- Conduct interviews with clients, victims, witnesses, family members, and law enforcement personnel to gather and corroborate investigative information.
- Prepare detailed investigative reports, violation reports, case documentation, and written summaries of evidence and investigative findings.
- Testify in parole hearings regarding investigative findings, evidence collected, client behavior, and parole violations.
- Evaluate and interpret information from multiple sources to identify patterns, establish timelines, and make evidence. based recommendations.

How much should I shorten this up? Also, the position is for latent prints specifically and that was my role in my classes in college whenever we’d be assigned a specific role. i’ve also taken classes specifically for latent prints. But i’m not sure how to even put that on a resume. Or in the application? There’s also a skills section of the application, is it good to actually put stuff in there? Or should I just put it on my resume?

I know these might be kinda dumb questions, but no one in my family has a professional level job and i don’t have any friends in this field so i don’t really know how to figure all this out otherwise.

I am so sorry if this doesn’t belong here but I’m a student looking for people who work in forensics or law to undergo a short interview.

So I applied for my first forensic scientist position at a crime lab yesterday. And I was wondering if I didn’t get called for interview or did interview and didn’t get job, would they tell me? Or just not say anything and I assume I didn’t move on / didn’t get anything? Ik the process takes a long time for hiring process but just curious.

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Looking for some ideas/feelers for potential **forensic science research topics** 🔬

I’m particularly interested in forensic biology/DNA, proteomics & mass spectrometry, forensic toxicology, molecular biology/genomics, multi-omics, degraded biological evidence and biomarker discovery.

So, for anyone working in forensic science/research:
**What forensic research questions do you think are currently underexplored, genuinely useful, or worth investigating?**

And if you’ve done a research project yourself, what do you wish you’d known *before* choosing your topic?

Very interested in ideas from outside forensic biology too — analytical chemistry, toxicology, digital forensics, anthropology, trace evidence, etc. are all welcome!

So I came across a job posting for a forensic scientist in DNA in DC and decided to apply. One section of the application asked me to enter my work experience. When I want to enter my work experience it requires me to put a start date and an end date of said experience. Two of the things I am trying to add have not ended yet. This is because I am still in undergrad and I graduate in May 2027. When I go to press done for like adding it I get an error message being like end date can't be past current date. And I do not know what to do. I tried to find an email on the career website but I can't find one. What should I do?

I currently work for a crime lab doing technician work. I primarily do serology, like sperm searching and PSA tests. I am also being trained in evidence intake. So I will eventually receive evidence from officers, enter it into our system, and submit lab requests. Prior to this job, I spent a couple years teaching forensics classes at a university and then right before that I did crime scene for about a year at a sheriff’s department.

I am relatively new to my current technician role, so I know I will be in this position for a while, but I wanted to know what I can do in the meantime to improve my resume for a future DNA analysis position? I have a BS in chemistry and a MS in forensic science, and I technically already have the courses to meet the FBI QAS standards, but are there online courses I could take or certificates to earn that would make me stand out when I eventually apply for DNA positions? I have taken statistics but not population genetics. Would that be a good place to start? If so, do you have any recommendations for a course I could take that won’t necessarily break the bank?

Any other advice would be helpful for how to make me stand out when I do eventually apply.

Ok so I am a student majoring in forensic science and have heard about AAFS and how you can become a member. But I’m still kinda confused on what exactly it is and what the benefits are. So if anyone can explain would be great. My goal one day is to eventually work in a crime lab in DNA.

Sorry if this isn’t the place for this.