As the sun set on another weekday, students filtered into a half classroom-half laboratory for another hands-on lesson in forensic science.
Dr. Ioan Marginean believes in making his lessons memorable by starting with immersive experiences. The lesson on this evening in the Jami R. Grant Forensic Laboratories focused on polarized light microscopy of fibers.
“In fibers where it's kind of hard to tell the different details, using polarized light actually gives you a better impression of the makeup of the fiber,” explained Kaitlyn Walker, a B.S. in Forensic Studies major. “If there's a fiber from a suspect's clothing, you can compare details between what fibers you found at the crime scene to fibers on their clothing to see if there's a match.”
Marginean welcomed the students to partner off and spread out amongst the readied microscopes.
By replacing an eyepiece with a digital camera, the students were able to project images of their specimens onto laptop screen for easier viewing.
Despite being colorless, the fibers appeared in bright rainbow colors when observed under polarized light, offering the future forensic scientists clues about their potential chemical composition.
For students like Walker, the interactive lesson is a perfect introduction into the future she wants. She wants to be a forensic lab technician.
“I really enjoy learning how to work in a lab setting. Like in Microscopy, we're learning how to operate various types of microscopes, and it definitely gives you a better impression of what your future career is going to be like and gives me a better idea of where I'm heading.”
Marginean, professor and director of the Forensic Studies program, said the Microscopy course only covers glass, hair and fiber evidence, but the students can gain skills applicable to many other types of evidence.
“Microscopy has so many applications in forensic laboratories that it is practically impossible to teach everything in one semester,” he said. “We practice on stereomicroscopes, compound light microscopes, phase contrast microscopes, comparison microscopes, and polarized light microscopes. The approach is very hands-on. The students learn some new skills every session. We learn the basic light properties as they become relevant to the topic of the week. We switch gears at the end of the semester to learn about electron microscopy.”
Forensic Studies majors have many opportunities to maximize their work toward a degree. For one, they get to work in the laboratories, which include crime scene rooms and facilities for microscopic and instrumental analysis of evidence. They can also focus their studies depending on their career path, by choosing from one of two concentrations: forensic investigations, which emphasizes the field’s legal and procedural aspects, and forensic science, a STEM-designated option that examines the scientific aspects.
Additionally, if a student is currently a police officer or hopes to become one after graduation, they are eligible for the Maryland Police Officer Scholarship Program, which offers an award worth 50 percent of the equivalent annual tuition and required fees.
The program is also one of a handful at UBalt that offers an accelerated track to a master’s degree. Students interested in continuing in UBalt’s M.S. in Criminal Justice program can qualify to take up to 9 graduate credits even before they complete their bachelor’s program to save time and money in the pursuit for two degrees.
Kaula Yeboah chose UBalt for its Forensic Studies program. She wanted a degree in the field and UBalt was close to home for her. She, too, is concentrating on Forensic Science.
“I like it because it's not very traditional teaching. It’s more fun to me,” Yeboah said. “The lectures are more interesting. It's more hands-on compared to traditional science classes.”
Miguel Miranda, a B.S. in Forensic Studies student with a forensic science concentration, has been interested in STEM-related courses for as far back as he can remember. He initially thought he wanted a job in the medical field and did well in the high school classes he took to prepare himself. But when he started to imagine how he might feel when facing rigorous coursework and a competitive atmosphere typical of a medical program, he started to reconsider his plans.
One of his biomedical courses introduced him to a new pathway. A mock case involved a death from a bacterial disease had Miranda’s mind turning.
“I was examining everything and analyzing everything—all the evidence, all the methods, all the people who are involved, the time, the date, the location, everything like that. It was so intriguing to me to have all these pieces of a puzzle and slowly putting them all together,” he said.
That assignment ultimately led him to Marginean’s classroom and a potential career in forensic science. Courses like Microscopy give Miranda an idea of what to expect and what will be expected of him on the job.
“These classes have really helped me to understand methods and procedures,” he said. “We really are taught to be as careful as possible. It’s conditioning us to be much more careful about the way we act, the way we think, and to consider that not everything we have is rock solid, and to constantly seek more and not be satisfied with what we have right now.”
The lesson of the day involved exactly what Miranda is looking for: a challenge to look closely to ask questions, and to look again with new eyes.
“I really like to soak it all in and try to examine all the pieces,” he said as he headed back to the microscope.