Weatherford College students Stephanie Martinez and Mindi Roberts, both of Aledo, and Misty McDonald of Granbury have secured coveted internships with Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office. The trio will gain valuable experience across a wide spectrum of duties including observing autopsies, CSI procedures and examining latent prints and fingerprint protocols, said Don Jacobs, WC chair of behavior science.
Don Jacobs, WC chair of behavior science department, is shown with Stephanie Martinez of Aledo, far left, Misty McDonald of Granbury, center, and Mindi Roberts of Aledo, Weatherford College forensic science students selected for coveted internships in the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office.
"Over the past five years, we have secured internships at Tarrant County and other facilities, but never three from the same class in a single semester," said Jacobs, who has overseen the forensic science curricula and authored several forensic neuropsychology-oriented textbooks since the program's inception in 2004. "This is a nice benchmark for our program. Internships often provide the springboard into solid career opportunities." Students who complete the AA degree with forensic science emphasis accumulate 16 hours of science labs before graduation. Courses include FORS 2440: Introduction to Forensic Science, FORS 2450: Introduction to Forensic Psychology, and eight hours of biology or chemistry labs. "This is a high-octane science degree," said Jacobs. As architect of the FORS rubric, Jacobs is joined by Criminal Justice department chair, Tim Poston, who teaches two required courses, FORS 2440 and criminal investigation. "We are fortunate to have Tim's energy as he brings considerable expertise to the popular CJ component in the interdisciplinary program. Our FORS program also features Dr. Susan Wallace, retired professor from Baylor University, who teaches several anthropology classes for us," Jacobs said. Located in Parker County, Weatherford College is the cradle of forensic science among Texas two-year colleges. In 2004, Jacobs, along with colleagues in criminal justice and biology started the science-based program that has spread to approximately 20 campuses across the state. He has recruited a senior advisory board with star quality, including Dr. Art Eisenberg, Ph.D. of University of North Texas Health Science Center, Ft. Worth; Dr. Alan Hall, M.D., a consulting toxicologist; Ed Hueske, senior criminalist at the University of North Texas; Michael Lytle, forensic science professor at the University of Texas Brownsville, and nationally known scientist Dr. Richard Saferstein, Ph.D., author of Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science. "Additionally, we have our own Dr. Richard Bowers, dean of science and mathematics, who has been instrumental in guiding our program through the administrative requirements demanded of a fully transferrable academic discipline," said Jacobs. "Dr. Bowers keeps me updated with all kinds of forensic science articles. In fact, he favors a new forensic chemistry course - FORS 2460 - to be added to our curricula in the near future. Without this kind of administrative support, nothing would have come of our efforts." University programs that accept WC's transfer students include University of North Texas; University of Texas at Arlington; UT-Brownsville; Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth, and St. Edward's University, Austin. Currently, discussions are under way with two potential new Texas articulators: Texas Tech University in Lubbock and Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. For those who want a taste of modern forensic science, the third annual Forensic Science Conference is scheduled Nov. 6, 2009, at Cedar Valley College in Lancaster, Texas. The all-day affair will feature speakers covering such topics as the Darlie Routier murder case and the Cadet Murder case, including a keynote address by Jacobs titled "Things that Go Bump in the Night." A new program, an evening school version of forensic science, will be launched this spring at WC. Beginning in January, 2010 students can take criminal psychology, FORS 2450: forensic psychology, and FORS 2440: The CSI Lab. Check for specific course listings and expanded information at the WC Web site: www.wc.edu/old/programs under "programs"; click "science" and then "forensic science." For more information, e-mail Jacobs at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
|
