We’re all fans of the forensic science TV shows like CSI, Forensic Files, and NCIS, but have you ever wondered what a forensic scientist actually does in the lab? Read about real forensic science as experienced by first year forensic science graduate students in Essays on the Elements of Forensic Science 2015. It is available to buy through Amazon Kindle.

This book is a collection of eight short essays written by the students in the Master of Science in Forensic Science program (MSFS) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The essays are based on presentations given by practicing forensic scientists as part of the graduate course “Elements of Forensic Science.” Royalties from the sale of the book will go towards student scholarships and to fund forensic science research in the UAB MSFS Program.

The first chapter covers being an expert witness and the importance of ethics in forensic science. Subsequent chapters describe the areas of:

• Firearms and Tool Marks
• Computer Forensics
• Pathology
• Biology-Casework
• CODIS
• Drug Chemistry
• Toxicology

The final chapter talks about the requirements for becoming a forensic scientist and the UAB MSFS program.

Be forewarned, there are some graphic pictures of injuries in the pathology chapter.