9781422275160

Learn more about educational requirements, key skills for success, and careers in forensic science

• Use various tools and instruments, such as microscopes, to study evidence in laboratories • Write reports that summarize their findings • Testify, often as expert witnesses, during legal proceedings about their research and conclusions; expert witnesses have expertise in a particular field (such as engineering or pathology), and are qualified to give opinion testimony in court, which a nonexpert witness may be prohibited from providing DID YOU KNOW? The American Academy of Forensic Sciences reports that more than 100,000 photographs and 13,000 digital videos were reviewed to catch the terrorists who committed the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. CAREER PATHS IN FORENSIC SCIENCE There are many career paths in forensic science. The following sections provide more information on specialties.

CHAPTER 1: WHAT DO FORENSIC SCIENTISTS DO? 13