True Crime Scene Investigation

Carthage's Forensic Science course separates fact from fiction

Almost every January for the past 20 years, chemistry professor Timothy Eckert has been leading Carthage students down the winding roads of who-done-it mysteries. They've studied the science behind the conviction of suspected serial killer Wayne Williams, and the unsuccessful prosecution of O.J. Simpson. They've peered into microscopes to identify hair fibers, and used infrared spectroscopy to identify unknown chemical samples. From well-known crimes to little known cases, Carthage students have examined the role science has played in police stations and courtrooms.

"Everybody's fascinated by crime and solving crimes," says Prof. Eckert, an organic chemist who teaches his Forensic Science course only during J-Term. "It's fun. It's intriguing. Science, I feel, is fun and intriguing."

Add a sensational news story, a mystery, and a nationwide fascination with forensics thanks to "CSI" and other TV series, and you've got a hit class.

"Even before the 'CSI' craze, even before all the media emphasis on forensic science, the course perennially filled up, and filled up quickly," Prof. Eckert says. "It's neat stuff, and it turns out that what you see on television is often valid science."

About the Course

Students taking Forensic Science during J-Term meet for three hours Monday through Friday for four weeks. They do lab experiments using microscopes, infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography, and thin-layer chromatography. "They get to use some of the same instruments and techniques that forensic scientists get to use," Prof. Eckert says.

Prof. Eckert brings in guest speakers including arson investigators, crime lab directors, lawyers and medical examiners. "The medical examiners are the most vivid in their presentations," Eckert says. Some have offered students the opportunity to observe autopsies. The class also takes field trips to crime labs and courtrooms.

Students are graded on their lab work, daily quizzes, two tests and classroom discussion.

"I hold what I call Socratic dialogues," Prof. Eckert warns. "I ask them questions. I'm notorious for holding class that way. The students have to stay on their toes, on the edges of their seats."

'CSI': True Crime Stories?

Much of the coursework in Forensic Science focuses on real crimes — some that are quite famous, Prof. Eckert says. "The O.J. Simpson trial is partially diagnosed: what went right and what went wrong in that trial. We study the Wayne Williams case from the 1980s, which involved the serial killing of African-American boys in the Atlanta area. We explore how the culprit was found, which is a fascinating story."

A big part of the course is separating fact from fiction. Most students have seen "CSI: Crime Scene Investigations," "Bones," "The New Detectives" or "Forensic Files."

"They learn how much of those who-done-it shows on television present the truth, and how much is widely exaggerated," Prof. Eckert says. "In 'CSI,' the forensic scientists get to do everything: They run after bad people, interrogate them, tell the police what they should be doing. In reality, we find out the forensic scientists have a far less sensational life."

Forensic scientists don't actually get to interrogate the bad guys, and DNA testing isn't complete in 20 minutes, Prof. Eckert explains. Most crime labs have a backlog of evidence. Yet the science behind these shows is usually valid, even if the timeframe isn't.

"Students usually get a sense of what forensic scientists do: their responsibilities; the necessity for them to write well and communicate well orally; to not only do their science carefully, but be able to explain their science to lay people when they are called to trial."

Cultivating an Interest in Chemistry

The Forensic Science course is open to all students, regardless of their majors. In fact, most of the students who take Forensic Science are non-science majors, Prof. Eckert says. The course often cultivates an interest in the sciences that a student didn't have before. "We've even had students who decided that this was a career they'd like to try," he says. "We've had students go on to do forensic science."

Spots in the course are reserved for freshman. Prof. Eckert says it's a great course for freshmen because it doesn't delve too deeply into scientific process and problems. "The nature of the course is very broad," he says. "Even those students without a strong science background or freshmen who haven't had a college science experience can grasp the concepts very well."

Like all J-Term courses, it's a chance to explore a new field and learn something completely different," Prof. Eckert says. That holds true for Prof. Eckert himself. When he inherited the Forensic Science course 20 years ago from another chemistry professor, he didn't know anything about the field. "I've just been learning as I go," he says. "It's neat stuff."

He encourages students to participate in J-Term and stray outside their comfort zones when possible. "It's good to do all kinds of things that they wouldn't expect to find at a college campus. They can learn how to fly, how to sail a boat or make a robot. ... It's a golden opportunity to take a course that is paid for by your regular tuition, so why not take advantage?"

Chemistry professor Timothy Eckert has been teaching Forensic Science during J-Term for 20 years. The biggest change in two decades? "DNA," Prof. Eckert says. "It was just beginning 20 years ago, and now they've perfected the techniques. It's totally acceptable in the courtroom, and 20 years ago, it was highly suspect."

True Crime Scene Investigation

Carthage's Forensic Science course separates fact from fiction

About the Course

'CSI': True Crime Stories?

Cultivating an Interest in Chemistry

J-Term at Carthage

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