How To Improve The Reputation Of The Forensic Science Program At The University Of Ontario

Transcription

1 Planning for Forensic Science The forensic science program is an interdisciplinary science program. Its faculty are mainly drawn from and remain in 4 main disciplines: Chemistry, Biology (Botany and Zoology), Psychology, and Anthropology. Faculty from Computer Science have recently been recruited Launched in the early nineties the first class graduated in Jun Spring 2004 will see the 8 th graduating class. Students are selected from among applicants who have completed the second year of a university science program. The program was initially very small admitting about 24 students annually. In 2003 the incoming class was increased to about 50 students. Its impact on the campus is felt far beyond the size of the program. This spring more than 500 applicants for admission to first year at UTM have indicated their desire to study forensic science. At its launch it was the only such program in Canada. It remains exclusive to UTM; there is no similar program elsewhere at the University of Toronto. A few somewhat similar programs are under development or offered at other Canadian universities. There are dozens of such programs in the USA and elsewhere. It is the intention of this plan to see the program put on a firmer footing by: recruiting new tenure stream faculty with interests and responsibilities in forensic science in the departments which are in partnership with the program specifically Anthropology, Chemistry, and Psychology. recruiting new teaching faculty for professional courses with a home in the program increasing cooperation with other departments and divisions in the university Criminology, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Management (Diploma in Investigation and Forensic Accounting), Faculty of Medicine (Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology) increasing strength of partnerships with other agencies: Solicitor General of Ontario (Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services): Centre of Forensic Sciences, Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario, Ontario Provincial Police, Ontario Police College, Solicitor General of Canada (Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness): Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Forensic Identification Research Services, Canadian Police College, Canadian Police Research Centre.. mounting a professional masters in forensic science

2 Planning for Forensic Science Page 2 Justice today demands very high standards among investigators, the use of scientific skill sets, a philosophical understanding of truth and logic, an understanding of the importance of language and the meaning or words. Practitioners informed by the scientific method (which tries to disprove proposed hypotheses rather than setting out to prove them right) can make huge contributions to the courts and to the investigative process. The forensic science program at UTM was established to provide society with welleducated science graduates with an interest in, and understanding of, the application of the law. It was started just as two important judicial reviews in Ontario demanded significant changes to the way cases were investigated and how forensic science was practiced.. It was the only such program in Canada and it was designed to be a bridge between researchers and practitioners (initially through its partnership with Toronto s world-famous Centre of Forensic Science) so that science and technology could be harnessed in the pursuit of justice. Because of its high quality complement of courses, its graduates can and do chose between graduate schools, (in Anthropology, Botany, Zoology, Chemistry, Forensic Science, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Psychology, Toxicology), professional schools (in Dentistry, Law, Medicine, Pharmacy) or direct entry into the highly skilled direct entry job market in government, police, or private agencies. The program is educational rather than career training and the skills imparted can be applied to many different careers and personal outcomes. Our graduates have found careers in the Centre of Forensic Science, Forensic labs of the Ontario Provincial Police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, The Singapore Centre of Forensic Science, private forensic labs in Canada and the USA they work with suppliers of forensic technology in Canada and the USA as well as with police in Canada, USA, and the UK. Many have gone on to research in related traditional disciplines. The program attracts large numbers of highly qualified and highly-motivated students with strong aptitudes in problem solving, and with analytical skills. There are more attracted than can be accommodated by the program. Admission to the program is highly competitive. Many who were attracted by the program become enchanted by other disciplines offered at UTM. These students enrich the UTM community. Each year we receive thousands of students queries from high schools and other universities desiring admission to the program. We also receive hundreds of queries from university graduates who are looking for a professional masters to upgrade to a forensic science degree. Interdisciplinarity Forensic Science is by definition science in service to the courts. By its very nature the program is interdisciplinary. It requires the cooperation of several departments mainly Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry and Psychology. In time the roles of other disciplines like Computer Science, the Faculty of Law, Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology in the Faculty of Medicine. Engineering, Criminology, Crime and Deviance should expand into the program. This will be done by the progressive adding of courses and integration of

3 Planning for Forensic Science Page 3 staff. Undergraduate Classroom instruction and undergraduate curriculum Launched in the early nineties the first class graduated in Jun Spring 2004 will see the 8 th graduating class. There is a huge demand for, and interest in, forensic science. The undergraduate club (The IVNVI Forensic Science Society) is typically the largest recognized club on campus with hundreds of members. It includes students who have been admitted into the program and those who have not. When I have met with students in the undergraduate Biology club an overwhelming majority of hands rise when I ask who had come to UTM for Forensic Science. The same can be said for students in anthropology. Last year we recorded a large increase in the number of students choosing physical sciences. This increase corresponded with our first offering of the forensic chemistry specialist program. For the first time this year applicants for admission to UTM were asked to indicate their interest in forensic science. Several hundred whose first choice was UTM chose the FSC program. Hundreds more who were not first choice UTM indicated FSC as a program choice. The program attracts high quality students to the campus. Some of them continue in forensic science while many chose instead to complete degrees in other disciplines. Since the program s inception we annually receive hundreds of qualified applicants but have accepted only 24. The enrolment in the program has been limited by the number of internships placements that can be found. A forensic intern is a senior student in FSC who enrols in FSC481 and spends one day per week for a total of 200 hours on site in a forensic agency. In 2003 we modified the program to allow internships to be completed during the summer. This has allowed us to increase the pool of possible placements including Ottawa, Thunder Bay and Alberta. We are now trying to arrange placements closer to the students homes in all of the provinces. In 2003 we also increased the number of students admitted to the program from 24 to 50. The number of students completing the program each year corresponds to the number of students completing FSC481. The list is as follows: Table 1 Number of students completing the FSC program each year. year number

4 Planning for Forensic Science Page (These have applied for internships for next year.) The high rates of attrition from the program in the early years may be attributable several factors: We did lose students to other professional programs like Pharmacy, Toxicology, Dentistry, Medicine, Chiropractic, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy. Some of this loss may have been related to the 15 credit degree. We may also have lost students because there were so few forensic science courses offered on campus. Originally there were only 2 Forensic Science courses on campus FSC239Y( Introductory) and FSC439Y which became FSC481Y (Internship). This situation has improved in recent years with the addition of the following courses Intro to Forensic Anthropology ANT205H n/o Forensic Identification FSC301H n/o Forensic Entomology BIO338H Forensic Psychology PSY344H Forensic Pathology FSC401H n/o Forensic Toxicology FSC402H n/o Advanced Forensic Anthropology ANT439Y The following courses have been approved for UTM and will allow greater numbers of students to study forensic science without completing the internship. The internship is now guaranteed to those studying for the forensic specialist degree and no longer guaranteed to those in a forensic science major. Intro. to Forensic Investigation FSC250H Forensic Investigation and the courts FSC260H Forensic Archaeology ANT306H Advanced Forensic Identification FSC302H DNA Evidence in Forensic Science FSC310H There are a large number of students who complete Introductory Forensic Science FSC239Y each year. It is a science course and can be taken in year one or two as a science credit. The lecture hall capacity (presently 352 persons in Matthews Auditorium) limits the size of this lecture course. This course is almost invariably over-subscribed and a waiting list is maintained to ensure that students in the FSC program have an opportunity to take the course. This course relies upon expert guest lecturers from the Centre of Forensic Science and the Office of the Chief Coroner and other professional partners. Therefore it cannot augmented by adding additional lecture sections. Month Year Enrolment FSC239Y Nov Nov Nov

5 Planning for Forensic Science Page 5 It is recommended that the seating arrangements in Mathews auditorium be modified to allow more students to take this course. It is also recommended that the course be moved to a larger auditorium as soon as possible. Name Course Teacher Supp Tech Equip ST TA Intro For Ant ANT205H Rogers ANT? Intro For Sci FSC239Y Stipend FSC Intro. For Inv FSC250H Stipend FSC For Inv & Courts FSC260H Stipend FSC For ID Sec 1 FSC301H Stipend FSC Y? Sec 2 Stipend FSC Y? Y Adv For ID FSC302H Stipend FSC Y? % 0.5 For Arch ANT306H Rogers ANT % 0 % DNA Evid in For Sci FSC310H Parra ANT % 0? For Ento BIO338H Gibo BIO Y Y For Psy PSY344H Stipend PSY For Path FSC401H Stipend FSC For Tox FSC402H Stipend FSC Adv For Ant ANT439Y Rogers ANT Y Interns For Sci FSC481Y Cummins BIO Total ? Supp = supplies budget Tech = Technician and lab needed Equip = Equipment budget ST = Stipend Teacher 1.0 FCE TA = Teaching Assistant 1.0 FCE % presently unfulfilled requirement Imported teaching done by BIO Gibo 0.5, Cummins ANT Rogers 2.0, Parra PSY stipend 0.5 Total teaching imported from other departments 4.5 Total FSC stipend teacher requirement 4.5 Expected retirements in the planing period FCE FSC teaching Gibo BIO Cummins BIO Horgen BIO Undergrad research projects O Day BIO Undergrad research projects Blankstein PSY lectures in FSC 239Y

6 Planning for Forensic Science Page 6 Faculty Faculty have been attracted to the program from their original disciplines based on their research and teaching interests. The faculty have sponsored research projects in forensic science have supervised senior forensic science student projects or taught courses or parts of courses in the program. Dr. Tracy Rogers and Dr. Estaban Parra both in Anthropology are the only faculty who have been hired to work specifically on Forensic Science. With the retirement of Dr. Melbye whose teaching was largely in forensic science we have the present situation where the majority of the teaching in the program is done by stipend teachers and this makes the program unstable in the mid to long term. The program needs more faculty whose roles are more strongly aligned with the program who can be involved in teaching of course and in research related to forensic science. This will ensure the long-term prospects of the program and ensure that the high quality of research and teaching expected at the University of Toronto can be achieved. New faculty To ensure that the leadership in introductory course FSC 239Y and to oversee the most practical forensic identification courses FSC301H and FSC 302 and the investigation courses FSC205H in the long term we propose to hire a teaching stream faculty in Forensic Science. These courses are the closest to the profession and are not presently closely aligned with mainstream tenure track disciplines at the University of Toronto. To oversee the Forensic Psychology course and to support research for Forensic Psychology students we propose a new tenure-stream faculty position in Forensic Psychology with interest in psychiatric issues. This person could have research interest in the problems of perception related to witness reliability or jury selection or have a critical interest in the field of psychological profiling and interest in abnormal psychology and connections to the forensic psychiatry world. Similar persons have been identified by the UTM Psychology Department as attractive candidates within their clusters of interest. To strengthen the connections to the analytical chemistry we need an appointment in chemistry. We have a course in Forensic Toxicology which needs support from the faculty of Toxicology. Such an appointment in UTM chemistry is consistent with their plans to move forward toward more pharmaceutical offerings at UTM Chemistry. A strengthening of the connections to research in analytical chemistry and toxicology is essential for the long term prospects of the program This is critical in the short term as we attempt to have the program accredited by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. To strengthen the teaching in the program and to ensure continued offering courses now offered we propose the addition of a tenure stream faculty position in Anthropology. This persons strength would be in forensic anthropology and would and whose teaching responsibilities would centre on the investigative and legal aspects of forensic science FSC 205 and FSC 206 rather than focus entirely on the biological aspects of anthropology. Since anthropology is poised between analytical sciences and cultural perspectives it promises

7 Planning for Forensic Science Page 7 seems to be an ideal discipline as a home for this type of person. We see this person becoming important as the professional masters in forensic science moves forward. Professional Master in Forensic Science Based on the huge demand for a graduate program in Forensic Science in Canada and since there is no such program in Canada we propose to build on the reputation and experience of the undergraduate program and offer a professional masters in Forensic Science. Such programs have proven to be extremely effective and economically feasible in other countries viz: Australia, USA and UK. The proposed program would be modelled along the lines of the Master in Biotechnology offered at UTM and a model which has been approved by the Forensic Science program committee is attached in the appendix. Description of processes Meetings were held in the Fall with the FSC Program Committee to discuss proposed courses, requests for resources, and the design of the proposed new Masters Program. In January independent meetings were held with the UTM chairs of Anthropology, Chemistry, and Psychology to discuss our proposals for new faculty in those areas. I reported the plans for the program to the members of the faculty of the UTM Department of Biology and to its chair, Dr Robert Baker in January. The proposed new graduate program was designed by a committee of Drs Ulli Krull and Tracy Rogers and endorsed by the FSC program committee in December. It was discussed with Dr David Smith, the chair of Anthropology who in January was able to secure support for the mounting of the graduate program through the graduate department of Anthropology from Dr. Gary Crawford, the incoming UTM chair of Anthropology and from Dr. Hy Van Luong, the graduate chair of Anthropology.