Taken Fall 2008
Instructor: Jason Linville
JS 572 is a general overview of genetics and recombinant DNA. The course emphasizes the necessary fundamentals of DNA composition and DNA function as it is needed to succeed as a forensic scientist. This holds especially true for forensic DNA analysis. JS 572 serves as a broad review for students possessing a rich biology background. It also serves as a great introductory course for students with a more chemistry based background.
The course was instructed in Fall 2008 by Dr. Jason Linville. The course content was divided between two textbooks, one of which is not available in any nearby book stores. However, it was not required. Attendance is vital to being successful in this course. It is very possible to pass this course without purchasing a textbook if the pupil has perfect attendance and has great note taking skills. The information is provided in lecture format and presented in a manner that covers every aspect to be covered on the examination. A voice recorder is strongly recommended. The examinations are rather lengthy but are a fair representation of all materials covered. The work load consists of studying and a few assignments that require some attention and understanding of information covered during lecture. However, the work load is not smothering and does not outweigh the magnitude of the course. Overall this is an excellent elective to take during the first Fall semester because it is an great review of genetics and it is not extremely demanding which allows students to enroll in other electives in an attempt to not become overwhelmed with electives during their second Spring semester. I would strongly recommend this course.
Friday, August 28, 2009
JS672: Conventional Criminalistics II
Taken Spring 2009
Instructor: Mitch Rector
Crim II was a continuation of Crim I. It picked up where Crim I left off focusing on toolmarks and firearms. The labs were time consuming, but a lot of fun. They were outside of class and you could work individually or as a gruoup, but had to turn in all your own work if you did work as a group. The test (midterm and final) were structured much like Crim I. There was an additional paper at the end of the course.
I loved this course!
Instructor: Mitch Rector
Crim II was a continuation of Crim I. It picked up where Crim I left off focusing on toolmarks and firearms. The labs were time consuming, but a lot of fun. They were outside of class and you could work individually or as a gruoup, but had to turn in all your own work if you did work as a group. The test (midterm and final) were structured much like Crim I. There was an additional paper at the end of the course.
I loved this course!
BST611:Intermediate Statistical Analysis I
Taken Fall 2008
Instructor: Stacy Cofield
I took BST 611 because I had never taken a statistics class and Dr. Linville advised me that many employers look to see if you have taken a stats clas on your resume. I took the class in the fall of 2008 with Stacy Cofield. I enjoyed the class as much as you can with a stats class. I had never taken a stats class and ended up with an A. There were six required homeworks and you were allowed one week to complete each homework. It took about 2 houts to complete each one. The homework was not difficult it just took a little time geting used to what the teacher wanted and how she wanted you to organize it. Stacy Cofield was very nice and always wiling to answer questions. She always answered her email right away which I loved. I would recommend this class to someone who wants to get more familiar with the statistical tests used in many forensic journal articles, and how these tests claify the information gained from research.
Instructor: Stacy Cofield
I took BST 611 because I had never taken a statistics class and Dr. Linville advised me that many employers look to see if you have taken a stats clas on your resume. I took the class in the fall of 2008 with Stacy Cofield. I enjoyed the class as much as you can with a stats class. I had never taken a stats class and ended up with an A. There were six required homeworks and you were allowed one week to complete each homework. It took about 2 houts to complete each one. The homework was not difficult it just took a little time geting used to what the teacher wanted and how she wanted you to organize it. Stacy Cofield was very nice and always wiling to answer questions. She always answered her email right away which I loved. I would recommend this class to someone who wants to get more familiar with the statistical tests used in many forensic journal articles, and how these tests claify the information gained from research.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
BST611: Intermediate Statistical Analysis I
Instructor: Dr. Cofield
This is a simple, informative course perfect for an elective outside the department. No prior knowledge of statistics is needed. This course starts as if the student knows nothing about statistics. The professor’s notes are easy to follow and comprehensive. Her lecture follows with the notes very well. In addition, all notes are posted online. Your grade will come from homework assignments, a mid-term, and a final. The mid-tem and final are essentially loner versions of the homework. Both are comprehensive. The homework and tests are not at all too difficult, but they are very time-consuming. Each of them could take up to four or five hours. While this may seem like a lot of time (especially for a test) this also means there is not a whole lot of studying needed outside of class. You learn by doing.
It should be noted that you will most likely need to purchase a software license for this class ($25). Most of the more advanced stuff must be done by a program and the professor instructs on the use of JMP. Other programs are permitted (except Excel) but this is the simplest option.
In terms of content, this course will be very useful for your research. It will show you what to do and what not to do when analyzing your data and writing it up. The examples in class are often taken from research papers and you’d be surprised how often people get their stats wrong. This class will help you avoid those common mistakes. I highly recommend this class due to the facts that it is not too difficult, the instructor is excellent, and it is actually useful.
This is a simple, informative course perfect for an elective outside the department. No prior knowledge of statistics is needed. This course starts as if the student knows nothing about statistics. The professor’s notes are easy to follow and comprehensive. Her lecture follows with the notes very well. In addition, all notes are posted online. Your grade will come from homework assignments, a mid-term, and a final. The mid-tem and final are essentially loner versions of the homework. Both are comprehensive. The homework and tests are not at all too difficult, but they are very time-consuming. Each of them could take up to four or five hours. While this may seem like a lot of time (especially for a test) this also means there is not a whole lot of studying needed outside of class. You learn by doing.
It should be noted that you will most likely need to purchase a software license for this class ($25). Most of the more advanced stuff must be done by a program and the professor instructs on the use of JMP. Other programs are permitted (except Excel) but this is the simplest option.
In terms of content, this course will be very useful for your research. It will show you what to do and what not to do when analyzing your data and writing it up. The examples in class are often taken from research papers and you’d be surprised how often people get their stats wrong. This class will help you avoid those common mistakes. I highly recommend this class due to the facts that it is not too difficult, the instructor is excellent, and it is actually useful.
GRD706: Grants and Fellowships
Taken Fall 2008
The elective JS course is offered by Graduate School at UAB in fall semester. This one day (Saturday) workshop provides an introduction to writing grant proposals and fellowship applications. Topics include funding sources, electronic databases, organization and format of proposals and applications, submission and review processes, use of secondary sources, and guidelines for effective proposal writing. I attended this workshop in Fall 2008 and I enjoyed the topics very much and learned some important things that I could not learn from the more science based courses. If someone happens to need one more credit hour to meet the hours requirement, I strongly recommend this one.
The elective JS course is offered by Graduate School at UAB in fall semester. This one day (Saturday) workshop provides an introduction to writing grant proposals and fellowship applications. Topics include funding sources, electronic databases, organization and format of proposals and applications, submission and review processes, use of secondary sources, and guidelines for effective proposal writing. I attended this workshop in Fall 2008 and I enjoyed the topics very much and learned some important things that I could not learn from the more science based courses. If someone happens to need one more credit hour to meet the hours requirement, I strongly recommend this one.
JS650: Advanced Questioned Death
Taken Fall 2008
Instructor: Jay Glass
Overall taking Advanced Questioned Death as an elective was interesting. It gave more incite to te how the medical examiner office works. The first couple of lectures are boring background information about how the medical examiner’s office was established, but if you can make it past those the rest of the class is very interesting. Jay Glass was the instructor when I took the class and he used a lot of pictures so it was easy to understand many of the concepts. (The pictures are graphic so if you have a weak stomach, skip the class and possibly start looking for a major). The majority of the class material is from his class notes, so it is helpful to go to as many classes as possible. If you are strapped for cash, you can go without buying the book (the big blue thick one), as it is more geared towards forensic pathologists. However, if you have the money, the book has a lot of interesting pictures. Overall I think it is a good elective to consider taking.
Instructor: Jay Glass
Overall taking Advanced Questioned Death as an elective was interesting. It gave more incite to te how the medical examiner office works. The first couple of lectures are boring background information about how the medical examiner’s office was established, but if you can make it past those the rest of the class is very interesting. Jay Glass was the instructor when I took the class and he used a lot of pictures so it was easy to understand many of the concepts. (The pictures are graphic so if you have a weak stomach, skip the class and possibly start looking for a major). The majority of the class material is from his class notes, so it is helpful to go to as many classes as possible. If you are strapped for cash, you can go without buying the book (the big blue thick one), as it is more geared towards forensic pathologists. However, if you have the money, the book has a lot of interesting pictures. Overall I think it is a good elective to consider taking.
JS650: Advanced Questioned Death
Taken Fall 2008
Instructor: Jay Glass
This class is an elective offered by the MSFS program and is usually offered once every other fall semester. Since it is only likely to be offered once during the two year program, the class should be taken when it is offered if the student is interested in taking the class. This course gives a basic overview of forensic pathology. This class requires a lot of outside reading, at least 50-100 pages a weeks, sometimes much more. Due to the nature of the course, the reading can sometimes be difficult due to the medical terminology used. The essential material from the readings is covered in detail in class and exam material is clearly pointed out. The more difficult terminology and concepts in the readings aren’t what the forensic science student needs to know and aren’t covered on exams. This class is an excellent class to take if forensic pathology is what a student is considering or if the student wants to be a crime scene investigator. By knowing the basic concepts learned here, it can help the student understand and document a crime scene.
Instructor: Jay Glass
This class is an elective offered by the MSFS program and is usually offered once every other fall semester. Since it is only likely to be offered once during the two year program, the class should be taken when it is offered if the student is interested in taking the class. This course gives a basic overview of forensic pathology. This class requires a lot of outside reading, at least 50-100 pages a weeks, sometimes much more. Due to the nature of the course, the reading can sometimes be difficult due to the medical terminology used. The essential material from the readings is covered in detail in class and exam material is clearly pointed out. The more difficult terminology and concepts in the readings aren’t what the forensic science student needs to know and aren’t covered on exams. This class is an excellent class to take if forensic pathology is what a student is considering or if the student wants to be a crime scene investigator. By knowing the basic concepts learned here, it can help the student understand and document a crime scene.
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