Taken Fall 2010
Instructor: Gary Warner
I was super excited about taking this class I thought it would be fun...boy was I wrong. The instructor was very unorganized and did not come class prepared very often. It wasn't that he didn't want to he just has a lot of things on his plate. He himself is a nice person but if you ever try to send him emails pertaining to the homework or other assignments he will never respond. This course also requires a mini-research project for the graduate students. In the syllabus he has written out a plan for you to turn stuff in month by month to keep you on track and working on it. However he doesn't fret about it until two weeks before its due then he wants you to dedicate every waking minute of that two weeks on the research, powerpoint, and paper. And I am pretty sure he doesn't even read the paper.
Also written out in the syllabus are descriptions of all the assignments you will have to complete, this is missleading because he either changes the assignment or you don't even do half of them. There are two tests in the class the mid-term and the final. And he gives you a basic study guide for them but half of the information you will have to look up in the text book or on the internet.
If you are interested in the computer forensics certificate than you have to take this course and I heard that he gets better the more advanced the class is but you have to be willing to learn the basic concepts on your own .
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
JS 674: Biomethods in Forensic Science
Taken Fall 2011
Instructor: Jason Linville
I really enjoyed this class. It took us step by step through the process of DNA analysis. It was a simulation of real time lab experience. I liked how each step was written out and before each lab, an overview was given of the previous lab so that we could keep up. Wonderful class to take.
Instructor: Jason Linville
I really enjoyed this class. It took us step by step through the process of DNA analysis. It was a simulation of real time lab experience. I liked how each step was written out and before each lab, an overview was given of the previous lab so that we could keep up. Wonderful class to take.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
JS 650: Advanced Questioned Death Investigation
Taken Fall 2010
Instructor: Jay Glass
The class is all about death investigation, and is not for the faint of heart. The instructor Jay Glass has 20+ years experience in death investigation and is a great person to have teaching. The class stucture is lecture based, with no powerpoint or printed notes, just Mr. Glass at the front lecturing. There are picture slides that correspond with each topic that are of a graphic nature, but are extremely helpful in understanding the material. There were 2 multiple choice tests during the semester and a take home final that we had several weeks to complete. The only other homework was to read the textbook chapters and assigned reading articles.
The overall class is very interesting and it is easy to succeed if you take detailed notes during class, most test questions came from there. The remainder of questions came from the assigned articles. Although the book chapters are interesting they can be long and overly detailed so it is not pertinent to focus much studying on those. Because so much of the class is centered on stories and examples from Mr. Glass you should attend every class (if possible). But if you find the matters surrounding death investigation intriguing you will most definitely want to come to class!
Instructor: Jay Glass
The class is all about death investigation, and is not for the faint of heart. The instructor Jay Glass has 20+ years experience in death investigation and is a great person to have teaching. The class stucture is lecture based, with no powerpoint or printed notes, just Mr. Glass at the front lecturing. There are picture slides that correspond with each topic that are of a graphic nature, but are extremely helpful in understanding the material. There were 2 multiple choice tests during the semester and a take home final that we had several weeks to complete. The only other homework was to read the textbook chapters and assigned reading articles.
The overall class is very interesting and it is easy to succeed if you take detailed notes during class, most test questions came from there. The remainder of questions came from the assigned articles. Although the book chapters are interesting they can be long and overly detailed so it is not pertinent to focus much studying on those. Because so much of the class is centered on stories and examples from Mr. Glass you should attend every class (if possible). But if you find the matters surrounding death investigation intriguing you will most definitely want to come to class!
JS 572: Molecular Biology for FS
Taken: Fall 2010
Instructor: Dr. Jason Linville
Very good course! Taking this course prepared me for Biological Methods in Forensic Science (JS 674). Topics covered in this course include DNA/RNA, PCR, Gene Cloning, Plasmids, etc. Dr. Linville made the learning process fun and he did a great job of breaking things down so I could easily understand them. He explained things so well that I didn't have to purchase the book for this course. Overall, there were 4 tests and 3 homework assignments given. The tests consisted mainly of fill-in-the-blank, short answer and essay questions. In order to do well on his tests, make sure you know and understand each concept he teaches. The homework assignments will also help to understand some of the concepts discussed in class.
Instructor: Dr. Jason Linville
Very good course! Taking this course prepared me for Biological Methods in Forensic Science (JS 674). Topics covered in this course include DNA/RNA, PCR, Gene Cloning, Plasmids, etc. Dr. Linville made the learning process fun and he did a great job of breaking things down so I could easily understand them. He explained things so well that I didn't have to purchase the book for this course. Overall, there were 4 tests and 3 homework assignments given. The tests consisted mainly of fill-in-the-blank, short answer and essay questions. In order to do well on his tests, make sure you know and understand each concept he teaches. The homework assignments will also help to understand some of the concepts discussed in class.
JS 674: Biological Methods in Forensic Science
Taken Spring 2011
Instructor: Jason Linville
Overall, this course was great, and I would recommend it to anyone. It mainly focuses on understanding and practicing techniques that are used in a DNA laboratory. Throughout the entire semester you work on solving a specific case from receiving the evidence to presenting your findings in moot court. Dr. Linville goes through PowerPoint lectures step by step to get you familiar with each concept and then you practice the concepts in the lab. The tests come from all the lecture material as well as material presented in lab. The layout of the tests consists mainly of short answer and essay type questions. Make sure you can explain every concept and lab procedure extremely well. Also do not get behind when learning the material because there is a lot of it on each test. You could not ask for a better course and teacher!
Instructor: Jason Linville
Overall, this course was great, and I would recommend it to anyone. It mainly focuses on understanding and practicing techniques that are used in a DNA laboratory. Throughout the entire semester you work on solving a specific case from receiving the evidence to presenting your findings in moot court. Dr. Linville goes through PowerPoint lectures step by step to get you familiar with each concept and then you practice the concepts in the lab. The tests come from all the lecture material as well as material presented in lab. The layout of the tests consists mainly of short answer and essay type questions. Make sure you can explain every concept and lab procedure extremely well. Also do not get behind when learning the material because there is a lot of it on each test. You could not ask for a better course and teacher!
JS 673: Forensic Drug Analysis and Toxicology
Taken: Summer 2011
Instructor: Dan Matteo
This course was broken into two sections: Drug Chemistry with Dan and Toxicology with Karen. This was probably one of the best courses I have taken. Both Dan and Karen drew upon their experiences working in the Hoover ADFS lab to teach us as much as they could about both departments. In Dan's sections, we did practicals involving extractions, microcrystal tests, FTIR, and GC/MS. It was helpful to get hands-on experience. Karen's section did not involve any practicals, but she gave us a lot of information about toxicology and pharmacology; it wasn't just the different types of drugs, but also the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of them. At the end of the semester, we had to identify an unknown substance and testify in moot court. Dan conducted moot court, and questioned us in a way for us to actually gain experience testifying in court, while also frequently stopping to give us various tips and further explanations. The only downside to this course was that it really needed to be split up into two different classes. There was so much more they could have gone over with us (and more in depth) if they'd had more time. But overall, I really enjoyed the class.
Instructor: Dan Matteo
This course was broken into two sections: Drug Chemistry with Dan and Toxicology with Karen. This was probably one of the best courses I have taken. Both Dan and Karen drew upon their experiences working in the Hoover ADFS lab to teach us as much as they could about both departments. In Dan's sections, we did practicals involving extractions, microcrystal tests, FTIR, and GC/MS. It was helpful to get hands-on experience. Karen's section did not involve any practicals, but she gave us a lot of information about toxicology and pharmacology; it wasn't just the different types of drugs, but also the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of them. At the end of the semester, we had to identify an unknown substance and testify in moot court. Dan conducted moot court, and questioned us in a way for us to actually gain experience testifying in court, while also frequently stopping to give us various tips and further explanations. The only downside to this course was that it really needed to be split up into two different classes. There was so much more they could have gone over with us (and more in depth) if they'd had more time. But overall, I really enjoyed the class.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
JS 673: Forensic Drug Analysis and Toxicology
Taken Summer 2011
Instructor: Dan Matteo
Review:
For me, this was one of the best classes I have ever taken. Everything we learned can be applied to was is done in a real drug chemistry or toxicology lab. The teacher for drug chemistry was Dan Matteo and the teacher for toxicology was Karen. Both are current forensic scientists that work in the Birmingham Regional laboratory for ADFS. They gave real examples of situations they have been in. Moot court was extremely helpful. Dan questioned us very well giving us questions that the defense will get us to fall for even when we become professionals.
Instructor: Dan Matteo
Review:
For me, this was one of the best classes I have ever taken. Everything we learned can be applied to was is done in a real drug chemistry or toxicology lab. The teacher for drug chemistry was Dan Matteo and the teacher for toxicology was Karen. Both are current forensic scientists that work in the Birmingham Regional laboratory for ADFS. They gave real examples of situations they have been in. Moot court was extremely helpful. Dan questioned us very well giving us questions that the defense will get us to fall for even when we become professionals.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
BST 611: Intermediate Statistical Analysis I/Biostatistics
Taken Fall 2010
Instructor: Al Bartolucci
I never took a statistics course as an undergraduate. I was terrified of statistics, so when it finally came time to take it at the graduate level I had many regrets for not taking it as an undergraduate. Those fears were put to rest from day one in this course. It is the recommended course for MSFS students lacking statistics and it is a great choice for us! The material was relevant to what we do from day to day as scientists in a laboratory setting. Although most of the cases were clinical, the concepts are the same for any type of experimentation in which a population (lots of data) must be shown as significant or insignificant. This course teaches you how to understand your data and make a conclusion that is statistically accurate and acceptable. It made me feel like a real scientist and helped my perspective in reading scientific articles with statistical analyses.
What really made this course amazing was the instructor. Dr. Bartolucci is a riot, to say the least. He made the scary process of learning statistics fun and interesting. He is a great teacher and he knows his stuff!! As a heads up, he is a die hard Boston Red Socks fan so if you are a Yankee fan keep that information to yourself. He took any questions I had at anytime and made sure the class as a whole was understanding the material. He is very strict on his homework format but it is not too terrible. Even better, all tests are open-book and notes. Make sure to buy the book!! All tests come from problems out of the book and in fact, if you do not have the book you cannot do the graded homework or take the test. The homework he assigns are relevant to the tests and as long as you do the homework you can take the tests no problem.
So, if you have any fear of statistics like I did, Dr. Bartolucci will mend that quickly. Once you get passed the first few weeks, the entire class is the same 10 step concept over and over and over! No worries, statistics is actually cool and will bring to light any misunderstandings you may have had in reading statistical analysis of scientific data in the past. Good Luck!
Instructor: Al Bartolucci
I never took a statistics course as an undergraduate. I was terrified of statistics, so when it finally came time to take it at the graduate level I had many regrets for not taking it as an undergraduate. Those fears were put to rest from day one in this course. It is the recommended course for MSFS students lacking statistics and it is a great choice for us! The material was relevant to what we do from day to day as scientists in a laboratory setting. Although most of the cases were clinical, the concepts are the same for any type of experimentation in which a population (lots of data) must be shown as significant or insignificant. This course teaches you how to understand your data and make a conclusion that is statistically accurate and acceptable. It made me feel like a real scientist and helped my perspective in reading scientific articles with statistical analyses.
What really made this course amazing was the instructor. Dr. Bartolucci is a riot, to say the least. He made the scary process of learning statistics fun and interesting. He is a great teacher and he knows his stuff!! As a heads up, he is a die hard Boston Red Socks fan so if you are a Yankee fan keep that information to yourself. He took any questions I had at anytime and made sure the class as a whole was understanding the material. He is very strict on his homework format but it is not too terrible. Even better, all tests are open-book and notes. Make sure to buy the book!! All tests come from problems out of the book and in fact, if you do not have the book you cannot do the graded homework or take the test. The homework he assigns are relevant to the tests and as long as you do the homework you can take the tests no problem.
So, if you have any fear of statistics like I did, Dr. Bartolucci will mend that quickly. Once you get passed the first few weeks, the entire class is the same 10 step concept over and over and over! No worries, statistics is actually cool and will bring to light any misunderstandings you may have had in reading statistical analysis of scientific data in the past. Good Luck!
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