Students Look for Career Clues at First Forensic Symposium

Forensic professionals answer many difficult questions: whodunnit, whatdunnit, even whydunnit.

A panel of three alumni visited campus to field some comparatively easier queries for students aspiring to enter the forensic field. Bill Huba ’84, Erin Trowbridge ’98 and Sam VanDee ’98 were joined by forensic psychologist James Mikesell in a session of the first Forensic Science Symposium March 25.

Students asked for advice on when to go to graduate school and how to cope with stress specific to the job. Most of all, the room of 50 wanted to know how to get the edge.

“If you have any kind of strong science [or engineering] background, we have a career path for you,” said Huba, a supervisor/senior resident agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

A senior chemist for the Onondaga County Center for Forensic Sciences, VanDee said that Oswego provided a great base for him to become successful in a business that values experience. He said internships will help job candidates emerge from the pack.

With the popularity of television shows like “CSI,” it’s become quite a large application pool in recent years. Huba said he’d be lucky to hire five out of 1,000 applicants in any given year.

Those who earn the job will find great satisfaction in their work and work with great colleagues, the panelists agreed.

“The work that we do, I enjoy it, but the people I work with make the job great,” said Trowbridge, a forensic chemist for Onondaga County.

The two-day Emerging Technologies in Forensic Science Symposium also included appearances by New York State Police Lt. Andrea Giordano ’85 and SUNY Oswego University Police Chief Cynthia Adam M ’09.

— Shane M. Liebler

PHOTO CAPTION:
From left, Erin Trowbridge '98, Sam VanDee '98, James Mikesell and Bill Huba '84 discuss their careers at the first Forensic Science Symposium March 25 in the Campus Center.,



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