Transcript Activity 3.1.3 Forensic Engineer

Activity 3.1.3
Forensic
Engineer
Erin Hynd
Block 3
9/30/12
Forensics
 “the
application of a broad spectrum of
sciences to answer questions of interest in
a legal setting”
Required Skills
 Understanding
of the legal process,
especially evidence standards
 Proficient in public speaking
 Other engineering experience
 Good writing skills
 Good at explaining technical terms,
processes, theories in layman’s terms
Duties Performed
 Consultations
with attorneys
 Visits to scene of incident to analyze the
case
 Preparing reports of findings
 Acting as a witness in court
 Determining exactly what happened
leading up to the incident
Education and Training

Specific Forensic Engineering degrees don’t really
exist so instead:



Get a bachelor’s degree in engineering (i.e.
chemical, mechanical, or civil engineering)
Get licensed as an engineer in the state that work
will be done in
Additional certification offered through the
International Institute of Forensic Engineering
Science

Requirements for this include: degree in engineering,
minimum number of experience years (varies
depending on background), 3 professional
references, pass a written exam on ethics and an oral
exam based on actual case reports.
Responsibilities at Scene
 Act
like “science detectives”
 Determine cause of incidents such as fires,
system failures, or car accidents

Inspect evidence to determine a sequence
of events
 Put
findings in a report and share them
with the court if necessary
Conclusion Questions
1.
2.
3.
An engineer contributes to the world of forensic science in many ways.
They may testify as to how a device should work in an ideal situation
and use this to determine what went wrong. Engineers also use their
knowledge to reconstruct a possible series of events that led to a
specific incident.
Instruments designed by engineers include:
 Ballistics Identification System: 3D imaging that helps to analyze used
bullets and cartridge cases found at the scene of a crime.
 Comparison microscope: special microscope used in forensics labs to
compare evidence samples including toolmarks and bullets
 Gel electrophoresis: Basically compares the length of DNA fragments
of known individuals with lengths of DNA found at the crime scene.
A forensic scientist gathers the evidence that the engineer can use to
reconstruct the incident. The forensic scientist also analyzes the
evidence which may help the engineer in their work as wells as help
the case in general. The forensic technician may help to validate the
events constructed by the engineer using data collected by the
forensic scientist.