Forensic Scientist

Forensic Scientist

LIsa Black

Cape Coral, FL

Female, 49

I spent the five happiest years of my life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office I analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now I'm a certified latent print examiner and CSI for a police department in Florida. I also write a series of forensic suspense novels, turning the day job into fiction. My books have been translated into six languages.

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Last Answer on July 21, 2022

Best Rated

is there a way for me to contact you directly so i can ask more questions

Asked by a student over 8 years ago

Sure you can email me at lisa-black@live.com

Good afternoon!im just a bit curious.... at what college did you go to?

Asked by Anna about 9 years ago

Cleveland State University. I have a BS in Biology.

I have a niece that wishes to be a forensic scientist. She did not have the best grades and she is struggling trying to get her AA degree from a 2 year community college in forensics. She now has a baby. What would you suggest?

Asked by mikeruth12 over 8 years ago

She should try to get an internship with a local agency--city, county, state police or medical examiner's. Practical experience will count for a lot. However much depends on what kind of forensic scientist she wants to be--does she want to do crime scene work, in which case most of the training is on the job, or does she want to work in a lab, in which case she'll probably need at least a BA in biology or chemistry. She can check forensic organization websites and government websites for job vacancy postings to get an idea of what the job requirements are. She might also check out entry level positions. At our department we have PSA--Public Service Aides, a paid position that's basically a step between community volunteers and sworn officers. They do more cop-type things, but will make contacts and learn a lot. They do things like direct traffic at accident scenes, take burglary reports and process scenes for fingerprints. She might also want to consider that forensic positions involving crime scene work often have unpredictable hours and sometimes overtime, which might be difficult to juggle with child care arrangements.

Good afternoon Lisa!

I am currently taking a classes to earn my Bachelor's in Forensic Science, I just had some questions regarding your job now and how you went about getting your degree. Do you have an email were could communicate?

Thank you!

Asked by Cassidy Gould about 9 years ago

Sure, you can email me at Lisa-black@live.com.

What is the first thing a forensic team does when they reach the crime scene in this case homicide?

Asked by marge white almost 9 years ago

Get everybody out of it, and then take pictures.

Why is it important in Microbial Forensics to know how medication can change the microbiota of an individual ?

Asked by Sam about 9 years ago

I'm sorry but I'm not versed in microbiology.

Is it possible to be a forensic scientist and a crime scene investigator? Like a job where find the evidence and you test it?

Asked by Rach C. over 8 years ago

Yes, to some extent. That’s what I’m doing now. It all depends on how much staff and equipment the agency has. For instance I’ll collect items and process them for fingerprints or do preliminary tests for blood or semen, but it’s unlikely that a DNA analyst would also be doing crime scene work.