Forensics as a Gateway: Promoting Undergraduate Interest in Science, and Graduate Student Professional Development through a First-Year Seminar Course

Abstract

A group of five graduate students and a faculty mentor used the cultural popularity of forensics to develop a first-year undergraduate seminar. This course fulfilled two main objectives: First, the graduate student instructors developed professionally through a two-year process of creating, instructing, and revising a course. Second, a variety of pedagogical techniques including lectures, in-class demonstrations, laboratories, student presentations, and mock criminal investigations were used to teach an introductory-level forensics seminar course with substantial chemistry content. Herein, we share our experiences in developing an effective course structure in which students were introduced to science through forensics, with an emphasis on the development of essential skills, including critical thinking and public speaking. An assessment of the project's impact on graduate students, undergraduate students, and the department is also provided.