Graduate Education and Research in Forensic Chemistry at Northeastern University

Abstract

The continuing rise in crime has enlarged the role of law enforcement in American society. Along with this overall growth in the criminal justice system, the field of forensic science has expanded as law enforcement agencies have become more reliant on the collection, examination and interpretation of physical evidence. This increased reliance results from at least two factors. First, certain types of crime require physical evidence analysis for their solution. For example, proof of drug possession can only be obtained by a chemical identification of samples found on a suspect. Second, new and sophisticated instrumentation is becoming available in science and technology. These instruments will continue in the future to have a major impact on the types of samples which can be examined and the number of analyses that can be run during any given time period. For example, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry allows the rapid identification of complex organic mixtures