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by Vicki Salemi

Mitch Watley always had two dreams: to fly airplanes and practice law. Eventually, with online education, he was able to realize them both.

After graduating from Colorado School of Mines (Golden, Colo.) as a petroleum engineer and following in his father’s footsteps in a major gas and oil company, Mitch decided to pursue his first dream: flying.

As a pilot for the Air National Guard in the early 1980s, Mitch learned to fly F15 Eagle jet aircraft, which jet-setted his career with American Airlines, where he’s been employed for the past 21 years. Since pilots are limited in the number of days they can work each month (about 12-16), Mitch spent a good deal of time at home.

In light of the tragic events of 9/11, uncertainty about the future of the airline industry, and a fast-approaching retirement, Mitch decided it was time to fulfill his second lifelong dream: to enroll in law school.

“My desire to become a lawyer was brewing longer than my desire to be an engineer,” he explains. Even as a junior high school student, Mitch was fascinated by the Constitution. “I really enjoyed social studies, and I have a tremendous admiration for our forefathers during the Revolutionary War.”

To lay the foundation for his new career, Mitch enrolled in a juris doctoral (J.D.) program at a law school near his home in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

But between the three-hour round-trip commute four nights a week and the disappointment with his professors and classes, he says, “I wasn’t getting a big bang for my buck. I decided to take a little risk with the Texas Bar issue and give Concord a try.”

Risky business
The issue Mitch is referring to, according to Barry Currier, president and dean of Concord Law School, an online institution, is that neither the American Bar Association (ABA) nor the California Bar accredit online J.D. programs.

However, students at institutions that have not been accredited by the ABA may pursue the California Bar by first passing the California Baby Bar, a one-day exam administered after the first year of law school. Upon graduation, students are eligible to sit for the California Bar and gain admission to practice in California.

At that point, graduates may be able to use their Concord J.D. and admission to practice in California to gain the opportunity to sit for the bar and be admitted to practice other states. That’s not a given, though.

“These matters are under the control of each state, and we want to make sure students have a realistic sense of their opportunities and options before they enroll at Concord,” counsels Currier.

The online difference
Though Mitch was aware of the stringent bar requirements, he quickly became engrossed in his online classes.

“The quality of my education was so much better than at the other school,” says the Texas resident. Plus, he no longer had to endure a long commute. “Since I had my laptop on the road, I could attend class anywhere in the world.”

Impressed by the quality of each other’s contributions to the program, Mitch and his classmates quickly developed a strong bond. “At a regular law school, there are typically 75 people in a classroom,” he explains. “Professors enforce the Socratic method — whenever you speak, you stand up and give your name — but you don’t really know each other. It’s different online because you don’t physically see classmates.”

The bar: lessons in discipline
After attending Concord for four years, in which he “studied every waking moment,” Mitch passed the California Bar last winter on his first try. “It was the most intense three-day exam of my life,” he attests.

Whether students sit for the bar following an online program or a brick-and-mortar one, the exam always presents a challenge.

“You need to study for three consecutive months,” claims Mychal Wilson, a graduate of Southwestern University School of Law (Los Angeles, Cali.) and a partner in MindFusion Law Corporation, a full-service representation entertainment law firm. “Your family and friends will be there in the end, but you have to concentrate on passing.”

As for advice to future attorneys, Mychal offers, “Law school is supposed to prepare you to pass the bar. There are three steps to a law career — going to law school, passing the bar, and practicing law.”

Mitch is well on his way to the third step. Currently enrolled in additional patent law classes at Concord, he intends to practice in federal court in Texas with his California license, representing clients of the patent process, including trademarks.

Above all, Mitch says, “At Concord you have everything you need to get an excellent legal education. The only thing left for the student is to take advantage of it.”

© 2006 Classes USA, Inc. All rights reserved.

by Paul D. Rosevear

There’s no doubt about it: Between “CSI’s” contagiously spreading viewership, similar spin-offs ruling the remote, and exploding enrollments in forensics programs at many colleges and universities, the current crop of on-screen case-crackers are certainly proving inspiring. The field of forensics is certainly entertaining a multitude of people - 50 million each week, to be exact.

But is the line between entertainment and education getting blurred? Read on to explore the difference between forensics and faux-rensics…

The Prosecution
In light of the public’s rabid appetite for “CSI” and programs like it, experts have mixed feelings on the impact the show’s popularity is having.

“‘CSI’ is getting more people interested in the science, which is fantastic,” explains Dr. Jennifer Thompson, program director of multidisciplinary studies at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV), which offers a forensic science degree program. “The shows themselves are idealized versions of the field. They’ve got wonderful technology that just isn’t available in real life, and everything gets solved in a neat and tidy hour!”

In fact, one of the professors teaching in UNLV’s program is Daniel Holstein - the real-life inspiration for Gil Grissom, “CSI’s” leading character.

If it seems like each episode’s investigators spending time collecting data at crime scenes, conducting tests and experiments at laboratories, reviewing evidence at police departments, and questioning suspects is too good to be true, it’s because it is. In reality, there are highly trained specialists who do each of these tasks separately, and case resolution is anything from TV-perfect.

Data analysis often takes weeks and months. “It’s the speed and the specificity more than anything,” says Dr. Stephen Theberge, assistant professor of chemistry at Merrimack College (North Andover, MA). Theberge teaches a forensic analysis course and offers a forensics concentration for chemistry majors.

“You don’t just stick something into a machine and immediately find out it’s got Maybelline lipstick on it, color 42. It’s just not that easy,” he says. Characters on forensic TV shows often possess the skills of many different kinds of specialists - it’s much more exciting to see the countless aspects of the field crammed into one supercharged investigator. “The investigator position on TV is an amalgam of a police officer/detective and lab scientist. In reality, this position doesn’t exist.”

The Defense
Though some of the miraculous tactics and technologies used to solve crimes on TV and in movies don’t really exist, you’d probably be surprised to find out just how many of them actually do. This coming fall, James Lucas, adjunct faculty member at Oakton Community College (Des Plaines, IL), will be teaching law enforcement students about the equipment used by the FBI and other crime-solving institutions.

“We are the first college-level forensics course in the U.S. to feature instruction using the Intergraph Video Analyst System,” he says. This system utilizes NASA-developed VISAR (Video Stabilization and Registration) technology to examine video. “Very often, it’s never more than a tattoo, or a kind of sneaker, that is needed to identify a criminal from video footage,” he explains, so in that sense, there is some truth to TV plots. “This was the same technology that was able to identify the Rider truck used in the Oklahoma bombing.”

Like Thompson and Theberge, Lucas acknowledges that TV’s depiction of the ease with which forensic technologies can yield results is usually exaggerated - but that plenty of amazing gadgetry does exist. “In addition to the video system, we’ll teach students something called Faces 1.0, a program that creates composite facial drawings,” he says. “The full-fledged police version has 2,000 extra choices for eyes, features, aging, and more.” Another device Lucas mentions is AFIX 5.0, a desktop automatic fingerprint and palm print comparison system - something many Hollywood criminal justice fans are familiar with from movies.

What’s The Big Deal?
At the end of the day, is it really going to kill anyone (no pun intended) if shows like “CSI” project an embellished version of forensics work in the name of entertainment? Probably not. But the public’s growing awareness is indeed making its way into the courtroom.

“Nowadays, juries expect to see amazing forensic stuff,” says Melissa Connor, adjunct forensic science professor at Nebraska Wesleyan University. “They’ve seen all of the expensive techniques and they want to be wowed.”

For the forensic enthusiast who wants a more accurate look into crime solving, there are some shows that are more fact than fiction. “When I started ‘Forensic Files,’ over 10 years ago, it was because of what I saw going on in the OJ Simpson trial,” explains the show’s executive producer and creator Paul Dowling. Each episode, the show reviews real-life cases and the techniques used to solve them. “My perception was that we had a bunch of jurors who were asked to try to understand very complicated genetic science and DNA.

I wanted to show people what can be done with forensic science, as well as what can’t be done.”

A Real-Life Look
While the forensics you see on television may be enhanced to keep things action-packed, there is plenty of real-life action happening every single day. Jessica Mondero, a recent graduate of the master’s program in forensic science at Nebraska Wesleyan University, was called out to Iraq as part of a team her professor, Melissa Connor, assembled to exhume and analyze human remains from mass graves.

The evidence culled will most likely be used in Saddam Hussein’s trial. Talk about real-world application!

“I was there for three months while I was finishing my degree,” she explains. “There was a little hesitation on my part to go over there - just because you know it’s not a peaceful place. But the fact that there is a United States military presence over there made me feel more secure.”

Mondero, Connor, and the rest of their team set up camp right outside the grave sites, along with roughly 30 other specialists from the U.S. Iraqi forensics workers were also present, learning techniques from the U.S. team so they could continue the work after the American workers’ stay.

“I worked in the morgue, which was located inside of a U.S. camp,” explains Mondero. “I analyzed artifacts that were recovered with the bodies in the grave. It was my job to go through clothing, jewelry, IDs, blindfolds, gags, ligatures - anything that didn’t deal with the bone.”

Though Mondero didn’t deal with bones, her experience may be considered bone chilling by many.

“It takes a certain personality to be in this field,” she admits. “But I really enjoy problem solving and investigative work. A lot of what we’d do in the master’s program would be via e-mail or the Internet, but the most exhilarating stuff was hands-on. I love to piece together the story of how something actually happened.”

Investigate the Future of Your Career, Online
Interested in policing, criminal law, or corrections with an interdisciplinary study of crime and justice in American society?
>> Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration - University of Phoenix

What goes on in the mind of a criminal?
>> Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice/Forensic Psychology - Kaplan University

Why do criminal offenders do the things they do? How does the American legal system work to manage criminal activity?
>> Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Sciences/Criminal Justice - Ellis College of New York Institute of Technology

© 2006 Classes USA, Inc. All rights reserved.

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by Paul D. Rosevear

If you’re one of millions already hooked on CBS’s hit franchise “CSI” ” (that is, CSI: “Crime Scene Investigation” and its spin-offs “CSI: Miami” and “CSI: New York”), you probably spend your entire week in anticipation for the excitement and drama of the next episode. But what if the thrill of crime scene investigation didn’t have to be limited to three hours a week? What if you could spend your 9-5 unraveling mysteries like your favorite characters do onscreen?

We did some investigation of our own and found out just what skills and attributes are needed to discover your dream CSI career. Each of your favorite puzzle-busting on-screen CSIs’ specialties correspond to an academic discipline. By combining that textbook knowledge - often available via online programs - with hands-on training, you could be on your way to being more than just a fan of Gil Grissom and the gang. you can start being like them.

“Catherine Willows” - The Formula For Success
Ever wonder how you could possibly need to use trajectory formulas from your physics classes in real life? Just watch the character of Catherine Willows in action as a blood spatter analyst.

“A blood stain pattern analyst is someone who determines from what the blood came from,” explains Ray Rodriguez, assistant dean of graduate studies at Kaplan University’s School of Criminal Justice, which offers online programs in crime scene investigation and forensic psychology. “They need to know the physics of blood flight, and have an extensive knowledge of trigonometry.”

Whether spattered on a wall, stained on a shirt, or on the floor, these specialists are able to use their physics knowledge to determine not only where blood came from, but how many blows were struck to the victim, how far away the assailant was, and the height of who was attacked.

“Warrick Brown” - A Sixth Sense
The real-life “Warrick Browns”- those who specialize in audio/visual analysis - are in high demand due to the amazing breadth of technology in which digital media can be captured. Because of all the possible media components that must be examined in an investigation - computers, cell phones, palm pilots, cameras, mp3 players -a background in computer forensics and digital investigation is a must.

“Computer forensics pertains to everything from exploring child pornography allegations, and [online] harassment charges to national security and more,” explains Bill Stackpole, computer forensics specialist and assistant professor at Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY). “The premise of digital investigation is based on the idea that digital data can be stored, so you need to have the specialized training to recognize how data can be accidentally changed while investigating, and how to avoid [doing so]. A computer or a camera can be much like a dead body at a crime scene - you need to collect evidence from it in a very specific way.”

“Gil Grissom” - Bug Study
The show’s main character, “Gil Grissom,” specializes in forensic entomology - the study of insects. For this, a strong background in biology is a must, specific forensic entomology Ph.D. programs are available at a handful of schools around the country, advises Rodriguez. “These specialists examine maggot activity on a dead body or collect flies in the area of death, [among other things] and use these insects to determine time of death, place of death, and what substances were in the victim.”

“Nick Stokes” and “Greg Sanders” - Molecular Masters
These two CSIs are experts in hair/fiber analysis and chemistry, respectively, but the two disciplines actually have a lot in common. According to Rodriguez, in order to do either you need to have mastery over molecules.

“DNA analysis all comes back to biology and chemistry,” he explains. “We use the nuclear material of the cells to conduct tests, which is a highly specific way of acquiring information.” Without a strong foundation of how the elements interact - whether inside the body or out - neither investigator would be able to link hair at a crime scene to a suspect, test gun residue, or examine bodily fluids relevant to the case.

Real-Life Forensics: An Exploding Field
Forensics is more than just the subject of popular TV shows - it’s a rapidly growing and developing field, with real life evidence of its advancements appearing every day. “In the Chandra Levy case, where a former Washington intern disappeared mysteriously, computer forensics specialists acquired her computer and conducted an investigation where they discovered maps of the places she planned on jogging through,” says Stackpole. “Turns out, that information was truly related to her disappearance, because it led police to the exact place of her body. And that was after she’d been gone for over a year.”

With the right textbook knowledge and academic background, you could very well find yourself off the couch and at a crime scene next time you hear the words “wound ballistics” or “trajectory analysis.” And you’ll never ask “How’d they do that?” while watching CSI again.

© 2006 Classes USA, Inc. All rights reserved.