News

Congratulations to the Forensic Science majors who had a great semester last fall and whose academic performance landed them on the Dean's List!  Here in the Forensic Science Program at UNL, we celebrate academic prowess and recognize the high level of rigor attributed to the courses required for our program.  This means that the academic success of these students (semester GPA of 3.75 or above) is a significant accomplishment!  Congratluations to the following students:

Rachel Bisbee

RoseMarie Blote        

Harvey Liu, a December graduate of the UNL Forensic Science Program, was recognized on Friday as a recipient of the CASNR Spirit Award.  The CASNR Spirit Award was established in 2015 to pay tribute to each graduating class by honoring one CASNR student that embodies the values, ethics, and integrity of a CASNR degree.  Two senior forensic science students were among the few considered for the award: Harvey Liu (the recipient), and Danielle Elsom.

On Friday, December 16^th the Forensic Science Program invited their graduates and their families to participate in a graduation reception held prior to the CASNR Salute to Graduates reception.

The following Forensic Science students were honored (in order left to right): Helen Erickson, Breane Morris, Harvey Liu, Danielle Elsom, and Alexandra Fernholz.  Also graduating (not pictured) was Jordan Walther.

This fall, UNL's Forensic Science Program welcomes Dr. Michael Adamowicz as the new Director.

Dr. Adamowicz received a B.S. in biology from the University of Illinois and his Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  He spent two years performing post-doctoral studies at Purdue University before moving to Connecticut.  He joined the Connecticut State Forensic Laboratory in 1996 as a forensic DNA analyst.  In 2003 he became a supervisor in the DNA unit and managed both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA casework groups. 

This summer, UNL Forensic Science students spent three weeks studying forensic science at Glasgow Caledonian University in Glasgow, Scotland.

The students studied forensically-related topics including:

• The legal and criminal justice system of Scotland
• The work of a crime scene officer in Scotland
• Fingerprint, firearm, and footwear examination

The UNL Forensic Science undergrads that traveled to Scotland included: Alex Fernholz (Senior), Sydney Stansbury (Senior), and Hiyam Hesso (Sophomore).

Amy Douglas, a junior UNL Forensic Science Major studying in the Crime Scene Investigation track just finished an exciting internship with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) at their Kansas City office.

HSI works with immigration enforcement, preventing terrorism, and combating the illegal movement of people and trade. As an intern Douglas gained valuable first-hand experience of what it is like to work for the government as a Special Agent. Her experiences included:

This summer, for the first time, UNL students had the opportunity to study mummified human remains on a study abroad field school in Sicily Italy led by forensic science faculty member Dr. Karl Reinhard along with Dr. Deb Meier and Dr. Johnica Morrow. 

On Friday, May 6^th the Departments of Entomology and Applied Science invited Forensic Science graduates and their families to participate in the joint graduation reception held prior to the CASNR Salute to Graduates reception.

The following Forensic Science students were honored (in order left to right): Rachel McCroskey and Melanie Blum.  Other graduating seniors (not pictured) include: Emma Blank, Ashley Fejfar, Justine La Violette, and Lianna Walker.

As part of the FORS 200 - Forensic Seminar guest lecture series, Captains Oliver Berglund and Christina Krcilek of the Nebraska Army National Guard (72^nd Civil Support Team) came to speak to the students about their work with the Civil Support Team (CST).  This team frequently works with police, fire departments, and the FBI and respond to natural and man-made disasters.  They are an emergency response unit with 22 subject matter experts that have teams across the country that can be deployed on request.

On Wednesday, April 13^th 2016, UNL’s Student Involvement Office hosted a ceremony for the Student Impact Awards and selected the Forensic Science Club as a finalist for the Outstanding Student Organization Award. 

With growing numbers, invited speakers, and a new philanthropy for the prevention of Human Trafficking, the Forensic Science Club is expanding its scope and gaining notoriety across UNL’s campus.  For more information, or to join, contact the club at: unlforsciclub@gmail.com