Professor Irv Kornfield, a University of Maine biology and ecology instructor, shows students the hard science behind forensics, proving once more that forensic science goes much deeper than the rash of “CSI” television programs portrays.

Topics in the course range from ballistics to accident reconstruction, focusing on the acquisition and use of DNA evidence. Kornfield has even set up a DNA testing lab on campus complete with sterile vent hoods and freezers packed with various samples of animal tissue and fluids which he analyses for the Maine Warden Service.

The class is so popular that Kornfield began offering the course online this summer using software to allow students to analyze fictitious murders through electronic crime scene recreations.

Source: Bangor Daily News