• Forensic science is an important crime-solving tool."microscope_head.jpg" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: xmatt (Matthew Hine) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
  
  

Public Speaking and Forensic Science

• The term forensics can also apply to public speaking. Forensic teams, which are found in schools, engage in debate with opponents through the use of standard rhetorical and logical principles. Similarly, forensic scientists engage in public speaking when they explain their findings to lawyers, law enforcement, judges and juries. It is imperative that forensic scientists have good communication skills because part of their job is to help laymen understand the complexities of their work.
  
  

Significance of Forensic Science

• Forensic science is an important part of solving crimes. Through forensic science, suspects of a crime can be identified and tied to victims and crime scenes. Forensic science can also detail how, when and where a crime was committed.
  
  In addition, forensic science can help find missing persons--whether they are victims of a crime or criminals that fled from justice--through technologies such as aging a photograph to create a rendering of what someone may look like years after disappearing.
  
  

Types

• The application of forensic science can be found in many fields. In the behavioral science field, forensic psychologists can answer questions about whether someone is psychologically fit to stand trial, deny a lawyer's representation in court or become a candidate for a death sentence. A criminalist examines evidence such as gunshot residue and firearms, fingerprints and blood. A forensic pathologist answers questions about whether someone died from homicide, suicide or natural causes.
  
  

Activities

• At the scene of a crime, the process of forensic science begins when crime scene investigators document, collect and package evidence to be sent to forensic scientists for review. This evidence can include blood and other bodily fluids, fibers, hair, fingerprints and shell casings from guns. After evidence is collected, forensic scientists examine it and make conclusions about the crime and how it occurred.
  
  

Ethics

• The ability of forensic scientists to adhere to the ethics of the profession is an important part of forensic science. These professionals must be neutral as they examine evidence and cannot get concerned about the outcome of a case.