Image courtesy of andreashelke.

I have been employed in the field of forensic science for over twenty-five years. When introduced to the field and opinion testimony, it was stressed to me during my training and subsequent contacts within the field that all scientists must not be biased while performing analyses or on the witness stand. As a forensic scientist, one is not working for the prosecution or the defense. His only obligation is to disclose the knowledge gained through his examinations.

During one of the last few episodes of one of the CSI programs this past season, the statement was made by one analyst to another “we will get him”. Even more appalling than this to me, I watched as a well known pathologist exited the courtroom after giving his testimony. He seemed to take more pleasure in front of the camera for the media than giving his opinion as to the findings in the case.

Analysts would like to be treated professionally by all parties. If one seeks the respect of individuals within his profession and those he testifies before, it goes a long way to treat them with the same respect you desire. This can be obtained by sharing your knowledge to both sides without any bias.

Steve Byrd
Instructor
Ashworth College Forensic Science Program

Image courtesy of Chris Metcalf.

We constantly hear people say they want “job security and career advancement opportunities.” The good news is that you have taken the first step toward this lofty goal as you enrolled in the Ashworth College Small Business Management program designed for entrepreneurs. Starting and operating your own business is one way to take control of your future. Is it possible to become indispensable in today’s workplace? As you recognize your strengths, you will also build confidence, realizing that you have what it takes to market yourself and your new business; yes, you can become indispensable!

The term, indispensable means that which is necessary or essential. In other words, if you are to become indispensable, then you must become necessary or essential to the marketplace. As we consider what this means for you and your new business, let’s consider your strengths. Hopefully, your strengths include what I like to call, “The 9 E’s to BEcoming Indispensable:”

1. Enthusiasm
2. Effective communication skills
3. Ethical work habits
4. Effective employees
5. Effective problem solving and decision making skills
6. Endearing customer relationships
7. Energetic work habits
8. Education
9. Experience!

Let’s take a quick look at each of these important aspects which may catapult you to becoming indispensable. There is a reason why the word, “Enthusiasm” is first on the list. Enthusiasm is contagious! If you are enthusiastic about your abilities, your company, and your product, others will “catch” the excitement, too. Don’t you just love to be around someone who is excited about their work? It isn’t necessarily the words they use; instead, it is their non-verbal language which conveys the energy and enthusiasm they have.

Effective communication skills are vital to the success of an entrepreneur. Not only must you have a good command of the English language, you must effectively practice communication skills through writing and speech. I’ve written two helpful books which have been published by Pearson Publishers of Boston. “Going from Stress to Success,” published in 2007, is a public speaking textbook. “Basic Writing for Business: A Technical Approach,” published in 2008, is a textbook which details the basic skills of business writing. A combination of the two texts should help you to become proficient in writing and in speech. Other books are available on the market. If you feel you are deficient in your writing and speaking skills, take a course or purchase a book which will help you to develop your communication skills.

Job security is out there for people who exhibit ethical work habits. Think before you say or do anything. Make sure that your actions are consistent with business principles of moral conduct. Just remember that your work should be of the caliber that you would be proud to sign your name to it at the end of the day. (more…)

Ashworth College was honored to be joined by motivational speaker, U.S. Olympic team sports psychologist, and Ashworth College Sport Psychology for Peak Performance instructor, Dr. Nicole Detling Miller on our latest Habitat for Humanity Home Build.

In this video, Dr. Miller discusses her motivation for being part of such a great cause and why she’s so excited to be the Keynote Speaker at the 2010 Ashworth College Graduation Ceremony.

If you saw my online education chat a couple months ago, you remember a theme that kept coming up—the need to differentiate yourself in an increasingly competitive job market. You all are ahead of the game by taking the initiative to complete this Ashworth College pharmacy technician program, but what else can you do?

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, brought the topic of emergency preparedness to the forefront of everyone’s mind.  The anthrax incidents that followed forced re-thinking of how the Strategic National Stockpile, then known as the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile, should be deployed.  These events plus Hurricanes’ Katrina and Rita served to spark sweeping changes in the way our nation prepares for disasters.

Perhaps you are wondering what you can do to increase your value during a time of emergency.  If so, read on…

The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) was founded after President Bush’s 2002 State of the Union Address, in which he asked all Americans to volunteer in support of their country.

MRC units are community-based and function as a way to locally organize and utilize volunteers who want to donate their time and expertise to prepare for and respond to emergencies and promote healthy living throughout the year.  MRC volunteers supplement existing emergency and public health resources.

MRC volunteers can choose to support communities in need nationwide. When the southeast was battered by hurricanes in 2004, MRC volunteers in the affected areas and beyond helped communities by filling in at local hospitals, assisting their neighbors at local shelters, and providing first aid to those injured by the storms. During this 2-month period, more than 30 MRC units worked as part of the relief efforts, including those whose volunteers were called in from across the country to assist the American Red Cross (ARC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Find opportunities in your community by visiting the MRC web site.

With all the attention given to forensic science in recent years, there has been an explosion of interest in this field. You should definitely feel inspired to be learning about this field at such an exciting time of growth and development! The courts have come to expect more from the forensic science community in respect to our capabilities, while at the same time applying more scrutiny to the analytical procedures and techniques utilized for the examination of evidence. Forensic labs are developing new techniques and utilizing new technology all the time to examine and make comparisons of forensic evidence. Many of these processes have allowed a level of comparison and identification not possible before and they have also created situations where procedures have been challenged in court as being “too new” or not “generally accepted”. The DNA examination procedures employed today went through this process a few years ago. Some newer DNA techniques such as “low copy number DNA” and Y-STR analysis are now being challenged in cases where they have been applied.

One bright light through all the criticism about the shallow attention given to forensic science research is the FBI’s Forensic Science Research and Training Center. This facility has established key research programs that have encouraged the standardization of many scientific procedures used by forensic labs throughout the U.S. Over my career, I have attended several training classes sponsored by this training center. I have also attended international symposiums sponsored by the FBI in which forensic scientists from all over the world were invited to attend and share information on the latest analytical techniques for conducting forensic examinations. The FBI is very involved in the establishment and maintenance of a variety of reference collections or databases in an effort to provide information which can help define the significance of the comparison of class materials.

I’ll close this blog by encouraging you to pursue your interests in this amazing field. Ashworth College’s forensic science covers a broad spectrum of the science of forensics and by now you should know that there is much more that can be learned. If you are taking this course because you were just curious to know more about forensics, then no doubt, you should have a much better understanding of the different aspects of forensic science and how the “real thing” is different from what is portrayed in the popular television programs. (more…)

Image courtesy of Giovanni Portelli.

Earlier today, I was notified by our help desk person about a problem that users across the network were experiencing—a textbook example of what we cover through your Computer Networking program.

First off, to outline how our IT personnel is structured, there is a help desk person who answers emails and phone calls from users across our network. Many of the issues that she is asked about are simple problems that she easily handles. Issues that she is unable to solve are then forwarded to one of three IT technicians who address level 2 problems. Issues that they are unable to address are then forwarded to me which we can refer to as level 3 problems.

Like many large networks, we manage Windows updates through a Windows Software Update Services (WSUS) server. It is a dedicated server which synchronizes with Microsoft on a daily basis checking for recent updates. I have configured the WSUS to download updates for Windows 7, XP, Server 2000, Server 2003, Server 2008, SQL 2005, Office 2007 and all security updates. The WSUS emails me whenever new updates are downloaded. I then approve or disapprove each update for our network. The approved updates are then dispersed to their corresponding computers across the network. This aspect is handled by something called Group Policy Management, which is beyond the scope of this course.

Some network administrators will first install new updates on experimental computers first to ensure that the updates don’t conflict with their current configurations but most organizations don’t have the man power or time to do this. I base my decision on how Microsoft categorizes the update and what its for.Recently, I approved an update for Internet Explorer 8 or IE8. Microsoft supplies numerous updates for IE as it is prone to attacks. Today, only a week after approving the update, the help desk began to get emails that users weren’t able to save Office 2007 files to their hard drives. (more…)