Blog 14 - Interview 3 Preparation

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?
I plan to interview one of the forensic specialist that my mentor can get me in contact with. My mentor told me that she can have me meet some professionals but never gave me names. The person's area of expertise is a professional in the forensics field.

2.  Verify that you have called your interviewee to schedule an interview.  What is the date and time of the interview? 
I have not called my interviewee yet. I am meeting with my mentor this weekend and I will ask for the contact info to schedule the interview. 

3.  Phrase an open-ended question that will help you find research resources that would help to answer the EQ.
"After researching on this topic for several months now, what kind of resources do you recommend now that I've found a possible solution to my EQ?"

4.  Phrase an open-ended question that will help you think about other useful activities you might do to help you answer the EQ (IC2, possible experts to talk to, etc).
"How are you able to know that the field of forensics will become more accurate after the possible solution is taken into action?"

5.  Phrase two open-ended questions that help you to understand your interviewee's perspective on an aspect of your EQ. 
"Do you think forensics is in badly need of reform? If so, why?"
"How do you feel when people ask you questions about your job based on what they've seen on TV? Do you think it is a major issue and needs to be solved?"

Blog 13 - 10 Hour Mentorship Check-In

1.  Where are you doing your mentorship?
I am doing my mentorship at the Forensic Science Academy located in Rancho Cucamonga and also at the Ontario Police Department.

2.  Who is your contact?  What makes this person an expert?
My contact at Ontario Police Department is Officer Yzaguirre. Although he is not officially considered an expert in this field, he has had a lot of experience being a first responder in a investigation. My contact at the Forensic Science Academy is Terri Armenta who is a Forensic science educator and career expert. She is an expert because she has been a forensic teacher, educator and mentor for a long time and has helped many students pursue their forensic career.

3.   How many hours have you done during the school year? (Summer Mentorship Hours and Mentorship Hours should be reflected separately in your Senior Project Hours log located on the right hand side of your blog).
So far, I have done 10.5 hours so far because I've had trouble finding a mentor until now.

4.   Succinctly summarize what you did, how well you and your mentor worked together, and how you plan to complete the remaining hours. 
I started my hours with Officer Yzaguirre. He told me about calls/cases that he's been on as a first responder. He had Officer Albert take me on a ride along so I can see up close what they do everyday as a first responder. Then I got to talk to a forensic specialist who gave me advice on research. My mentor and I work well together and I've known him for a while so I feel comfortable with him. I plan to complete the remaining hours with my other mentor, Terri. We haven't done any hours yet but we've planned them and she's offering forensic courses that I will definitely take.

Blog 12 - Holiday Project Update

1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you do over the break with your senior project?

I called more people who are linked with forensics and actually came across a Forensic Science Academy. I got in contact with Terri Armenta and she agreed to be my mentor and offer me courses to take at the academy. Then, I got in contact with Officer Yzaguirre from Ontario Police Department and took me on a ride along to get a real life view of a first responder of a crime. I also got a tour of the police department and some of the forensic labs.

2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why?  What was the source of what you learned?The most important thing that I learned was that forensics needs to be taken more seriously because it is a very tedious job that requires a lot of patience. Jill Padilla, a forensic specialist I spoke to, told me about this problem and how it makes her job harder.

3.  Your third interview will be a 10 question interview related to possible answers for your EQ. Who do you plan to talk to and why?

I plan to talk to my mentor, Terri, or probably Jill because I have already talked to Jill about what I'm leaning more towards in forensics. Because my EQ is based on human error on analysis of crimes, Jill has told me situations she has ran into because of common human error. Also I thinks she has some ideas on how to find a solution to this problem.