Blog 11 - Lesson 1 Reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your lesson, and why?
I am most proud of the amount of research I provided in my lesson because this helped me reach the maximum time limit and the audience really comprehended it.

2. What assessment would you give yourself on your lesson? Explain why you earned that grade using evidence from the component contract.
According to the component contract, I would give myself an AP because I know I had a problem with my volume and enunciation and I didn't reference my cited research source. Besides that, I made eye contact with the audience and engaged them with visuals. As well as, providing a great depth of clear and concise research and referencing my current mentor status since I do not have a mentor.

3. If you could go back, what would you change about your lesson?  How can you use that knowledge to give a better Lesson 2?
If I could go back, I would prepare more for my lesson and make it more organized to help the content flow smoother. I can make a better lesson 2 by practicing the coordination of content to timing. Also, I should have a mentor by lesson 2 who can help me with more information and real life examples. 

Blog 10 - Interview 2 Reflection

1. Please explain how you are spending your mentorship time (Is it at a workplace or somewhere else?  Are you shadowing?  Are you able to do tasks that are meaningfully related to the topic?  If so, what?  Are there other people who are experts in the location?  Etc...)
I do not yet have a mentor but I am currently working on it.

2.  How did you find your mentor?  How did you convince this person to help you?  

I am planning to join the Pomona explorers program to find connections to the Forensics team.

3. How would you rate your comfort level with your mentor at this point in your relationship?  How does this relate to the time you've spent so far at mentorship/with this person?

When I do have a mentor, I hope to have a high comfort level with my mentor because it can make mentorship much more enjoyable. 

4. What went well in this interview?  Why do you think so?  What do you still need to improve?  How do you know?  How will you go about it?

I have not yet done my interview 2 because I don't have a mentor. Once I have my mentor, I hope everything will go well with my interview 2.

Blog 9 - Advisory Prep 3

1. State whether or not you currently have a mentor, and what the status of your interview is with that person (I have completed the interview, I have scheduled the interview, I have not scheduled the interview, etc).

I do not currently have a mentor but I hope to have one in a couple of weeks. Therefore, I have not scheduled the interview yet.

2. At this point, your research is probably guiding your studies toward more specific areas within your topic.  Name the area or two you find most promising and explain your reasons.

Criminalistics/Forensic Chemistry (basically the same thing) or Forensic DNA analysis. Criminalistics/Forensic Chemistry is a promising, more specific area of Forensic science because it involves the examination and analysis of all evidence, which allows there to be more research. Forensic DNA analysis involves the analysis of DNA that is found at a crime scene to match a suspect or victim. DNA analysis is a promising topic because it is the most exclusive tool CSI has to fight crime today and there is also a lot of controversy about the science behind it being correct.

3. What kinds of sources do you think will help you in the next month to gain more research depth?  Where will you go to get them?

In the next month, I will continue to search the internet because I know there is a whole other side of Forensics I have yet to find. After I run out of sources online, I can check out Forensic books at the library and even look up informational videos on YouTube.

4. Write down a possible EQ.  Please don't worry about wording other than ensuring that it provides the option for multiple correct answers.  At this point, the senior team is most interested in understanding your thought process.

What is the best way to insure that a Forensic DNA analyst is giving a correct detailed analysis of the crime so it does not lead to an innocent person being wrongly convicted?

Blog 8 - Independent Component 1 Proposal

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

I plan to make a Forensics magazine to let people know that forensics is more than just what Hollywood shows on TV. I want to let people know the real world of forensics and how much more complicated. I feel that forensics on tv, is given too much credit for not fully letting their viewers know what forensics is. I chose to do a magazine because it is the most modern form of physical communication besides social media. plan to start with a magazine template and write articles about different view points of my topic. I'll add relevant pictures that will catch readers attention to read the articles. I could even include interviews with my mentor or people who have an opinion towards forensics. Towards the end of my magazine, I'll show statistics of how people know about forensics. Whether it'd be from fiction tv shows, reality tv series or know someone in the field. After it's all done, I'll print it on fancy paper and bind it all together to make it look like a legitimate magazine.

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

For my forensics magazine, I plan to do research from the inside out on the history of forensics. Then write articles explaining what they actually do and how forensic scientists aren't paid enough for what they do. I'll also explain that there are some flaws of forensics and what we can do to fix this because it can cause innocent people to be convicted. The more people know about real life forensics, the more research and funding goes to creating a solid foundation of forensic science in the future.

3.  Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

Creating a forensic magazine will help me understand that as the technology of forensics is always evolving and improving, so should the analysis and projection of research towards this unique career. Forensic science is in badly need of reform and I feel that it is only possible if society knows what forensics is really about.

4.  Update your Senior Project Hours log.

Blog 7 - Second Interview Preparation

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert?

I currently do not have a mentor but I hope to have one before the interview is due, which is the end of the month. 

2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background? 

1. What motivated you to become a forensic scientist? Why?
2. What issues did you face while pursuing this topic as a career?
3. Did you expect to take this specific career pathway when you were my age?
4. I know that being a forensic scientist you are an expert court witness. When you first became a forensic scientist, how did you feel about that?
5. Do you think all the schooling you went through, to get to the profession you are at now, was all worth it?

Blog 6 - Advisory Prep

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year?  What has made it a positive experience for you?  

Concerning senior project this year, I think research on my topic has really worked well for me. Because my topic is forensic science, there is a lot of sources out there and it is really interesting so the research doesn't feel repetitive. I think whats made it a positive experience for me is that I really like this topic and I have a passion for it. Therefore, doing all this research on my topic is kind of fun and it might even be a potential career for me.

2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project?  How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you?  How might the senior team help?

At the moment, it is really difficult for me to find a mentor on forensic science. I feel like as soon as I find a stable mentor for my senior topic, everything will run smoothly from there. I am currently waiting on available internship spots at the LA county medical examiner. 

Blog 5 - Interview 1 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?

The most important thing I learned from this interview is that I can get a lot of information from any possible source about forensic science because forensics contains so much science that even if it seems surreal, there's always science. Especially with the crime fiction shows/novels, the plot may seem too extreme and may be unrealistic but the science of forensics can never be hidden. For other interviews, I would ask better, more interesting questions to make the interview less boring.

2. Did I get additional resources and contacts?  What is the most useful?  Why?

I got some additional resources about different perspectives of forensics. Other than that, I didn't get any resources or contacts. But it was really useful to dig deeper into researching different view points of forensics because like all things, it is not 100% perfect. No matter which way you look at it.

3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me? 

My interviewee was qualified to help me because she has a lot of knowledge of my topic of forensic sciences. Although she is not an actual forensic scientist, she studied forensic science in college and is continuing to become one.

https://soundcloud.com/eden-reyna/interview1