Forensic Science Program

A team from Southern University at New Orleans came to Northern Virginia this past summer for a program that paired aspiring scientists from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions with George Mason experts in Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis (CINA) Center.

Ali Tyler picked Mason because of its well-regarded Forensic Science Program and proximity to Washington, D.C., a choice that put her on her preferred career path and also allowed her to flourish as one of the Atlantic 10’s best all-around swimmers.

Mary Ellen O’Toole, director of the Forensic Science Program in Mason’s College of Science, gives a behind-the-scenes look at the university’s new “body farm,” an outdoor research and training laboratory on its SciTech Campus that will allow crime-scene research in forensic science and forensic anthropology using human donors.

Thirty students, from first-years to PhDs in a variety of majors, participated in the MIX's eight-week Unmanned Aerial Systems Prototyping course this fall.

The National Center on Forensics brought medical and legal practitioners from across the country to Mason's Science and Technology campus to learn about new methodologies and technologies from experts. Jay King of Chesapeake Search Dogs, with Skyler the spaniel, was among the presenters.

The Marvel universe isn't the only place where insects and other invertebrates have superpowers. Mason faculty, staff, and students are studying and explaining the many roles these creatures play on our planet, learning more about a bug's life—and the big world surrounding them—every step of the way. This edition of Around Mason offers a recap of some of those stories.

The 15 students in the special topics class Facial Reconstruction started the semester with a generic plastic skull. Week by week, they sculpted different parts of their own faces, creating a portrait of themselves in clay and learning the forensic skills needed to put a face on a skull.

A collaboration between the Honey Bee Initiative and Mason's new Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory could yield critical advances in forensic science.

Mason, FARO announce partnership to advance forensic science research.

The Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has awarded a $2 million grant to George Mason University to further the advancement of forensic science.