Forensic Scientist

Forensic Scientist

LIsa Black

Cape Coral, FL

Female, 49

I spent the five happiest years of my life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office I analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now I'm a certified latent print examiner and CSI for a police department in Florida. I also write a series of forensic suspense novels, turning the day job into fiction. My books have been translated into six languages.

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Last Answer on July 21, 2022

Best Rated

Would be able to give me a few tips on a resume since I'm going into the same field as you?

Asked by Steve about 5 years ago

Sure, you can send it to: Lisa-black@live.com

What is the worst part of your job? What is the best part? How do u cope with the stress of the job/the dead bodies etc?

Asked by Niamh about 5 years ago

What is your favorite part of this job?All the interesting, different, bizarre stories that make up the crimes that have happened that we have to investigate. 



What is you least favorite part of the job?Being 'on call' and knowing you can be interrupted at any moment of the day and have to go to a crime scene, even if it's the middle of the night or a holiday. I've also had to change vacations because I have to testify in a trial. I hate that. 

Being around the dead is something you either get used to really quickly or you don't. The dead will not bother you, but the living can drive you crazy! And stress depends where you work. I have a great office and a relatively low-crime area, so unless we have a lot all happen at once, which is not too often, it's really not that stressful. If I lived in a more hectic place with too many demands and not enough time or resources, it might be a different story.



Is being a Forensic Scientist more of just a job, a career, or is it a lifestyle?

Asked by Mikey over 4 years ago

I think you could ask that about any job. It all depends on the person doing it; if it's only a way to get a paycheck, then it's just a job. If it's all they want to do, it's a career. If it occupies a lot of their personal time, it's a lifestyle. But forensic science can be demanding and most of all, unpredictable, so most people wouldn't do it just as a 'job.'Hope that helps!

What if you set someone up with white powder with kool aid that turns colors with water say its red kool aid will it test positive by dying the thing even if it would other wise work just fine? Asking for a friend ;)

Asked by Darren about 5 years ago

Interesting idea, but again I don't know. I don't know what liquid is used for the tests, so that might affect things.

How to identify if s nose was broken from a fall or from a punch

Asked by Doug about 5 years ago

I”m sorry but I have no idea—you’d need a pathologist for that one.

Do you think if someone had all the training and experience plus is post certified do you think they would have a better or the same chance at getting a job a civilian can get? As well about advancements? I guess it could be like anything else the more the better. Right?

Asked by Terry over 5 years ago

I'm not sure what you mean by post certified?

Hi, Lisa Black I am Bobbie-Sue besides fingerprints or DNA what are other things that are looked at? Toe prints? There I am sure many other things besides those two things... right?

Asked by Bobbie-Sue over 4 years ago

We can compare footprints just as finger or palm prints, but there isn’t a database of footprints so you would have to have standards of the suspect’s feet. Otherwise I don’t know what you mean by ‘looked at.’ Everything is looked at, in a sense—there’s ballistics, fibers, bloodstain patterns, arson evidence, toolmarks, video and photo analysis, paint, glass, etc. and etc.