The modern forensic world is shrinking. Forensic colleagues are no longer just within
a laboratory but across the world. E-mails come in from London, Ohio, and London,
England. Forensic journal articles are read in Peoria, Illinois, and Pretoria, South
Africa. Mass disasters bring forensic experts together from all over the world.
The modern forensic world is expanding. Forensic scientists travel around the
world to attend international meetings. Students graduate from forensic science
educational programs in record numbers. Forensic literature—articles, books, and
reports—grows in size, complexity, and depth.
Forensic science is a unique mix of science, law, and management. It faces challenges
like no other discipline. Legal decisions and new laws force forensic science to
adapt methods, change protocols, and develop new sciences. The rigors of research and
the vagaries of the nature of evidence create vexing problems with complex answers.
Greater demand for forensic services pressures managers to do more with resources that
are either inadequate or overwhelming. Forensic science is an exciting, multidisciplinary
profession with a nearly unlimited set of challenges to be embraced. The profession is
also global in scope—whether a forensic scientist works in Chicago or Shanghai, the
same challenges are often encountered.