Science Non-Fiction

Saint Paul College Instructor Mariann Gabrawy melds rock–solid scientific principles with a dose of creativity in her forensic science and other biology classes.

Can you rattle off different types of accelerants used in arsons? Define petechial hemorrhaging? Can you explain the difference between swing and cessation cast-off blood patterns? Do you know who Gil Grissom is?

If even one of these terms rings a bell, you're likely a fan of the television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The show's forensic investigators gather and examine physical evidence found at crime scenes, including blood and DNA samples, fingerprints, and bullet fragments. The top–watched program and its spinoffs, CSI: New York and CSI: Miami, have been huge hits with viewers.

A new course at Saint Paul College — Introduction to Forensic Science — has turned out to be a hit as well, filling up the first time it was offered. "Not only is forensic science a fascinating and growing field, but it's really interesting for students," says Biology Instructor Mariann Gabrawy, who developed and teaches the course along with two other new biology courses at the college.

She's not kidding when she says that the field is growing — the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes that demand for forensic science technicians is "expected to increase much faster than average" through the next decade. According to the BLS, forensic science technicians investigate crimes by collecting and analyzing physical evidence. They often specialize in such areas as DNA analysis or firearm examination, and will perform tests on weapons or on substances such as fiber, glass, hair, tissue, and body fluids. They also prepare reports to document their findings and the laboratory techniques used, and they may provide information and expert opinions to investigators. There are numerous criminal justice professions that involve forensics, including medical examiners, laboratory analysts, and crime scene technicians, to name only a few.

Gabrawy covers a broad base of information related to the topic: the history of forensic science, breakthrough inventions in equipment and testing methodology, and reviews of instruments used in the field. Then she delves into the gritty subjects: DNA extraction, trace evidence, fingerprinting, and forensic entomology (the study of how insects can contribute important details about a crime). Students complete lab assignments on chromatography and spectrophotometry, tissues, serology, and, yes, blood spatter–pattern analysis. "I actually use [CSI:] as a tool in class," she says. "I love using a lot of analogies and real–life examples to illustrate concepts."

Bringing biology to life

Visual aids and 3–D models, class activities, group sessions, and clips from television shows help Gabrawy make obscure or ho–hum topics, such as photosynthesis or DNA, easier to understand and more fun to learn about — especially when she's faced with a mix of students of varying ages, from different backgrounds, and with sometimes vastly ranging scientific know–how. "I have students who have been out of school for 10 years, and at the word ?science,? they quiver," she says. "A lot of it is motivating those sorts of students, giving them self–confidence, helping them to trust themselves."

Twana Williams, who is taking one of Gabrawy's courses, General Biology: The Living Cell, to fulfill her premajor requirement for the College's Practical Nursing program, is a good example. "I haven't been in school for 20–plus years," she says. "Her class was challenging, but Ms. Gabrawy is very knowledgeable. She has high expectations for her students and wants everyone to succeed. She doesn't spoon–feed her students."

Conversely, Gabrawy also has students who already have a solid grasp of scientific concepts. "That's where the challenge lies," she says. "You don't want to bore students, and at the same time you don't want to lose students. I use all kinds of teaching methods in the classroom so I don't lose people." She credits her previous experience as a biology, chemistry, and physics tutor with helping her to identify the more challenging topics for struggling students. "Not only is Ms. Gabrawy knowledgeable, she is also approachable," says Williams, who has gone to her for help with confounding topics. "She is an instructor who loves her job."

Beyond the basics

Originally hired in 2005 as a part–time biology instructor, Gabrawy joined the College's staff full–time a year later, taking on such courses as General Biology: The Living Cell and Human Body Systems. She has since developed and teaches three new biology courses: General Biology II: The Living World, Exploring Biology, and Introduction to Forensic Science. The work to create the new classes involved plenty of research into what other colleges and universities were doing in similar courses. She wanted to be sure they covered all the important material, and that they would adequately fulfill transfer prerequisites for continued study.

General Biology II completes the series for General Biology I, and provides students with a full year of biology, which is a requirement for all preprofessional programs such as premed, prevet, and dentistry, as well as for biology majors. "The General Biology II course is related to what I studied as a grad student," says Gabrawy, who received her BS degree in biology with a focus on zoology, and later earned a master's degree in ecology and natural resources. "It focuses more on animal biology as well as plants."

In creating the Exploring Biology course, the students Gabrawy had in mind were students transitioning into college from high school through the Power of YOU™ program, nontraditional ones, those who may not have had a previous biology course, or students who wouldn't normally be interested in taking one. She developed the course to make biology more accessible to them and to help them ease into the scientific concepts.

She admits enjoying covering community interactions in General Biology I: The Living Cell (think predator–prey relationships and how animals use camouflage to evade detection). For that lesson, she'll lead her class outside to a nearby park, where students identify different species and observe how they interact. But one of her favorite topics is covered in her Introduction to Forensic Science course. ?I'm really big into forensic entomology,? she says. "Personally, that's my fascination."

In the future, Gabrawy hopes to be tramping about the fields and forests with students even more — she's currently developing a summer flora course specifically focusing on plants and incorporating field work (projected for summer 2009) — and may be exploring the virtual world as well, by helping the biology department gear up to offer more courses via the Internet.

"I love teaching at Saint Paul College," she says, citing a supportive administration, warm faculty, and earnest students. "It's a great place to be."

Jenny Sherman is a New York City-based freelance writer.

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