Forensic Science

About
Program Highlights
Faculty

St. Mary's newest major, forensic science is an exciting field and one of the country’s fastest growing job markets. Solving crime requires knowledge of biological, chemical, physiological, social and individual factors. St. Mary’s program integrates biological science, social science and professional preparation so students are uniquely prepared for this cuttingedge area of study.

Forensic science is the application of science to the law. It relies on the physical and behavioral sciences for investigating and solving crimes and examining physical trace evidence.The School's forensic science degree with a chemistry or biology option emphasizes the integration of academic preparation and realworld problem solving with a focus on ethical and professional commitment.

St. Mary's added a Forensic Science degree in spring 2009. The degree encompasses classes from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the School of Science, Engineering and Technology. There are three tracks in the Forensics degree:

Bachelor of Science degree in Forensic Science with a Biology option
(Contact Gary Ogden , Ph.D., for more information)
Bachelor of Science degree in Forensic Science with a Chemistry option
(Contact Mike Losiewicz , Ph.D., for more information)
Bachelor of Arts degree in Forensic Science with a Criminology option
(Contact Pedro Lopez , Ph.D., for more information)

Program Highlights

Forensic science rests on a foundation for numerous options in forensic specialties, including chemistry, biology, and biochemistry. The curriculum also includes all the prerequisite courses necessary for medical, dental or veterinary school.

The chemistry option emphasizes the principles of chemistry-based forensic testing. Students also learn to derive new methods of analysis. The biology option emphasize the role of cell biology, genetics, microbiology and molecular biology in forensics.

The biology option offers two unique programs of study in collaboration with the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio or the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth. These programs allow for 3 years of study at St. Mary's plus two years of study at UTHSCSA Forensic Toxicology program or UNTHSC Forensic Genetics program. Upon completion of the programs, students earn B.S. in Forensic Science from St. Mary's University and M.S. from UTHSCSA or UNTHSC. Students must apply during the Fall semester of their junior year (or after completing at least 60 but not more than 90 credit hours). Once accepted, students must meet continued GPA and specific course requirements. For more information about our partnerships, contact Holly Harrison.

Forensic science students with the chemistry or biology option enroll in an internship course. St. Mary’s students have been accepted into internship programs with the FBI, Bexar County Juvenile Probation, San Antonio Police Department, Federal Probation, Federal Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Student Opportunities

Students are encouraged to join the student organizations sponsored by the department and actively participate in University-sponsored clubs and activities. Other school programs include the arts, ROTC and teacher certification. St. Mary’s offers many study-abroad programs, service learning courses, community service projects, student leadership organizations, and internship opportunities to enhance and cultivate learning, leadership and cultural understanding.

Faculty

Michael D. Losiewicz, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Office: Garni Hall 304
Phone: (210) 431-5015
mlosiewicz@stmarytx.edu

Full Bio Details

B.A., Rhode Island College, 1984
Ph.D., University of Massachusetts-Lowell, 1992

After earning his doctorate, Michael D. Losiewicz, Ph.D., was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the National Cancer Institute, in the National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Md., from 1992 to 1998. In this position his research focused on cyclin dependant kinases and signal regulated kinases of the MAP family as potential targets for anti-cancer drugs. He routinely presented this research at the annual meetings of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Losiewicz also authored several papers on these studies. His research interests remain in the area of cancer drug targeting.

After serving as a guest professor for a year at a small college outside of New York City, Losiewicz joined St. Mary's in August 1999. He teaches several different lecture and laboratory courses in the Department of Chemistry/Biochemistry. Besides his teaching, he is also the faculty advisor to the American Chemical Society of Students (ACSS), the student chemistry organization which welcomes students of all majors.

Gary B. Ogden, Ph.D.

Professor of Biological Sciences
Office: Moody Life Sciences Center 212
Phone: (210) 431-4305
gogden@stmarytx.edu

Full Bio Details

Ph.D., University of Kansas, 1983

Gary B. Ogden earned his doctorate for his studies on the composition of Simian Virus 40 chromatin. His subsequent postdoctoral work at Tufts Medical School uncovered possible roles for DNA-adenine methylation in the segregation of the E. coli chromosome and the timing of new rounds of DNA replication. In 1987, after joining the research staff in the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), he began to study molecular aspects of microbial pathogenesis, using the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi as a model. In 1989 he left the NIH to join the research faculty at Yale University's School of Medicine, where he cloned T. cruzi virulence molecules. Since joining St. Mary's in 1991, he has been able to fulfill his long-standing goal of teaching and mentoring undergraduate students, and has continued to study molecular aspects of microbial pathogenesis. Moreover, as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, he has established collaborative research efforts concerning the development of a genetic vaccine against the protozoan parasite Leishmania.

Ogden's research concerns the study of gene regulation and cell differentiation in Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania. He believes that the classical MAP kinase pathway (see figure), which links extracellular differentiation and growth signals to gene expression, is conserved across the evolutionary gap separating mammalian cells from these protozoa. His interests include the identification of parasite genes used in cell signaling and transcriptional activation. He also has ongoing collaborative studies, funded by the Veterans Administration, developing a genetic vaccine against leishmaniasis, and he is also developing molecular methods to detect and identify Leishmania sp. and trypanosomes.

Timothy Raabe, Ph.D.

Chair and Professor of Biological Sciences
Office: Moody Life Sciences Center 306
Phone: (210) 431-4321
traabe@stmarytx.edu

Full Bio Details

B.S., Texas State University (formerly Southwest Texas University), 1989
M.S., Texas State University, 1991
Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, 1995

Timothy Raabe, Ph.D., joined the laboratory of Dr. George H. DeVries at Loyola and began work on multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a disease of unknown origin which attacks the myelin (insulation) surrounding the axons of neurons in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). The loss of myelin (or demyelination) in the CNS can produce a number of symptoms such as disturbed vision or loss of coordination. The cells responsible for producing myelin in the CNS are termed oligodendrocytes. The oligodendrocytes are not mitotically active in adults so once they are destroyed in MS remyelination is not successful.

His research at Loyola involved using growth factors (molecules that influence oligodendrocyte development) to determine the feasibility of using certain growth factors as possible therapeutic agents. Raabe's work focused on a family of growth factors termed neuregulins. The neuregulins are very important for the development of not only oligodendrocytes, but also Schwann cells which are responsible for myelination in the peripheral nervous system. His research focuses on the ability of both oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells to produce their own neuregulins which may enable these cells to regulate their own survival, differentiation, or proliferation.

Dr. Raabe is also the first Benjamin F. Biaggini Endowed Chair of Biological Sciences at St. Mary’s University.