Evidence Points to Wise Career Move CSI Juniata? Well, not exactly, but Anna Pontillo Cox ’94 is a forensic science specialist with the Pinellas County Sheriff ’s Office in Florida. Anna, who has been featured on Tru TV’s Forensic Files and on Investigation Discovery Channel’s Solved, shared some insight into her career and how the Juniata experience shaped her skills for success in the crime scene investigation field.
Allison L. Engle
is currently living in Santiago, Chile. She was there when the earthquake hit on Feb. 27, 2010. She has always enjoyed adventure and is now spreading the word of Chile’s needs and assisting in the recovery from the earthquake. Shane A. Fether
and wife Rebecca celebrated their one-year anniversary in September 2010. Chad W. Steiner
Q: How is it that you became a crime technician? A: My early career was spent in college enrollment. When a friend of mine, who is a
Secret Service agent, learned of my background in chemistry and communications, he suggested that I would be a fit for CSI work. He was right.
Q: What exactly do you do? A: I am a blood spatter expert. My background in blood spatter means that I am likely to be called to scenes that are a little bit more specialized and a bit more intricate.
Q: What is the most interesting experience you’ve had working in as a CSI?
A: Typically, I work with nothing but evidence. I tend to be isolated from the public
and from the people impacted by the crimes I am investigating. One case, which was a brutal blood-spatter case, resulted in a trial where I testified for eight hours against two defendants in two trials. After testifying, I had the opportunity to meet the deceased victim’s daughter. She was deeply grateful for the hours I spent speaking for someone I didn’t even know. That was one of the most profound moments of my life. I can’t help these people get their loved ones back, but I can help them get justice.
Q: What Juniata courses were the most valuable in preparing you for this field?
A: Chemistry gave me the scientific background, communications taught me how to
graduated from Naropa University in Boulder, Colo. with a master’s degree in divinity, studying Buddhist philosophy and interfaith dialogue. She works as a hospital chaplain in Colorado.
2008
Ryan P. Conrad
is an account executive for Race It in Richmond, Va. He was asked to write an article, “Urban Transport Xterra Fugitive 10K,” for the September 2010 issue of Running Times magazine.
2009
Joshua E. Beaver
received one of this year’s National Science Foundation Fellowships for his graduate work at University of North Carolina.
At Juniata, I was given a gift by professors such as Don Mitchell and Donna Weimer. Juniata was instrumental in my success and I choose to support Juniata because I want to contribute to others’ success.
recently had a chemistry science paper published online. He is currently attending University of Oregon as a graduate student.
work with a lot of Spanish-speaking people, but Italian and Greek would have been helpful too.
Q: What advice would you give to a current Juniata student interested in pursuing this field?
A: First, you must be passionate about solving problems. CSI work also requires an ability
to compartmentalize, to truly separate the events of the day, the investigation you are working on, from who you are in your personal life. You see the worst of the worst, and you can’t take that home with you. Consider an internship. My own office offers internships and I know many others do as well. Take advantage of all that Juniata offers and you can set your own path in your career and in your life. Donna Weimer taught me to always look around at the audience, determine who are your most engaged and your least engaged and work both of those groups, using words, eye contact, and body language. Valuable advice, indeed. —Linda Carpenter, executive director of constituent relations
Juniata
Katherine R. Walker
express myself effectively, and, interestingly, a marketing project to present media ads to the class and discuss whether or not the ads conveyed the ideas the advertisers intended was important as well. My presentation skills and style play an important part in courtroom testimony. I must think carefully about what I want the jury to get from my testimony and make sure I’m imparting the right evidence in the right way.
Q: Are there courses or disciplines that you wish you had pursued more? A: I really wish I had taken more foreign language. Spanish would be obvious because I
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is currently pursuing a master’s degree in science at McDaniel College. He also is coaching football at Frederick High School in Frederick, Md.
Alec N. Brown
John J. Dawes Jr.
is a researcher and analyst with the Environmental Integrity Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization established in March 2009. EIP advocates for more effective enforcement of environmental laws. John’s job is to keep industry transparent by making environmental data locally relevant. He works to help the public access environmental information and uses that data in their advocacy efforts.