Science at the Service of Society: Using Forensics to Teach Students the Value of Science

Science and technology are potent tools that can be utilized to aid and accelerate the economic development of a country. The Philippines has the potential to take the lead in many scientific endeavors due to the richness of its natural resources and acknowledged biodiversity as well as a culture that promotes creativity and inventiveness in dealing with everyday life. In fact, a Filipino scientist was awarded a prestigious ASEAN scientist award for his brilliant work in Physics while other Filipinos have won various international scientific competitions. However, the Philippines continues to lag behind other Asian countries in realizing it’s full potential as a leader in the scientific and technological field. The outward migration of many science graduates to other countries to seek better ‘opportunities’ for themselves and their families, have further aggravated the situation. Why is this the case?

The aim of this essay is to discuss the reasons why the full potential of the Filipino scientist has not been reached vis-a vis the state of science education in the Philippines; and the potential use of forensic science as a practical, creative and effective tool to assist in fostering a real science culture among young people.

The state of science education in the Philippines
The quality and quantity of scientists in any nation is largely determined by and dependent on the level of science education available to the youth. The Philippines continues to face many challenges in increasing the level of science education in schools, particularly in the public school system (Angara, EJ 2008). These challenges include misconceptions of topics included in the school curriculum since many science teachers are not science majors; lack of ICT (information and computer technology) and laboratory infrastructure in many schools; large student numbers per class; low level of science literacy among teachers and students; inadequacy of assessment methods for evaluating school performance; and insufficient interaction between teachers and science professionals, e.g. research scientists, which does not help in promoting a research environment in schools (The National Institute for Educational Policy Research 2006).

To improve science education, the Philippine government has taken positive and concrete actions through the allocation of scholarships to bright students who enroll in science courses, through funding teacher training programs and through the identification of Regional Science and Technological Centers (RSTCs) that could provide consultants for topics which are ‘least learned’ or ‘least taught’ (ibid). The continuous support for the Philippine Science High School system, a special school focused on teaching the sciences, is a concrete example of the national government’s commitment to enhancing the science education within the public school system (http://www.pshs.edu.ph).

However, improving science education is only one side of the coin. In order to foster a science culture, there is also a need to make science interesting and relevant to the youth by presenting the ‘real face of science’, wherein science is utilized to better the lives of the community by improving health, the environment and human rights, among other things, thereby placing science at the service of society. It is precisely the social side of science, rather than the purely theoretical and research side, that provides meaning to the lives of many scientists who choose to turn their backs from lucrative jobs abroad to face the challenges of doing science with a much smaller research budget and limited scientific infrastructure.

The nature of forensic science
Forensic science or forensics is defined as the ‘application of a broad spectrum of sciences used in public, in a court or in the justice system for the good of society, public health and public safety’ (www.aafs.org). Forensics covers all fields of scientific interests, from basic biology, and chemistry to engineering, anthropology and psychiatry. Initially, forensic evidence was largely used in proving the guilt or innocence of an accused individual involved in a criminal case. The role of forensic sciences in the civil justice arena has expanded to include disputes in paternity, maternity, kinship and associated issues; as well as in a regulatory framework, e.g. violations in the marketing of food, manufacture of medicine, use of enhancing drugs in sports and in the sale of endangered animal species. Because of the complexity of many cases submitted for forensic analyses, scientists must possess intellectual curiosity and analytical minds, display objectivity and ability to apply the scientific method in any investigation. Hence a good forensic scientist is one who has received a good science education and who possesses a personal commitment to the discovery of the truth, as aided by real scientific inquiry.

Introducing forensic sciences in the classroom
Public interest in forensics has grown rapidly in the last five years due to mass media that make use of fictional characters and cases to show that the appropriate and timely use of forensic evidence can be used to solve crimes and to obtain justice for victims. Science teachers can use the heightened interest of students in forensics to introduce scientific concepts and principles at the high school and university levels and go beyond the traditional classroom and laboratory environment Integrative learning practices can be used to teach students problem solving skills which are inquiry based, participatory and hands on. Students can then select as investigative projects those topics which are particularly relevant in their local communities. If a project is of particular interest to the community, e.g. investigation on the loss of endangered bird species from their natural habitats, then results of investigative projects may be channeled to the appropriate local agency or university for further research, thus initiating the young scientist into the world of institutional or university research. Students would be able to internalize the importance of using the scientific approach wherein data generated would be scrutinized for its scientific validity as well as its ability to withstand legal and ethical questioning. At the same time, students would be encouraged to formulate creative strategies to ask relevant questions, to test their hypotheses and to interact with different groups who could provide the ‘evidence’ they require. Alternatively, teachers may choose to use cases reported in both broadcast and print media, and help focus the attention of students towards the need to apply rigorous science to aid in the search for truth and the fair administration of justice, rather than on the more sensational aspects of such cases.

Applying forensic sciences beyond the classroom
Science educators have a special role in influencing the youth to aim for high ideals, making use of the formative aspects of learning by ‘touching feelings and beliefs, compelling vision, energizing enthusiasm and inspiring the doing’ (Koo, G. 2008). In studying forensic science, teachers and students would come face to face with realities resulting from criminal activities, greed for money, power and glory, or internal conflicts within families. Science educators should be able to make use of such situations to help young people to learn life’s lessons by defining the root causes of problems identified in any given situation. More importantly, teachers must work with the students in formulating solutions, opening the minds and hearts of the youth to understand the complexities of human behaviour. Students must emerge from class realizing that the applications of knowledge, including scientific knowledge, learned in classrooms can improve the quality of his own life and those of others in his community.

The introduction of forensics in science education could be used as an effective strategy to introduce science to students in an interesting and creative manner and make them realize that science has practical applications beyond the classroom and the laboratory. This would encourage more students to take up science as a career and to commit themselves to working in a community which is in urgent need of dedicated scientists. Likewise, the need to foster a culture of science may serve as a magnet to bring some Filipino scientists back to the Philippines, in order to make into a reality our dream of a science-driven development at the service of society.

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Angara, EJ. Education is the key to progress. Far Eastern Economic Review, 15 September 2008.

Reports from the National Institute for Educational Policy Research, Tokyo Japan. ‘Best Practices in Professional Learning of Science and Mathematics Teachers’, 2006.

The Philippine Science High school was originally a single campus in 1963. To date, seven regional science high schools have been established in Davao City, Iloilo, Leyte, Camarines Sur, Nueva Vizcaya, Lanao del Norte and Ilocos Sur (http://www.pshs.edu.ph).

The American Academy of Forensic Sciences is the largest professional organization of forensic scientists in the world. (www.aafs.org)

Koo, G. 2008. Heart, head and hands of leadership in teaching. Paper presented during the 5th International Conference on Teacher Education, 24-26 July, Manila Hotel, Manila Philippines.