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A threat in an online game chat room didn't faze Alexis Rivera. The Ridley High School senior immediately contacted local police, who told her to delete her account.
"They are just cyber boys," Rivera, 17, said about the teen wannabe hackers who told her to pose before a Web cam or else they would hack her computer. "They think they can control people."
Had the cyber boys known whom they were targeting, they might have changed their minds.
Rivera intends to pursue a digital forensics career with the FBI. She is one of 37 students at the Delaware County Technical School in Aston enrolled in a new network systems program that offers a concentration in computer forensics.
Part CSI, part information technology, the curriculum prepares students for the rapidly growing field of digital forensics - gathering, preserving, and investigating evidence stored on any digital device. The secondary school's offering is one of a growing group of programs that also includes college and professional seminars and conferences.
"It is a hot topic," said Dave Tatum, vocational network instructor at the Aston campus.
Students there acquire a foundation in network administration and technology classes through lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on classes. During the two-year program, they will learn to build a small computer network from the ground up. They also will learn about the new laws governing electronic discovery. Half their school day is spent at the high school in their home districts, the other half at the Aston campus.
"If these kids stick with it, they will have a hell of a career," said Nancy White of the Computer Forensics Analysis and Training Center in Sharon Hill, who teamed up with the Aston school to help develop the program's curriculum. "It is a long process, but it is a great and exciting new field within information technology."
"Digital programs are exploding throughout the country," said J.P. McDonald, director of the FBI's Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory in Radnor.
With criminals finding more ways to exploit technology, computer forensics touches every crime the FBI handles, he said.
Digital evidence can be found in many places, including computers, cameras, video-surveillance systems, cell phones, game consoles, portable hard drives, and GPS units. Investigators need to know how to retrieve the evidence without altering the data, and to be able to present their findings in court.
"I tell anyone that is interested criminal justice is still good, but to get something that will make you stand out, get a computer science degree," McDonald said.
When an undergraduate computer forensics major was offered at Bloomsburg University, the enrollment went from zero to 160 students in four years, officials said.
Math major Felicia DiPrinzio said she was hooked after taking an introductory course in the spring semester of her senior year. She returned in the fall to complete credits for a second degree, in computer forensics.
DiPrinzio, 27, who graduated in 2008, works for the Harford County (Md.) Sheriff's Office as a civilian computer forensics examiner. The cases she helps investigate range from child pornography and exploitation to identity theft, fraud, and homicide.
John Riley, professor of computer forensics at Bloomsburg, said, "We think we are five years ahead of people at this point." Full-degree programs are rare, he said.
Riley expects many graduates to enter the private sector - where the average large corporation has about 300 pending lawsuits - as well as law enforcement.
While students can apply for a traditional four-year course of study, Riley said, Bloomsburg also partners with Luzerne County Community College and two local vo-tech high schools for a model that includes two years in high school, two years in community college, and two years at the university.
Locally, Chestnut Hill College offers a six-course accelerated certificate in computer forensics and electronic discovery in its School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Last year, college officials revamped the program to include not only students interested in law enforcement, but also those in the legal field.
"This is the type of program that would be helpful for a paralegal," said Elaine Green, dean of the school.
Delaware County Community College is in the building stages of a computer forensics program. The college hopes to attract high school graduates and those already in the workforce, said Wynne Devenney, director of the Information Technology Academy. Bucks County Community College offers a few courses in computer forensics.
Rutgers University offers an online course in computer forensics through its Center for Continuing Professional Development.
Rivera plans to enter a four-year university program to further her education. The Aston program is providing her the background she thinks she needs to get her degree in digital forensics.
"Anything in computers," Rivera said. "That is what I live for."
Reference:
Schaefer, M. (2009, December 3). Future cyber sleuths get an early start. Philly.com, Retrieved from http://www.philly.com/philly/education/78396122.html
The quickly growing field of forensic nursing offers great opportunities and rewarding career options. Because of this it can be hard to set yourself apart from your colleagues and peers, the Certified Forensic Nursing program can help you do just that.
What the CFN program can do for you
The Certified Forensic Nurse program will prepare as well as educate you onthe following things:
Want to know more about the American College of Forensic Examiners? Read the definitive history of the world's foremost association for foresnic experts, mental health professionals, and homeland security experts. If you want to understand the rise of ACFEI, this is the only book you'll ever need.
You can access United for Truth here.
Aside from our many strategic alliances and accreditations, here are some more things to keep in mind before choosing a credentialing program, and why the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute and its sister associations are a good choice to make:
For more information about credentials, the associations, or our journals, please visit us:
The American College of Forensic Examiners Institute: www.acfei.com
The American Psychotherapy Association: www.americanpsychotherapy.com
The American Association of Integrative Medicine: www.aaimedicine.com
The American Board for Certification in Homeland Security: www.abchs.com
Membership. Some of The American College of Forensic Examiners’ well-known members and Board members include; Dr. Henry Lee, Dr. Greg Vecchi, Dr. Zhaoming Chen, Dr. Marc Rabinoff, Congressmen Billy Long and Steven King, and Governor Tom Ridge. These individuals, as well as many other not listed here, have helped mold and guide ACFEI to be the prestigious, online, interactive, multimedia publisher that it is today. They have contributed their knowledge and expertise to ACFEI’s online credentialing programs such as the Certified Forensic Physician®, CFP program; the Registered Investigator®, RI®, program; and the Certified Forensic Consultant, CFC® program; to name a few.
ACFEI and all of its associations are continually seeking further validations, alliances, and accreditations in order to offer maximum continuing education benefits to its thousands of members. Sometimes it is our very members who foster these relationships; we encourage you to get involved and share your ideas for future alliances! This is a group of associations that recognize themselves as yours. We invite you to add your expertise to the pool and make it even greater.
Call (800) 423-9737 for more information, or visit acfei.com.
ACFEI is also an approved provider of training by the following professional organizations:
The outside bodies listed above, as well as the many other attest to the fact that the ACFEI has met or exceeded their regulations and standards to be approved providers of training. Organizations that represent medical doctors, accountants, psychologists, attorneys, law enforcement officers, dentists, military personnel, and numerous other professions and specialties would never approve an lesser, unregulated institution to provide training to these important persons.
Please contact either the American College of Forensic Examiners International, The American Board for Certifcation in Homeland Security, The American Association of Integrative Medicine, or the American Psychotherapy Association for more information about their respective programs, accrediting organizations, and educational opportunities:
www.acfei.com; (800) 423-9737
www.abchs.com; (877) 219-2519
www.aaimedicine.com; (877) 718-3053
www.americanpsycotherapy.com; (800) 205-9165
As the editor in chief of The Forensic Examiner, Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association, and Inside Homeland Security (all peer-reviewed and available on newsstands); and for the associations themselves (The American College of Forensic Examiners International, The American Board for Certification in Homeland Security, the American Psychotherapy Association, and the American Association of Integrative Medicine), I have the privilege of working not only with individuals with remarkable talent, credentials, experience, and professionalism here at the ACFEI Headquarters, but also with the thousands of members who renew their memberships year after year to learn, network, and even teach one another.
I am proud to work with the courses and articles conceived and written by dedicated professionals who have made it their living to help heal, defend, serve, protect, and save their fellow citizens from terrorism, criminals, mental illness, disease, and so many other world problems and pandemics. I have reviewed dozens of resumes and curriculum vitae for my peer reviewers and course authors. Their degrees, credentials, and experience speak for themselves of the excellence embraced and exuded by the associations.
Under the umbrella of the American College of Forensic Examiners International, I have reviewed and edited articles that discuss cutting-edge research written with government agents I interviewed in person at Quantico; I have met forensic legends Dr. Cyril Wecht and Dr. Henry Lee (both long-time ACFEI members); and I get to see to completion the modules and coursework that are born of the passion of many prominent individuals from an array of important fields. I know for a fact that the continuing education curricula individuals like these and others help create are forged from impeccable research, training, and consultation. These people are far too intelligent, prestigious, and philanthropic to waste their time with lesser organizations; Dr. Robert O’Block’s ACFEI stands only for legitimacy and professionalism.
What is it that draws so many—nurses, physicians, soldiers, investigators, government employees, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and a sheer multitude of other honorable professions—into the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute fold? Decide for yourself, as thousands wisely did before you:
www.acfei.com
www.abchs.com
www.americanpsychotherapy.com
www.aaimedicine.com
The American College of Forensic Examiners Institute began in 1992; it is still here. Most membership associations rise and fall in less than a decade, but the passion of ACFEI’s founder, Dr. Robert O’Block, and the thousands of reputable people his associations help each year, has fueled continued growth since ACFEI’s inception nearly two decades ago.
As we continually improve our continuing education coursework, Web presence, and printed publications, that growth is bound to continue. The fields in which our members work, study, and fight—homeland security, all areas of forensics, integrative medicine, and psychotherapy—are not going anywhere anytime soon, and are dynamic and ever evolving. When you join the American Board for Certification in Homeland Security, the American Association for Integrative Medicine, the American Psychotherapy Association, or the tried-and-true American College of Forensic Examiners Institute, you will see that we rise above the competition in offering continuing education excellence. Dr. Robert O’Block has created a unique opportunity for you to meet like-minded professionals to network, learn, and teach one another and the world at large.
To learn more about each of these associations, please come see us:
The American College of Forensic Examiners: www.acfei.com
The American Board for Certification in Homeland Security: www.abchs.com
The American Association of Integrative Medicine: www.aaim.com
The American Psychotherapy Association: www.americanpsychotherapy.com
The American College of Forensic Examiners International began in 1992; it is still here. Most membership associations rise and fall in less than a decade, but the passion of ACFEI’s founder, Dr. Robert O’Block, and the thousands of reputable people his associations help each year, has fueled continued growth since ACFEI’s inception nearly two decades ago.
As we continually improve our continuing education coursework, Web presence, and printed publications, that growth is bound to continue. The fields in which our members work, study, and fight are not going anywhere anytime soon, and are dynamic and ever evolving. When you join the American Board for Certification in Homeland Security, the American Association for Integrative Medicine, the American Psychotherapy Association, or the tried-and-true American College of Forensic Examiners Institute, you will see that we rise above the competition in offering continuing education excellence. Dr. Robert O’Block has created a unique opportunity for you to meet like-minded professionals to network, learn, and teach one another and the world at large.
To learn more, please visit www.acfei.com.
What is it that draws so many—nurses, physicians, soldiers, investigators, government employees, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, forensic dentists, and a sheer multitude of other honorable professions—into the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute fold? Let me share with you just a few of the numerous reasons so you can better decide for yourself, as thousands wisely did before you:
Accreditation. The American College of Forensic Examiners Institute is an approved provider of continuing education by the following:
Continuing education alignments. In addition to the several accreditations above, we are also proud to inform you that:
To learn more, visit www.acfei.com
Copyright ©2009
ABFD,
ACFEI,
and ABCHS. All rights reserved. Dr. Robert O'Block, Founder, CEO, and Publisher.
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