A center of attraction

Though a relatively new program, MTSU's Forensic Science program has already made a name for itself, attracting a diverse group of degree seekers. For MTSU junior Jillian Bower, the program is the key to becoming a DNA analyst. "MTSU provides the scholarly investment, instrumental resources, and tangible experience that I need to emerge competent on the professional level," Bowers says. For Brad McCrary, an early interest in becoming a doctor evolved into a fascination with the difficult medical mysteries that abound in Forensic Anthropology. He hopes to use a degree in Forensic Science as a stepping stone to medical school and, from there, a career as a medical examiner. "Forensics isn't for everyone," McCrary says. "You have to have dedication, morals, and a strong stomach. But some people, like me, just stumble upon it and fall in love."

Meet One of our new Forensic Science Faculty

Dr. Mengliang Zhang earned a B.S. in Pharmaceutical Engineering and an M.S. in Microbiological and Biochemical Pharmacy at the Research Center for Drug Metabolism, Jilin University in China. He then received his doctoral degree in Analytical Chemistry from Ohio University in 2015 under the guidance of Dr. Glen P. Jackson (West Virginia University) and Dr. Peter de B. Harrington. Following his graduate research, he joined the Food Composition and Methods Development Laboratory in the US Department of Agriculture as postdoctoral researcher.

At MTSU, Dr. Zhang's research focuses on the development of in situ, real-time, high throughput, and low sample-consumption methods with minimal sample preparation for the trace analysis of forensic samples, food materials, and natural products. Mass spectrometry based instrumental analysis (e.g., UPLC-MS, DART-MS, flow injection MS) coupled with chemometrics are primarily used in his research for targeted and untargeted analysis, and these techniques can be widely applied to different areas such as food fraud detection, document verification and fingerprint identification, chemical composition profiling for counterfeit pharmaceutical tablets, distinction of ignitable liquids, and so on. He also will develop novel analytical methods and data processing strategies for the analysis of bioactive compounds (e.g., flavonoids and glucosinolates) in plant materials and/or traditional Chinese medicines.

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