Upcoming Seminars
The Forensic Science Program at Loyola aims to introduce students to a broad range of forensic-related topics and prepare them for careers in a variety of settings. We host a Forensic Expert Seminar Series to expand student exposure beyond coursework. Speakers are experts in their respective forensic disciplines and related fields. Topics range from forensic research to case studies, from expert witness testimony to opioid death and other current events. See our archived seminars page for previous speakers and topics.
We enthusiastically invite interested students, faculty, and staff to join us for these events.
Please email Wendy Gruhl for additional information.
Forensic Science Program Alumni Panel - Fall 2024
Join us on Thursday, October 17, 2024 at 6:00 pm in LSB 142. Several program alumnae will be here to tell us about their career paths, current employment, and more.
Panelists
Amy Blencowe
Class of 2020
Strategic Communications Fellow | Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
Amy Marie Blencowe is originally from Neuss, Germany and immigrated to Naperville, Illinois in 2013. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Forensic Science from Loyola University Chicago and her Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Florida.
She is a Strategic Communication Fellow at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. At WRAIR, she oversees the Public Release system to streamline all scientific approvals and has helped streamline recruiting efforts for the Clinical Trial and Sleep Research Center. She represents the organization at major conferences to build and strengthen relationships with potential and current collaborators. She also travels to OCONUS sites including Republic of Georgia, Kenya and Nigeria to liaise with the foreign governments, militaries and local embassy teams. Ms. Blencowe serves as the Marketing Lead for the WRAIR Organizational Day, Gala, Trunk-or-Treat and Fundraising Committee.
In her undergraduate research she developed new derivatization protocols and optimized quantitative derivatization for the GC-MS analysis of two compounds. For her graduate research she compared computational approaches to drug repurposing and analyzed two compounds that have been successfully repurposed.
Nathaly Izquierdo
Class of 2020
Forensic Biology Technician | Northeastern Illinois Regional Crime Laboratory
Nathaly Izquierdo earned her Associate's Degree in Science from the College of DuPage in December 2016, followed by a Bachelor's degree in Forensic Science from Loyola University Chicago in December 2020. From January 2021 until September 2023, she worked at a medical packaging company where she became proficient in ISO-certified test methods, laboratory techniques and practices commonly used in the pharmaceutical field. In October 2023, she began her career at the Northeastern Illinois Regional Crime Laboratory (NIRCL) in Mundelein, Illinois, where she works in the Biology/DNA section. Nathaly specializes in the serological and DNA analysis of physiological fluids such as blood, semen, and saliva, commonly found at crime scenes. These analyses assist in identifying and individualizing evidence from violent crimes like homicides, sexual assaults, and hit-and-run incidents to property crimes like burglaries and motor-vehicle thefts.
Lorena Ramos
Class of 2021
Anatomic Pathology Technician | University of Chicago Medicine
Lorena Ramos has been working at the University of Chicago for a little over three years. She is a pathology technician, meaning she receives all the tissue samples from procedures and performs eviscerations for medical autopsies. She loves pathology and anatomy. She also loves traveling, spooky things, and is always looking for new things to read.
Genevieve Dominick
Class of 2022
Chemist/Initial Laboratory Certifying Official (ILCO) | US Navy Drug Screening Laboratory
Genevieve Dominick was born and raised in Vernon Hills, IL, and is a first-generation college graduate who attended Loyola from 2018 to 2022. After graduation, she was offered a position as a Physical Science Technician at the US Navy Drug Screening Laboratory at Naval Station Great Lakes in March 2023. In December 2023, she was promoted to my current role as a Chemist/Initial Laboratory Certifying Official (ILCO). In this role, she is responsible for reviewing chain of custody documentation and evaluating drug testing results, including immunoassay, GC/MS, LC/MS, and rapid-fire testing, for service members and individuals interested in joining the military.
Currently, Genevieve is pursuing a master's degree in forensic science with a concentration in forensic chemistry at Stevenson University in Owings Mills, MD while continuing to work at Great Lakes. She am incredibly grateful to the Loyola Forensic Science Program for the opportunities it has opened for me within the forensic science community.
Alexandra (Alex) Kurm
Class of 2023
Operational Support Technician | FBI
Operational Support Technician (OST) Alexandra “Alex” Kurm joined the FBI as an intern during the summer of 2022. She was initially assigned to the Springfield Field Office where she worked for 10 weeks before transferring to a Violent Crime Squad in the Chicago Field Office during the 2022-2023 school year.
Following her graduation from Loyola University Chicago’s Forensic Science Program in 2023, she received a full-time job offer to become the OST for the Chicago division’s administrative officer.
In January 2024, OST Kurm was designated Acting Management Assistant for two assistant special agents in charge (ASACs), a role she continues to currently perform. In addition to her full-time responsibilities, OST Kurm also serves on FBI-Chicago’s Crisis Response Team (CRT), Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT), and Investigative Genetic Genealogy Team (IGG).
Prior to the FBI, OST Kurm was a full-time Forensic Science student at Loyola University Chicago. OST Kurm was born and raised in the western suburbs of Chicago where she currently lives with her friend and university roommate.
Updated 03 Oct 2024
The Forensic Science Program at Loyola aims to introduce students to a broad range of forensic-related topics and prepare them for careers in a variety of settings. We host a Forensic Expert Seminar Series to expand student exposure beyond coursework. Speakers are experts in their respective forensic disciplines and related fields. Topics range from forensic research to case studies, from expert witness testimony to opioid death and other current events. See our archived seminars page for previous speakers and topics.
We enthusiastically invite interested students, faculty, and staff to join us for these events.
Please email Wendy Gruhl for additional information.
Forensic Science Program Alumni Panel - Fall 2024
Join us on Thursday, October 17, 2024 at 6:00 pm in LSB 142. Several program alumnae will be here to tell us about their career paths, current employment, and more.
Panelists
Amy Blencowe
Class of 2020
Strategic Communications Fellow | Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
Amy Marie Blencowe is originally from Neuss, Germany and immigrated to Naperville, Illinois in 2013. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Forensic Science from Loyola University Chicago and her Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Florida.
She is a Strategic Communication Fellow at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. At WRAIR, she oversees the Public Release system to streamline all scientific approvals and has helped streamline recruiting efforts for the Clinical Trial and Sleep Research Center. She represents the organization at major conferences to build and strengthen relationships with potential and current collaborators. She also travels to OCONUS sites including Republic of Georgia, Kenya and Nigeria to liaise with the foreign governments, militaries and local embassy teams. Ms. Blencowe serves as the Marketing Lead for the WRAIR Organizational Day, Gala, Trunk-or-Treat and Fundraising Committee.
In her undergraduate research she developed new derivatization protocols and optimized quantitative derivatization for the GC-MS analysis of two compounds. For her graduate research she compared computational approaches to drug repurposing and analyzed two compounds that have been successfully repurposed.
Nathaly Izquierdo
Class of 2020
Forensic Biology Technician | Northeastern Illinois Regional Crime Laboratory
Nathaly Izquierdo earned her Associate's Degree in Science from the College of DuPage in December 2016, followed by a Bachelor's degree in Forensic Science from Loyola University Chicago in December 2020. From January 2021 until September 2023, she worked at a medical packaging company where she became proficient in ISO-certified test methods, laboratory techniques and practices commonly used in the pharmaceutical field. In October 2023, she began her career at the Northeastern Illinois Regional Crime Laboratory (NIRCL) in Mundelein, Illinois, where she works in the Biology/DNA section. Nathaly specializes in the serological and DNA analysis of physiological fluids such as blood, semen, and saliva, commonly found at crime scenes. These analyses assist in identifying and individualizing evidence from violent crimes like homicides, sexual assaults, and hit-and-run incidents to property crimes like burglaries and motor-vehicle thefts.
Lorena Ramos
Class of 2021
Anatomic Pathology Technician | University of Chicago Medicine
Lorena Ramos has been working at the University of Chicago for a little over three years. She is a pathology technician, meaning she receives all the tissue samples from procedures and performs eviscerations for medical autopsies. She loves pathology and anatomy. She also loves traveling, spooky things, and is always looking for new things to read.
Genevieve Dominick
Class of 2022
Chemist/Initial Laboratory Certifying Official (ILCO) | US Navy Drug Screening Laboratory
Genevieve Dominick was born and raised in Vernon Hills, IL, and is a first-generation college graduate who attended Loyola from 2018 to 2022. After graduation, she was offered a position as a Physical Science Technician at the US Navy Drug Screening Laboratory at Naval Station Great Lakes in March 2023. In December 2023, she was promoted to my current role as a Chemist/Initial Laboratory Certifying Official (ILCO). In this role, she is responsible for reviewing chain of custody documentation and evaluating drug testing results, including immunoassay, GC/MS, LC/MS, and rapid-fire testing, for service members and individuals interested in joining the military.
Currently, Genevieve is pursuing a master's degree in forensic science with a concentration in forensic chemistry at Stevenson University in Owings Mills, MD while continuing to work at Great Lakes. She am incredibly grateful to the Loyola Forensic Science Program for the opportunities it has opened for me within the forensic science community.
Alexandra (Alex) Kurm
Class of 2023
Operational Support Technician | FBI
Operational Support Technician (OST) Alexandra “Alex” Kurm joined the FBI as an intern during the summer of 2022. She was initially assigned to the Springfield Field Office where she worked for 10 weeks before transferring to a Violent Crime Squad in the Chicago Field Office during the 2022-2023 school year.
Following her graduation from Loyola University Chicago’s Forensic Science Program in 2023, she received a full-time job offer to become the OST for the Chicago division’s administrative officer.
In January 2024, OST Kurm was designated Acting Management Assistant for two assistant special agents in charge (ASACs), a role she continues to currently perform. In addition to her full-time responsibilities, OST Kurm also serves on FBI-Chicago’s Crisis Response Team (CRT), Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT), and Investigative Genetic Genealogy Team (IGG).
Prior to the FBI, OST Kurm was a full-time Forensic Science student at Loyola University Chicago. OST Kurm was born and raised in the western suburbs of Chicago where she currently lives with her friend and university roommate.
Updated 03 Oct 2024