Coe alumnus discovered a passion for forensics as an undergrad
Austin Ciesielski ’15
Austin Ciesielski ’15 first developed an interest in forensic science during an analytical chemistry course at Coe. During this course, Ciesielski and his classmates learned how to use instrumentation to extract illicit substances from money. “It was interesting to learn that almost all money has traces of illicit substances on it,” Ciesielski said.
While at Coe, Ciesielski performed biochemistry research with Professor of Chemistry Dr. Maria Dean. This research familiarized him with DNA extraction and research techniques in preparation to obtain his doctorate from Oklahoma State University. “The experiences I obtained while performing research at Coe greatly assisted me while I developed and carried out my own research in grad school,” he said.
Ciesielski is currently a federal contractor working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (CDC-NIOSH) and a general and technical supervisor of a clinical toxicology lab that performs urine drug testing.
In this position, Ciesielski is developing ways to capture, identify and quantitate fentanyl and its analogs from surfaces and air. This goal is to determine the health hazards associated with location of production and use of opioids.
The analytical methods Ciesielski is developing are being paired with decontamination methods under development by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These methods ultimately will be used to assess the best way to remediate locations formerly used for the production or use of opioids so they are safe for people to re-inhabit.
“One of the hardest parts of my work is making people understand the limitations of the science and instrumentation being used,” Ciesielski said. “Many people have fallen victim to the CSI-effect, where they think anything can be put on an instrument, identified and the bad guy can be found in 20 minutes.” This type of mindset can sometimes be difficult to get people out of, making them underestimate the amount of time and work required to perform some tests.
Ciesielski encourages anyone considering the field of forensic science to develop an understanding of the fundamentals of chemistry and how to apply them. Additionally, he feels the knowledge of how analytical instrumentation works and the limitations of each type of instrument is critical to success in the field.
“Coe gave me the opportunity to take many different types of chemistry and get hands-on experience with instrumentation that many of my peers didn’t get from their undergraduate education,” Ciesielski said. “It also allowed me the opportunity to perform research as an undergraduate, kickstarting the development of the skills necessary to be a research chemist in a high-education and professional environment.”