Nancy Eshelman talked about her personal experiences with drugs and crime to about 50 students last Wednesday. This 2001 GW graduate is not a convict – she works on the other side of the law, as a forensic chemist for the Drug Enforcement Agency.
Eshelman shared technical aspects of her job and stories highlighting the similarities and differences between her real life career as a crime scene investigator and the misconceptions people have of her profession caused by portrayals on popular television shows such as CBS’ “CSI.”
“It’s a glamorous, exciting world,” Eshelman said of the television programs. “Unfortunately, the real world is not quite as glamorous.”
She added that, “I apply chemistry to matters of law (and) the majority of my job entails handling evidence.”
To show the audience what her career is really like, Eshelman shared photos of her lab and a slide show of the substances she encounters on a regular basis, such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and ecstasy, as well as common pharmaceuticals and drug paraphernalia.
“I grew up in a small town in (Pennsylvania), and I never thought I’d see all these drugs,” Eshelman said during the event at 1957 E Street, which was sponsored by Class Council, the Alumni Association and the Career Center. “What I think is the most exciting part of my job is going into the field.”
Eshelman explained the different responsibilities associated with her career, which are divided into three main categories – analyzing substances, field work and testifying in court.
“You have to be able to speak in front of the public and convert scientific terms into laymen’s terms,” Eshelman said of speaking in front of a jury. “You have to dumb it down to make sure they understand.”
Field work and substance analysis, while exciting, are often dangerous, Eshelman said. She showed the audience examples of protective suits and face masks she uses while investigating crime scenes.
Illegal drug labs are “explosive, flammable and toxic,” she said. “The cooks usually don’t care about the hazards involved.”
Included in her slide show were pictures of the illegal drug ‘cooks’ and their labs after fatal accidents and fires. The pictures, Eshelman said, highlight the dangers of the activity.
Sophomore Rebecca Wood said she attended the event because she’s interested in forensic science. “She gave real life examples, which you don’t often see,” Wood said. “I wanted to see the differences between the show (CSI) and real life, and if everything is as it seems to be.”
The presentation was the second in three career-oriented presentations given by GW alumni this semester. The next presentation, titled ‘CEO Before the Age of 40’ will take place in Funger Hall 103 at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
