Many readers of this book have been drawn to the subject of forensic science by the assortment of television shows about scientific crime investigation. Story lines depicting the crime-solving abilities of forensic scientists have greatly excited the imagination of the general public. Furthermore, a constant of forensic science is how frequently its applications become front-page news. Whether the story is the sudden death of pop music superstar Michael Jackson, sniper shootings, or the tragic consequences of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, forensic science is at the forefront of the public response. During the highly publicized O. J. Simpson criminal and civil trials, forensic scientists systematically placed Simpson at the crime scene through DNA analyses, hair and fiber comparisons, and footwear impressions. As millions of Americans watched the case unfold, they, in a sense, became students of forensic science. Intense media coverage of the crime-scene search and investigation, as well as the ramifications of findings of physical evidence at the crime scene, became the subject of study, commentary, and conjecture. For instructors who have taught forensic science in the classroom, it comes as no surprise that forensic science can grab and hold the attention of those who otherwise would have no interest in any area of science. The O. J. Simpson case, for example, amply demonstrates the extent to which forensic science has intertwined with criminal investigation. Perhaps we can attribute our obsession with forensic science to the yearnings of a society bent on apprehending criminals but desirous of a system of justice that ensures the correctness of its verdicts. The level of sophistication that forensic science has brought to criminal investigations is formidable. But once one puts aside all the drama of a forensic science case, what remains is an academic subject emphasizing logic and technology.