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School of Criminology
MA student follows her passion for death investigation and forensic science
Originally from Calgary, Taylor Dube-Mather earned her Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice Degree from Mount Royal University. During her undergrad, she was selected for a highly sought-after practicum opportunity at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
“This is where my passion for death investigation and forensic science really started and it opened my eyes to many perspectives that I remain grateful for having to this day," says Dube-Mather. I knew that continuing to pursue education relating to the field of death investigation and forensic science was the path for me.”
Dube-Mather started her graduate studies at SFU in September 2020.
“I specifically selected the SFU Criminology program as my number one school because of Dr. Gail Anderson and my desire to work with a strong and intelligent woman pushing the boundaries for other girls and women in science and related fields,” says Dube-Mather.
“I specifically selected the SFU Criminology program as my number one school because of Dr. Gail Anderson and my desire to work with a strong and intelligent woman pushing the boundaries for other girls and women in science and related fields.”
WHAT IS YOUR RESEARCH ABOUT?
Through 45 semi-structured interviews with civilian and sworn personnel from policing agencies across Canada, I am exploring whether Forensic Identification Units (FIUs), also known as Crime Scene units, should be civilianized. More specifically, when we look historically at the academic qualifications of sworn police officers (or a lack thereof), we must question whether they have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to collect evidence that may potentially put someone in jail. Alternatively, civilians are those individuals like myself who have gone to school in a related field and have post-secondary training. My research is centered around whether civilianizing FIUs would improve the quality of evidence being collected, preserved, and later analyzed.
WHAT ARE YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOYING ABOUT YOUR STUDIES AT SFU’S SCHOOL OF CRIMINOLOGY?
The community of supportive people you build. From professors to colleagues and even undergraduate students. You will meet so many people along the way that will challenge your thinking and make you a better person for it. I recently had an opportunity to present my research at the Western Society of Criminology Conference in Vancouver, and being in a room with thousands of other undergraduate and graduate students from different schools and even countries, along with formal academics, for me really emphasized the caliber of students that the SFU Criminology Department produces. Despite it being painful to get through coursework (particularly the second semester where you are slammed with two methods courses), it is all geared to ensuring we are the cream of the crop and now I can look back, laugh at the struggles and feel a sense of relief that it was all worth it.
WHAT’S BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU HAVE FACED DURING THE PROGRAM AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME IT?
Loneliness – I moved provinces right in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic and everything was remote; I really felt my cohort was robbed of the true graduate studies experience but we remain privileged to still have had that experience. Not to mention moving away from my family and friends was the hardest thing I have ever done. Luckily, once things began to “normalize,” I met some wonderful friends and colleagues who helped me manage while being away from home. Another challenge was imposter syndrome and the self-questioning of whether I was really deserving of being at SFU in the Criminology program. Grad school is not for the faint of heart and professors are there to be critical in a way that helps you flourish, which did not help at the moment, but it is all part of the process. I still battle with imposter syndrome periodically, but I think just reaffirming to myself that there was a selection process and evaluations throughout, so I would not be there if I wasn’t exceeding these. Just know that it is normal to feel this way but that there is also life outside of graduate school and it does not dictate the overall value of you as a human.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS?
Make sure you love research as SFU’s Criminology program is very heavily focused on this and make sure you are pursuing an area you are very passionate about. I would also advise that you find a supervisor who fits your needs as a student but also a human being – they are your main support and it can make or break your experience. I am thankful to Dr. Anderson for the supervisor she has been throughout the process and never wavered in her support.