Faculty and Staff

Faculty

Melissa Connor, Ph.D., is the Director of the Forensic Science Program at Nebraska Wesleyan University. She has 30 years of archaeological experience, and has worked in forensics for the last 10 years. Mrs. Connor has exhumed human remains throughout the former Yugoslavia, and in Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Cyprus, and Nigeria. She teaches Forensic Archaeology and Forensic Anthropology.

Dan Strydom, Ph.D., is the Director of Laboratory Forensic Sciences and is the advisor for the forensic biology and chemistry students. He also teaches in the Chemistry Department at NWU. Dr. Strydom came to the program in 2002 with more than 30 years of research experience (more than 60 publications in peer-reviewed journals) - at Harvard Medical School (faculty member for 10 years, nearly 20 years of service), at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research of South Africa, and as Vice President of Research at BioNebraska/Restoragen in Lincoln. He teaches Analytical Science as a Basis for Forensic Investigation; Introduction to Forensic Biology; DNA Testing, Quality Control and Lab Safety; Forensic Drug Analysis; Forensic Analysis of Accelerants and Explosives; and Chemical Identification in Forensic Investigation.

Jeri Myers, M.A., is an Assistant Professor of Forensic Science and has worked with the forensic science program since its inception, first at Southeast Community College and, since 1999, at Nebraska Wesleyan University. She has a master's degree in Anthropology, having worked with the forensic pathologists on cases involving identification of skeletal remains. She has been registered with the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators since 2001. Ms. Myers coordinates the first year graduate classes and the certificate program. She teaches Forensic Anthropology.

Staff

Denise Waller, is the staff assistant who works most closely with the Forensic Science Program.

Adjunct Faculty

Sgt. Larry Barksdale, M.A., is the head of the criminal investigations unit for the Lincoln Police Department and has over 30 years of experience as a police officer. Sgt. Barksdale teaches the Advanced Crime Scene and Document Analysis courses and many of the elective seminars including Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, Forensic Photography, and Interviewing.

Sandra Denton, J.D., is currently Deputy Douglas County Attorney in Nebraska. She received her law degree from Creighton University. She teaches Criminal Law and the Law of Evidence.

Amy Jacobsen, J.D., is currently Deputy Lancaster County Attorney in Nebraska. Ms. Jacobsen received her law degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is admitted to practice in Missouri and Nebraska. She teaches a seminar on testifying as an expert witness.

Jason Linder, M.F.S., works with the DNA Analysis Unit at the Nebraska State Patrol Criminalistics Laboratory. He assists Dr. Strydom in teaching the Controlled Substances course.

Jody Meerdink, Ph.D., retired from her position as Director of the Forensic Science Program. She currently teaches Research Methods and Statistics, and advises advanced students in the Behavioral Science track.

Kirk Newring, Ph.D., is currently in private practice and works at the Lincoln Correctional Center as a clinical psychologist. Dr. Newring teaches Violence, Mental Illness, and Risk Assessment.

Gary Plank, M.A., is an Assistant Professor of Forensic Science and has worked with the program since its inception. He retired from the Nebraska State Patrol after 18 years, including 24 years in the Investigative Sciences Division as a criminal investigator. For the last 17 years of his career he was the State's only behavior profiler. Mr. Plank has worked, consulted, and presented extensively on threat assessment, workplace violence, school violence, stalking, criminal sexuality, homicide, and other areas of violent crime. During his tenure with the State Patrol he developed and managed the State's threat assessment response for high-ranking government officials and celebrities and implemented the State's Sex Offender Registry and Cold Case Squad. Mr. Plank instructs Violence in Society, Criminal Investigative Analysis, Forensic Psychology, and seminar courses in threat assessment and interviewing.

Derek Ryter, Ph.D., is an experienced instructor in teaching a complex computer program in geographical information systems (GIS). He teaches seminars in crime mapping and GIS and geographic profiling.

Douglas D. Scott, Ph.D., has 40 years experience in archaeological investigations, focusing on nineteenth century military forts and battlefields. He is best known for his ballistics analysis of cartridge cases and bullets at the Little Bighorn Battlefield (Custer’s Last Stand). He is a member of the Association of Firearms and Tool Mark Examiners. He has over 10 years experience in forensic archaeological investigations working on cases in the U.S. southwest, and internationally in El Salvador, Croatia, Cyprus, and Rwanda. He teaches Forensic Archaeology.

Sgt. Erin Sims has been employed by the Lincoln Police Department for 25 years. She is a supervisor in the Crime Scene Investigation Unit and assists Sgt. Barksdale in teaching Advanced Crime Scene Analysis.

Carmella Strong, M.F.S., heads the DNA Analysis Unit at the Nebraska State Patrol Criminalistics Laboratory. She assists Dr. Strydom in teaching DNA Testing.