Megan Bottegal’s passion for forensic science was first inspired by the television show Law & Order a few years back and today, the Ph.D. student is well on her way to becoming just like the characters that peaked her interest.

She currently is conducting an internship with the FBI and when she graduates from FIU, Bottegal will be one of the first individuals in the United States to earn a doctoral degree in forensic chemistry.

She already has traveled all over the country presenting the latest results of her research and is looking forward to making her dream of working for the FBI come true.

FIU is so proud that this young woman is a member of the Golden Panther family that we are featuring her in a “Best in Class” ad campaign that is running in The Miami Herald.

The campaign began with a spotlight on this year’s valedictorians who chose to attend FIU. We recently expanded the campaign to include FIU faculty and researchers, scholar-athletes, student scholars and alumni.

Last year Bottegal was part of a campaign for our graduate school. Here is video where she describes the program she is in and talks about her experiences:

Recently, we met with Bottegal and asked her a few questions about herself and her future plans.

My passion:
Forensic science. I first became interested in it watching “Law & Order” on TV.

My research:
My dissertation research is focused on the detection of explosives. I’ve traveled all over the country attending conferences where I’ve presented my latest results to the scientific community. As a result of my training, I have become a better scientist.

On why she chose FIU:
When I began to research graduate programs in forensic science in the United States I discovered that FIU offered the only Ph.D. program in forensic chemistry in the country. (Today, FIU is one of only four universities in the country offering this program.) I knew having this degree would give me lots of options.

My dream:
I’d like to work for the FBI one day.

“At FIU I’ve received top-notch instruction from some of the best minds in the field.”

To view the ad, which ran October, 22 in the The Miami Herald, please click here to download a PDF file.

You may download Adobe Acrobat Reader from here if needed to view the file.