Curriculum Vita

Skip Palenik

1750 Grandstand Place, Elgin, IL 60123
Phone: (847) 742-9909 • Fax (847) 742-2160
Email: spalenik@microtracescientific.com
 

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Educational History - Employment - Awards - Affiliations - Teaching Experience - Short Courses Given - Publications - Presentations

University of Illinois at Chicago, Bachelor of Science – Chemistry (ACS) with emphasis on analytical methods.

McCrone Research Institute, Chicago.  Courses in photomicrography, applied polarized light microscopy, identification of small particles, advanced crystallography and scanning electron microscopy.

Courses in hair microscopy, species identification of paper fibers, paper fiber analysis, pollen identification, microscopy of soil minerals, cement microscopy, pharmacognosy, micro-techniques, wood identification, thin layer chromatography and vegetable fiber identification.

President and Senior Research Microscopist, Microtrace (1992 – present)

Senior Research Associate, McCrone Associates (1987 – 1992)

Senior Research Microscopist, McCrone Associates (1979 – 1992)

• Supervise light microscopy section.  Application of polarized light microscopy and microchemical methods to the identification of single particles.  Research in new methods to aid in the identification of microscopic particles of minerals, industrial dusts, combustion products, botanical fragments, hairs, fibers and crystals; application of these methods to forensic science, contamination control and airborne particulate studies.  Court qualified expert (State, Federal and Foreign courts) in forensic microscopy and chemistry.

Research Microscopist, McCrone Associates (1974 – 1979)

Research Assistant, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Illinois at Chicago (1972 – 1974)

• Analytical chemistry and microscopy applied to criminalistics.

Research Assistant, Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago (1970 – 1972)

• Coordination compound chemistry and crystallography.

Intelligence Analyst, United States Army Intelligence, Stuttgart, Federal Republic of Germany (1966 – 1969)

2003 Distinguished Scientist, Midwestern Academy of Forensic Scientists

McCrone Research Institute, Chicago, Board of Directors

American Chemical Society, Member

American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Member

American Association of Feed Microscopists, Member

American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, Member

American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists, Member

American Association of Feed Microscopists, sub-division of American Oil Chemists Society, Member.

California Association of Criminalistics, Member

Canadian Society of Forensic Science, Member

Chicago Society for Coatings Technology, Member

International Association of Wood Anatomists, Member

Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists, Member

State Microscopical Society of Illinois, Member, past President, past Curator

Queckett Microscopical Club, United Kingdom, Member

Royal Microscopical Society, United Kingdom, Fellow

Instructor, McCrone Research Institute, Chicago (1975 – present). 

• One to three week short courses in chemical microscopy, applied polarized light microscopy, microchemical analysis, crystallography, hairs, fibers, polymers, botanical fragments and pollens.

Adjunct Lecturer, University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacokinetics (1989 – 1992)

Adjunct Lecturer, University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Criminal Justice (1986 – 1989). 

• Quarter courses in Chemical Microscopy and Applied Analytical Chemistry.

Instructor, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago (1975 – 1979).

• Semester courses in Chemical Microscopy.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Canada)

• Forensic Microscopy

Pitcon Conference

• Microscopy & Microanalysis

Texas Department of Public Safety

• Forensic Microscopy
• Forensic Examination of Fibers

State of North Carolina Crime Laboratory

• Forensic Microscopy

New York City Crime Laboratory

• Special Techniques of Forensic Microscopy

State of Louisiana Crime Laboratory

• Forensic Fiber Microscopy

State of Illinois Crime Laboratory

• Vegetable Fibers

California Criminalistics Institute

• Identification of Animal Hairs
• Forensic Soil Microscopy

Forensic Science Service (United Kingdom)

• Human Hair Comparison

Linear Health Care

• Introduction to Pharmacognosy

State Microscopical Society of Illinois

• General Microscopy, Forensic Paper Identification

Forensic Science Foundation

• Basic Forensic Microscopy
• Forensic Microscopy of Soils
• Forensic Microscopy of Botanical Materials
• Forensic Analysis of Fibers

United States Customs

• Analytical Microscopy

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

• Forensic Fiber Microscopy

Louisiana State Crime Laboratories

• Forensic Hair Microscopy

3M Research Laboratories

• Microchemical Analysis

Campbell Center for Historic Conservation (Museum Conservators)

• Identification of Plant Fibers of Ethno-botanical Interest
• Microchemistry for Objects Conservators

Palenik, C.S. and Palenik, S.J. (2004) Forensic Science and Academic Science: Comment on Forensic Science: Oxymoron?. Science, 303, 1136.

Bartick, E.G. and Palenik, S.J. (2004) Forensic Analysis, in Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Technology, John Wiley and Sons, DOI: 10.1002/0471440264.pst140

Palenik, C.S. and Palenik, S.J. (in press) Forensic Microscopy, in Encyclopedia of Analytical Sciences, 2^nd Ed., eds. Worsfold, P., Townshend, A and Poole, C. Elsevier, NY.

Palenik, SJ, Dust.  Encyclopedia of Forensic Science, Academic Press (2000).

Palenik, SJ, Microchemistry.  Encyclopedia of Forensic Science, Academic Press (2000).

Palenik, SJ, Microscopy.  Encyclopedia of Forensic Science, Academic Press (2000).

Palenik, SJ, Wood Identification.  Encyclopedia of Forensic Science, Academic Press (2000).

Palenik, S. , Applying Chemical Microscopy to the Coatings Industry

Palenik, SJ, Fiber Microscopy. In: Forensic Examination of Fibers, 2nd Ed., Grieve, M, Ed. John Wiley & Sons, (1999).

Palenik, SJ, Isolation and Identification of Paint Pigments by Sublimation. Crime Laboratory Digest, Vol. 23, 1, (1996).

Palenik, SJ and Fitzsimons, CA, Fiber Cross-Sections, Part I. The Microscope, Vol. 38, 187-195, (1990).

Palenik, SJ and Fitzsimons, CA, Fiber Cross-Sections, A New Method for Preparing Sections, Part II. The Microscope, Vol. 38, 313-320, (1990).

Palenik, SJ, Microscopy and Microchemistry of Physical Evidence. In: Forensic Science Handbook, Vol. 2, Richard Saferstein, Ed., Prentice Hall, (1988).

Palenik, SJ, Forensic Aspects of Polymer Analysis. Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Engineering, 2nd ed., Vol. 7, John Wiley & Sons, 279-289, (1987).

Palenik, SJ, Light Microscopy of Medullary Micro-structures in Hair Identification, The Microscope, Vol. 30, 129-138, (1982).

Palenik, SJ, Microscopic Trace Evidence – The Overlooked Clue, Part I, Albert Schneider Looks at Some String. The Microscope, Vol. 30, 93-100 (1982).

Palenik, SJ, Microscopic Trace Evidence – The Overlooked Clue, Part II, Max Frei – Sherlock Holmes with a Microscope. The Microscope, Vol. 30, 163-170, (1982).

Palenik, SJ, Microscopic Trace Evidence – The Overlooked Clue, Part III, E.O. Heinrich – “The Wizard of Berkeley”. Traps a Left-Handed Lumberjack. The Microscope, Vol. 30, 281-290, (1982).

Palenik, SJ, Microscopic Trace Evidence – The Overlooked Clue, Part IV, Arthur Koehler – Wood Detective. The Microscope, Vol. 31, 1-14, (1983).

Palenik, SJ and McCrone WC, The Solids We Breathe. Industrial Research, April (1977).

Palenik, SJ, Microscopy and the Law. Industrial Research and Development, March (1979).

Palenik, SJ, Microchemical Tests in Particle Identification. The Particle Atlas, Vol. 5, Ann Arbor Publishers, (1979).

Palenik, SJ, Microscopical Examination of Air Pollutants. The Particle Atlas, Vol. 5, Ann Arbor Publishers, (1979).

Palenik, SJ, The determination of Geographical Origin of Dust Samples. The Particle Atlas, Vol. 5, Ann Arbor Publishers, (1979).

Palenik, SJ and Delly, JG, Is it Jade? The Microscope in Art and Archaeology. Industrial Research, May (1976).

Over 100 papers presented at professional meetings and seminars.

Methods for the Identification of Vegetable Fibers.  Forensic Microscopy Session: Skip Palenik, Chairman. Inter/Micro-93, Chicago, IL, 1993.

Micro-FTIR Spectroscopy of Acrylic Fibers.  American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 42nd Annual meeting, Cincinnati, OH, 1990.

Forensic Microscopy as an Investigative Tool.  Crime Scene Investigation Seminar, California Association of Criminalists, Santa Ana, CA, 1988.

The Microscope – The Most Versatile Diagnostic and Analytical Tool in the Materials Sciences. Carl Zeiss Annual Dealer Symposium, Phoenix, AZ, 1988.

Evidential Value of Cotton Fibers.  Trace Evidence Analysis: Skip Palenik, Chairman. Eastern Analytical Symposium, Silver Jubilee, New York City, NY, 1986.

Light Microscopy: Chemistry at the Picogram Level. Pharmaceutical Applications of Microscopy, American Pharmaceutical Association Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, 1985.

FTIR Spectroscopy Coupled with Microscopy – A New Tool for the Forensic Scientist.  American Chemical Society Meeting, Miami, FL, 1985.

Advances in Solution of Crimes. Press Conference, American Chemical Society Meeting, Miami, FL, 1985.

Microscopical Techniques for the Examination of Soil in Criminal Cases.  International Association of Forensic Sciences, Oxford, 1984.

Pharmacognosy as a Tool for the Analytical Microscopist.  Inter/Micro-84, Chicago, IL 1984.