Staff

Dr. Travis J. Worst is the Director of the Ohio Attorney General’s Center for the Future of Forensic Science at Bowling Green State University and an Associate Teaching Professor in the Chemistry department at Bowling Green State University (BGSU).  While taking on the responsibility for maintaining high academic standards and promoting scholarly research, Dr. Worst also teaches various classes. Prior to joining BGSU, Dr. Worst was a Forensic Scientist for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).  He worked in the Forensic Biology/DNA section and Drug Identification section over his 10 years.  Dr. Worst also spent two and a half years at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) working in the Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit and the Chemical and Biological Sciences Unit. He received his PhD in Pharmacology from Wake Forest University. His research interests include studying the pharmacological effects of “designer drugs,” namely synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, and fentanyl-like compounds as well as the various cannabinoids found in marijuana.

Dr. Worst serves as a Faculty Mentor for BSFS students with a forensic chemistry or examination specialization. Dr. Worst also serves as Graduate Coordinator for the Master of Science in Forensic Science program. If you need assistance with advising, please contact Dr. Worst via email to set up an appointment.

Dr. Jon Sprague was the Director of the Ohio Attorney General’s Center for the Future of Forensic Sciences at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) from 2014-2019. Prior to joining BGSU, Dr. Sprague was the University Director of Academic Research and Head of Pharmaceutical Sciences for the College of Pharmacy at Ferris State University. Before joining Ferris State University, he served as Dean and Professor of Pharmacology at the Raabe College of Pharmacy at Ohio Northern University (ONU).

Dr. Sprague was also Chair and Professor of Pharmacology at the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Virginia Tech University. He received his PhD. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from Purdue University and was a faculty member in the College of Pharmacy at Purdue.  

His research interests include studying the hyperthermic mechanisms of the substituted amphetamines, namely 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy) and synthetic cathinones (bath salts).  

He and his wife (Aimee) have two children, Emily and Ryan.

Jeff Lynn brings 35 years of crime laboratory expertise to the Center for the Future of Forensic Science and BGSU. His career with the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) included responsibilities as a forensic scientist, regional crime laboratory manager and statewide system administrator. Affording him the opportunity to perform scientific analysis on all manner of physical evidence; testify as an expert witness in hundreds of criminal cases; manage a crime laboratory with a wide array of distinctive forensic science disciplines; and guide a large crime laboratory system to international accreditation status. 

Jeff’s practical experience helps inform and optimize the unique government/university partnership established at BGSU in the form of the Center and on-campus BCI facility. His recognition of the strengths and needs of each partner enable him to identify the synergies that move both forward in their common goal of advancing forensic science. As Chief of Forensic Standards and Training he is instrumental in providing professional training opportunities to working forensic scientists, as well as ensuring BGSU students are prepared for real-world forensic science careers.

In order to stay current with the ever changing science and application of forensic investigation, Jeff maintains professional memberships with the Forensic Science Institute of Ohio and American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors.

Dr. Oechsle earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Forensic Chemistry from Ohio University in 2007. She began working as a hybrid criminalist, DNA analyst, and crime scene responder for the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory from 2007 to 2011. During her tenure with MSP, Dr. Oechsle also earned her Master of Science degree in Biomedical Forensic Science from Boston University School of Medicine.

In 2011, Dr. Oechsle started as a DNA analyst with a private forensic DNA company, DNA Labs International, located in Deerfield Beach, Florida. During this time, Dr. Oechsle was appointed as the laboratory’s Quality Assurance Manager, and was later promoted to the role of DNA Technical Leader. In these capacities, Dr. Oechsle was responsible for overseeing laboratory staff and training, validations, and the daily scientific operations of the laboratory.

In 2014, Dr. Oechsle began her doctoral studies at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, while working as a forensic DNA validation consultant for ThermoFisher Scientific’s Human Identification (HID) Professional Services (HPS) group. Dr. Oechsle completed her PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology in the summer of 2019, and began teaching forensic biology courses in conjunction with the Center for the Future of Forensic Science at Bowling Green State University in the Fall of 2019. Her current research interests focus on cellular aspects of forensic mixture deconvolution.

Dr. Oechsle serves as a Faculty Mentor for BSFS students with a forensic biology specialization. If you need assistance with advising, please contact Dr. Oechsle via email to set up an appointment.

Daniel Davison had previously been a Forensic Scientist with the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) from 1997 to 2024. He began his career in the Latent Print Unit, then moved into the Trace Evidence Section giving him experience in multiple disciplines within forensic science. During his time with BCI, Mr. Davison has been authorized to perform examinations in the areas of Latent Prints, Footwear and Tire Impression, Gun Shot Residue, Physical Break Match, Fibers, Paint, and Glass. He has held the responsibility as Forensic Science Coordinator over the Trace Evidence section, both regionally and statewide, for the internationally accredited crime laboratory at BCI. Mr. Davison earned his Master of Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth University after earning his Bachelor of Science degree in General Science, Criminal Justice, and History from Indiana Wesleyan University. He is a member of the Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists (MAFS) and the American Society of Trace Evidence Examiners (ASTEE).

Jeremy Canfield graduated from the University of Toledo in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology. He then spent three years working for a contract research immunology lab in Shaker Heights, Ohio. In 2018, he decided to pursue his Master of Science degree in Forensic Science at Bowling Green State University. After graduating in 2020, Mr. Canfield was hired as a Forensic Science Research Technician with the Ohio Attorney General’s Center for the Future of Forensic Science at Bowling Green State University. His duties include maintaining and running the laboratory instrumentation, training and supervising graduate students in the lab, and guest lecturing on the topics of pharmacology and toxicology of drugs of abuse.  In 2023, Mr. Canfield began working toward his PhD in Biology.

Special Agent, Bureau of Criminal Investigation

Mr. Hammond has worked as a Senior Special Agent in the Crime Scene Unit at the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) for the past thirteen years. Prior to BCI, Mr. Hammond worked as a crime scene investigator and police officer for the Lima, Ohio Police Department for fifteen years. Agent Hammond also teaches Principles of Crime Scene Investigation as an adjunct instructor in the Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science program at Bowling Green State University. Mr. Hammond received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Tiffin University and his associates degree in law enforcement from Rhodes State College. He has been certified with the International Association for Identification (IAI) in crime scene investigation and blood spatter pattern analysis. During his twenty years of crime scene experience Mr. Hammond has assisted communities throughout Ohio in more than one hundred and fifty homicide investigations.

Forensic Scientist- Latent Prints Section, Bureau of Criminal Investigation

Jessica Mendofik received her Bachelor of Science degree in Forensic Chemistry, along with a minor in Biology, from State University of New York College at Buffalo in 2008. In 2011, she was hired by the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) as a forensic scientist in the latent print section of the laboratory. Her duties in the latent print section include processing evidence, comparing unknown prints to known exemplars, and performing computerized fingerprint database searches through both the state database and the FBI’s national database. Ms. Mendofik served a term as the regional Forensic Science Coordinator (FSC) out of the Bowling Green laboratory from 2017 to 2021. As the regional FSC, she was responsible for coordinating with laboratory management on matters of quality assurance, training, as well as operational needs in her section. In 2018, Ms. Mendofik was chosen to receive cross training in the trace evidence section of the laboratory. In this section she examines questioned footwear impressions, performs comparisons, and participates in a multi-state computer footwear database. Ms. Mendofik serves adjunct instructor for the Latent Prints course in the Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science program at Bowling Green State University. She has been a member of the International Association for Identification (IAI) since 2013.

Senior Special Agent, Bureau of Criminal Investigation

Mrs. Roberts has worked as a Senior Special Agent in the Crime Scene Unit at the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) for going on 12 years. Prior to the BCI, Mrs. Roberts worked as a patrolman for the Village of Walbridge for approximately 5 years. Mrs. Roberts received her bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Tiffin University and her associate degree in law enforcement and applied science from Owens Community College. She has been certified with the International Association for Identification (IAI) in crime scene investigation and is a graduate of the National Forensic Academy in Tennessee. During her twelve years of crime scene experience, Mrs. Roberts has assisted communities throughout Ohio in more than one hundred homicide investigations.