Adding to Diamond Bar High School’s already prestigious STEM program, a career-oriented science class will be offered.

Forensic science, the science revolving around investigations at crime scenes, will be taught by environmental science teacher Leonard Romero starting in the fall semester.

Though it can be taken instead of a non-AP Chemistry class, it will be based specifically on using the scientific method to gather information.

Content will focus on teaching the procedures developed and used for criminal investigations.

“There’s so many different types of scientific units within a crime,” Romero, who had worked as a forensic scientist for 25 years, said.

Romero, who was recently appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court Expert panel as an expert in ballistics, works for the LAPD Crime organization.

As a forensic scientist, he started his own forensic firearms unit and worked for several crime labs. This is his second year teaching at DBHS.

“It will give the students a chance to see how chemistry is used in the industry,” Romero said. “With all the background you have in chemistry and biology, it will show you that in depth, how it’s used, how science is used in physical crimes.”

Although students will be expected to learn the basic ideas and foundations of chemistry, the forensic science class will stray away from the in-depth ideas of chemistry. Instead of traditional labs, most experiments will focus on learning about collecting and analyzing evidence from crime scenes.

“I’ll show students the techniques to analyzing different types of physical evidence, teach them what they’re used for, and the background of the method we’re using,” Romero said.

According to GLC Jenna Brummett, the course will be available to students who have completed biology and chemistry with a grade of a C or higher. Students must also have completed geometry.

“I hope to give the students a good background on the different aspects of science by showing them how science is applied in the resolution of crimes,” Romero said, “It’s a great career to be a criminalist or a forensic scientist.”