Skip Palenik
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Skip Palenik (/ˈpælənɪk/ PAL-ə-nik; born July 24, 1946) is an American analytical microscopist, forensic scientist, lecturer, and author. He is most famous for providing trace evidence analysis and forensic microscopy for many high-profile cases including the Oklahoma City Bombing, Unabomber investigation, Hillside Strangler investigation and the JonBenet Ramsey case, and for his contributions to books and television programs including Forensic Files, to which he was a frequent contributor.[1]
Skip Palenik was born in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. on July 24, 1946. His interest in forensic science stemmed from his first chemistry set and microscope at the age of eight. His father, a truck driver, constructed an increasingly sophisticated basement laboratory for Skip and his younger brother Mark. The laboratory eventually tapped into the household gas line to supply a Meker burner, and a hole was placed in the foundation to provide a vent for a wooden fume hood. Chemistry experiments that included synthesizing a rocket fuel and precipitating nitroglycerine were supplied by trips to Chicago area pharmacies and laboratory supply houses to acquire chemicals. Forensic science, and in particular, the study of traces of materials under the microscope fascinated Skip.
Following time in Army military intelligence, Palenik went on to obtain a degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He went on to work for his boyhood hero, Walter McCrone from 1974 to 1992.
In 1992, Palenik founded his own laboratory, Microtrace, which was dedicated to the identification and characterization of microscopic traces and the microanalytical characterization of materials. Over this period, Skip has testified in criminal and civil cases in local, state, federal and foreign courts and has authored numerous book chapters and articles. Palenik has also given numerous lectures and workshops in the area of trace evidence, including dust analysis, polarized light microscopy, forensic hair microscopy, forensic soil analysis, and forensic fiber analysis around the world.
