MURFREESBORO — They came to MTSU from high schools in four different
states to learn more about forensic science in a hands-on environment.
Within the first
hour of the eighth annual CSI: MTSU summer camp, the 36 young participants
found themselves in the shoes of the professionals at an alarming crime scene:
A teenager was missing from her family’s home, where even a casual observer
could see foul play, in a scenario straight from the headlines.
The campers studied
blood, fingerprint, hair, fiber and ballistics samples in a laboratory; obtained
witness statements from investigators; hashed out ideas with their colleagues
in a conference room; and presented their conclusions to a trio of “judges,” as
well as a roomful of parents, friends and supporters on the final day — all in
hopes of resolving a crime and finding justice.
“We had two dead ends
on this that they had to figure out,” said Dr. Hugh Berryman, director of
MTSU’s Forensic Institute for Research and Education, explaining how the groups
narrowed down their kidnapping suspects with phone calls, emails, purchase
receipts and more.
“The first group to
‘save’ our victim, ‘Cindy Parker’ … figured out where she was in less than two
hours on the first day,” Berryman said, “and that was excellent work. It scared
me. I tried not to show it, but I was thinking, ‘oh NO, this whole camp’s gonna
come apart two hours into the first day; they’ve already figured it all out.’”
The campers
accomplished their discoveries with the help of MTSU forensic anthropology
students who coordinated group activities, answered questions and taught
integral facets of the camp, such as laboratory evidence analysis.
On the final day, Berryman
singled out MTSU students who played a significant role in this year’s CSI
camp: Cori Crenshaw, Matt Davis, Cody Evans, Erin Floyd, Blakely Hunze, Amber
Lancaster, Jeffrey LaPorte, Daniel Locke, Justin Lowe, Sophie Plant-Moran,
Lauren Smith and Charlotte Whitaker.
They’re also members
of the university’s Forensic Anthropology Search and Recovery, or FASR, Team,
which helps law enforcement agencies and medical examiners cross Tennessee
recover and document skeletal remains at crime scenes.
The undergraduate
and graduate students are tops in their field with experience in human osteology,
forensic anthropology and archaeological field work. Many of the student
anthropologists got their start the same way the young visitors did: at a
CSI:MTSU camp.
“I don’t think
you’ll find another university that has undergrad and grad students who work
actual crime scenes with a professor like me,” said Berryman, a longtime
professor in MTSU’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology and a nationally
recognized forensic anthropologist.
“Many times me and
my crews are on the inside of the yellow tape and the authorities are on the
other. It’s very serious. Any student who goes on these crime scenes with me
are subject to subpoena and to testify in court. It’s the real deal, and I’m
really proud of these students.”
You can watch a
brief video about this year’s CSI:MTSU Camp at http://youtu.be/iyhoJRC7qWc.
Along with CSI:MTSU
camps, the Forensic Institute for Research and Education, established in 2006,
offers free public lectures featuring renowned forensic-science experts each
semester. FIRE also provides regular educational and training opportunities for
law enforcement, medical examiners, coroners, attorneys, social workers and
other groups in forensic science and homeland security.
To learn more about
other FIRE programs and events, contact the FIRE offices at 615-494-7713 at fire@mtsu.edu or visit http://www.mtsu.edu/fire. You can get
more details about the CSI:MTSU camps at http://www.csimtsu.com.
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