A summer camp for middle school and high school students interested in forensic science will be offered by the West Virginia University Department of Forensic and Investigative Science and the Next Generation Forensic Science Initiative in June 2016.

The sixth annual Forensic Science Summer Camp will take place on the WVU campus June 20-24. Classes will begin at 9 a.m. and last until 4 p.m. each day.

Middle school and high school students will be separated into their own groups and will study two forensic disciplines each day, said Chris Bily, forensics lecturer and coordinator of the summer camp. Students will also participate in a mock crime scene at the end of the week.

The mock crime scenes will be very similar to the crime scenes that WVU students work on during classes.

“We hope to give students a good introduction to forensic science,” Bily said. “A lot of what they think they know they’ve learned from watching T.V. The stuff on T.V. is not realistic, and during the camp they will have a realistic view of several different forensic disciplines.”

Classes will give students the chance to be immersed in forensics, with opportunities to work with the actual equipment used in fingerprint identification, firearm identification, biological evidence and other investigative methods.

This year’s camp will be the first to accept students that aren’t local. Lodging accommodations can be made for any students in the United States, Bily said.

“I hope [students] walk away from this camp with a better idea of what forensic science is about,” Bily said. “It’s interesting and exciting, but it’s also hard work.”

Only 25 students are accepted into each group, and Bily said that the roster fills up quickly. He advised parents with interested students to register soon.

Registration closes on May 1st. For more information about the camp or registration, contact Chris Bily at 304.293.9496 or Chris.Bily@mail.wvu.edu

-WVU-

as/03/3/2016

CONTACT: Devon Copeland, Director of Marketing and Communication,
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University,
304.293.6867, Devon.Copeland@mail.wvu.edu

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