High Schoolers From Across the Country Get First-Hand Feel for Life as a Crime Scene Investigator During Annual Summer Academy

While it may be a mock crime scene, students participating in the University of New Haven’s summer Crime Scene Investigation Academy got a real, hands-on experience as to what it would be like in the field working as an investigator.

The annual Crime Scene Investigation Youth Summer Academy took place this month, where students from various parts of the country took part in two sold-out sessions.

The week-long experience gives high school students the opportunity to learn about forensic principles and the value of physical evidence as well investigating and documenting a crime scene, and ultimately present their findings.

During the first week of the Academy, 20 students were presented with various scenarios inside the University’s crime-scene house. That’s where they took notes, photographs, and collected evidence and samples. They spent time in the lab as well, getting a feel for all aspects of what a crime-scene investigator and a forensic scientist does.

In addition to the hands-on work, Maria Torre, M.S., associate professor of practice in the Forensic Science Department who leads the academy, said students were also visited by working professionals from the industry, such as FBI special agents, evidence-response team members, and more.

Prof. Torre has an extensive background in forensic science and has experience working both in the field and a traditional lab setting. More recently, Prof. Torre was a crime-scene technician with the Waterbury Police Department’s forensic unit, and prior to that she was a forensic scientist with the Yonkers Police Department’s Forensic Science Laboratory.

She said while she hopes the students enjoy their time participating in the Academy, some of whom have traveled as far as New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and California, she also hopes they learn a lot.

“I think the biggest thing they learn is that this is not like what you see on television,” she said. “Hopefully it sparks an interest for them and gives them a better direction in terms of career path.”

Michelle McNulty, a rising junior from Norfolk, MA, agreed with the sentiment that it isn’t like what she sees in the media.

“After being here for a week, I really like it,” McNulty said. “I really feel like it’s realistic and shows you what it’ll be like, and I think it’s a great way to get the experience for the future.”

McNulty hopes to one day work as a detective for the FBI.

The summer Academy serves as a unique opportunity for students entering grades 10-12, who have an interest in forensic science, criminal justice, and/or investigations, to participate in an experience that wouldn’t typically be available at the high school level.

This is great for students such as Aurelia Guidice, a rising senior from Bethel, CT, who said she wanted to participate in the Academy to see if this was truly a field she’d be interested in before committing to it.

“I really do like it,” she said. “For me, it’s fun. I like doing the lab work.”

Guidice is also interested in working for the FBI, and she learned during her experience on campus that there are a variety of opportunities when it comes to finding the right position within the Bureau.

Prof. Torre’s advice to students interested in pursuing a career in this field? You have to love science.

“Science is an integral part of scene work,” Prof. Torre explained. “We want scientists at the scene. We want people who can understand and apply scientific principles at the scene, because good forensic scientists are going to start at a crime scene. If something goes bad there, it’ll have a ripple effect in the rest of the investigation.”

And the students got a firsthand look at some of the principles and tools needed to be a successful investigator.

“It’s a lot of hard work and dedication, but I think it’ll pay off in the future,” Guidice said.

To learn more about the Crime Scene Investigation Academy or other Summer Youth Academies, click here.