The winning team was Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair. |
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE HOSTS SECOND ANNUAL CSI FORENSIC COMPETITION
The Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Caldwell College sponsored its second annual CSI: Forensic Competition for high school students on Saturday April 19. Simulated crime scenes including potential kidnappings and drug abuse scenarios were set up throughout the campus. Eleven teams from various schools in NJ competed by cordoning off the crime scene, collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses, and performing lab tests, including chromatography, in order to piece together what happened at the scene. Police from various departments throughout the state of NJ acted as judges of the event.
Immaculate Conception in Montclair took first place, De Paul placed second, and Mt. St. Dominic Academy ranked third. Honorable Mention honors went to Cranford High School. The event is intended to be both fun and educational. Following a lecture on Forensic Anthropology by Gina Hart, Forensic Anthropologist/Investigator for the Newark Medical Examiner's Office, students got the opportunity to practice skills that they learn in their forensic science classes and clubs by "working" a crime scene. After the event, police judges offered to discuss "best practices" with teams to help them improve their skills.
Caldwell College offers an 18-credit certificate program in Forensics, which exposes students to varied branches of forensics, including forensic psychology, forensic anthropology, cybercrime, criminalistics, criminal investigation, profiling serial and mass murderers, and victimology. For more information, contact Dr. Rosann Bar at (973)618-3653.