Students Learn to Become True Detectives at CSI Camp

Students sit in on the last lecture of the week for the CSI camp. Photo by Ke’ena Belk

By Ke’ena Belk
hottytoddy.com contributor
kmbelk@go.olemiss.edu
The Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) camp, held at The University of Mississippi from July 15-20, took this year’s participants on an adventure to the Maynard W. Quimby Medicinal Plant Garden, as they prepared to wrap up the weeklong camp.
This is the fourth year the university hosted the event for high school students going into 10th-12th grade. The camp gives interested students from all over North America a chance to work as real crime scene investigators for a week while living on the Ole Miss campus and enjoying a week’s worth of college experiences.
The camp was led by Dr. Murrell Godfrey, associate professor and director of forensic chemistry, and his graduate assistants, Caroline Spencer, Ann-Elodie, Robert and Brandon Stamper, all graduate students of the chemistry department.
The students were allowed access to the medicinal garden, which included an exclusive look inside of the marijuana fields that are highly secured by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

During the camp, students toured The Maynard W. Quimby Medicinal Plant Garden at The University of Mississippi. Photo by Ke`ena Belk.

“They had the opportunity to see how it is cultivated and that it is a controlled substance,” Godfrey said. “They also got to see and understand that there is a medicinal purpose to marijuana.”
The students were transported by one of the city’s double decker buses, which they were not allowed to leave while on the marijuana fields. As the students entered the field, they were met by a double layer of wired fence that had to be opened by security personnel before the bus could enter.
On either side of the entrance were two security posts that contained armed guards to watch and protect the field at all times. The tour was narrated by Donald Stanford, assistant director of the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
The students were led to the Maynard W. Quimby Medicinal Plant Garden where they were allowed to tour the garden and see how the plants are kept and nurtured for research.
At the start of camp, students moved in and prepared for the camp’s festivities with an orientation. Each day the students participated in lectures during the mornings and would attend lab where they had the opportunity to investigate staged crime scenes. Every lecture and lab gave students the tools needed to investigate a crime scene and solve problems.
“The students getting to get the hands-on experience is allowing them to really be excited about the work, rather than just sitting down and listening to a lecture,” Roberts said.
Students also had the opportunity to go through mock crime scenes that included different types of evidence such as blood, fingerprints, a dead body and a gun. The students learned how to collect and process the evidence along with the chain of custody.
The graduate assistants noticed that the camp changed the students’ views and helped them realize how much potential and opportunity is within the field.
“All of the students came in with a notion of what they have seen on these TV shows, but this week they learned the difference and how scientific everything we do really is,” Spencer said.
This week the student investigators had the opportunity to put on their investigative hats, and not only realize how much of what they saw on television is relatable, but also just how important forensic science is to police investigations.
On Friday, the last day of camp, the students participated in a mock trial, where they each played integral roles as expert witnesses, a defendant, a prosecution team and a defense team. This allowed the students to experience hands-on how their research and collected information will be used in a court of law.
“I am more excited to see what they come up with at the mock trial and what type of stories they are going to spew about the murder of our victim,” Roberts said.
By the end of the camp, the students received a certificate of completion and are able to add the experience to their resume for college and other future endeavors.
Godfrey said that the camp is a good recruiting tool for the university because it has allowed perspectives students from all over the country to visit the campus and to see how much the school has to offer them individually.

Lal Jayaratna, Senior Research and Development Botanist inform CSI camp students of how plant identification is important in forensic investigations. Photo by Ke`ena Belk.

There were 36 participants in this year’s camp, and only six are from Mississippi. Students have come from as far as California, Texas and Florida to participate in the CSI camp.
The camp partnered with The Division of Outreach and Continuing Education in order to provide the participating students with housing, meal plans and counseling during the week.
The camp is sponsored by The American Academy of Forensic Science, and the students that participate are selected by the organization. Students paid to attend the camp, but some students were eligible for sponsorship from organizations such as the CREATE Foundation, The American Academy of Forensic Sciences and The Council of Forensic Science Educators. The CREATE foundation sponsored two students in the camp from the north Mississippi region.

Students Learn to Become True Detectives at CSI Camp

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