The SUPA StandardAffiliated with Syracuse University

OCTOBER 2012 SYRACUSE, NY FREE

SUPA Partner Riverhead HS Wins CSI Challenge

“Grade A” for “Team B”

By Cynthia Moritz

(Syracuse, NY, June 2011)—Who killed rock ‘n’ roll star Sly Vox? Was it his ex-bandmate and ex-fiancée, Ivory Keyz? Fired security chief Hound Dawg? South American singer A. Capella, who accused Vox of stealing music and lyrics?

Or was it one of the other numerous suspects whom Vox had angered over the years?

That is the question that teams of high school forensics students were charged to answer during the 11th annual CSI Challenge, put on by Forensics World at Stony Brook University on June 6, 2011.

The winning team, from Riverhead High School in Riverhead, NY, was composed of students in Kelly Evers’ Syracuse University Forensic Science class, offered through Project Advance, as were five other teams in the competition’s top 20.

“This is the fourth time we’ve participated in the challenge,” Evers says. “But it’s our first time winning.”

“We are very proud of the Project Advance sections of the SU Forensic Science classes that participated in the CSI challenge,” says John Fiset, SUPA associate director. “The challenge requires a great deal of extra out-of-class work in order to prepare for the competition. Students are willing to make the commitment because they really do enjoy the course and the competition.”

In the scenario given to teams ahead of the competition, Vox, lead singer of fictional rock group Vanish, was found dead in his dressing room after a concert to celebrate the band being declared one of the top bands of the decade.

Many people had motives to kill him, but it was up to the student teams to figure

SU Forensic Science students from SUPA partner Riverhead (NY) High School celebrate their CSI Challenge victory.

out the actual culprit by examining the clues.

Project Advance congratulates all of the teams that took part in the 11th annual CSI Challenge, especially the ones representing SU’s Forensic Science classes.

SUPA partners in the 2011 CSI Challenge

Top 20:

Riverhead HS: 1 Bethpage HS: 4 Long Beach HS: 9 East Meadow HS: 10 Plainedge HS: 11 Smithtown East HS: 14

“Team B” from the Plainedge High School (North Massapequa, NY) SU forensic science program earned 2nd Place at the 12th Annual CSI Challenge at SUNY Stony Brook on June 4, 2012.

supa.syr.edu

Johnson City Students Take Forensics Into the Field(Johnson City, NY, Sept. 2012)—WBNG in Binghamton, NY aired a story on Sept. 20, 2012 describing the new SU Forensic Science class being taught for the first time at Johnson City High School in Johnson City, NY, thanks to the school’s partnership with Syracuse University Project Advance.

Through SUPA, this course—SU CHE 113—is taught during the school day to qualified seniors by Johnson City HS teachers who have been trained as SU adjunct professors. Students who pass the course will be given SU university credit that can be transferred to other colleges.

According to WBNG, 28 seniors at Johnson City High School are enrolled in the course. Each has been provided with a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 to access CHE 113’s e-textbook. The students also are using the built-in cameras to gather data from outdoor mock crime scenes.

SU Forensics Prof. Named Meredith Professor(Syracuse, NY, April, 2009)—Prof. James T. Spencer of Syracuse University’s College of Arts & Sciences has been named a Meredith Professor, an honor SU bestows on its best teachers.

Spencer is founder and first director of SU’s interdisciplinary Forensic Science Program. As faculty liaison for Syracuse University Project Advance’s chemistry and forensic science programs, he organizes professional development seminars for high school teachers. He also directs the SUPA chemistry and forensic science Summer Institute workshops.

For his Meredith Project, Spencer plans to continue to use forensic science as a vehicle for enhancing science literacy. He calls it “Science by Stealth:” “Forensic science is inherently a reverse-format learning experience,” he says. “A mystery needs to be solved, and solving that mystery leads directly to opportunities to apply scientific concepts, careful observation and critical thinking.”

Boning Up on Their ScienceHigh school teachers at SUPA Summer Institute 2012 in Syracuse, NY get to grips with the evidence as they train—under the guidance of Syracuse University faculty—to teach CHE 113.

Syracuse Police Team UP with ITC Forensic Students (Syracuse, NY, May 2011)—The Syracuse Police Department (SPD) recently worked with the forensic science class at the Institute of Technology at Syracuse, NY (ITC), a partner of Syracuse University Project Advance. The school is preparing for the statewide SKILLS USA competition.

Officer Thomas Glauberman of the SPD’s Crime Scene Unit division worked with Ann Marie Furcinito’s forensic science class helping them to properly process crime scenes. Students were trained in fingerprinting techniques and proper crime scene methodology.

“These students are well trained in job skills and career readiness skills,” says Cheryl Winstel of the New York State Department of Education regarding the SKILLS USA competitors. “They’re the best of the best competing across the state.”

Get a Closer Look!

To learn more about SU CHE 113 Forensic Science, visit supa.syr.edu/courses

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