West Virginia Universitys forensic identification program continues to attract national attention, as forensic experts from across the United States gather on campus this week (July 10-11) to map out a strategy and a solid foundation for the education and training of students seeking degrees in this emerging academic discipline.
“This is the first meeting of its kind,”according to Michael T. Yura, director of WVU s unique forensic identification degree program,”and WVU is not only proud to host it, but to have input on developing a solid foundation for all forensic science programs in the country.”
WVU and National Institute of Justice (NIJ) officials are coordinating the Technical Working Group on Forensic Science Education and Training which includes about 14 leading forensic specialists from large metropolitan crime labs such as New York and Los Angeles and the technical director for the hit television series Crime Scene Investigations, or CSI .
“The purpose of this working group is to develop the academic competencies necessary for various disciplines within the field of forensic science,”said Dr. Yura. A second working group of forensic discipline experts will further develop the required competencies, he added, and these findings will be published as the guide for all academic forensic science educational and training programs in the U.S.
At WVU , for example, students majoring in forensic identification and biometrics are getting a well-balanced dose of interdisciplinary courseworkeverything from the hard sciences such as physics and chemistry to computer imagery, technical writing, forensic photography, evidence gathering and courtroom testimony. The program also requires an internship at a crime solving agency such as the FBI s Crime Lab in Washington, D.C., and the West Virginia State Police Crime Lab in South Charleston.
WVU s one-of-a-kind program also offers a working laboratory referred to as the”Crime Scene House”designed to be a evidence recovery/crime scene training facility. Hands-on training is provided by instructors from the state police and state medical examiners office.
The WVU program was established in December 1997 in cooperation with the FBI , and graduated its first three students in May 2001.
Funds to support this weeks working group were appropriated by Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-WV, through the Crime Lab Improvement Act.
“As the field of forensics expands and matures, it will require a larger, more technically skilled workforce. West Virginia University is working to address that need through its comprehensive, multi-disciplinary forensics educational program. WVU is setting the standard by which all other forensics programs will be judged,”Byrd said.