Funds that U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd,D-W.Va., added to legislation to renovate the campus building that willhouse the West Virginia University (WVU) Forensic and InvestigativeSciences Program are on the way to Morgantown.

“The rapidly growing forensics field is creating a high demandfor new forensics professionals. WVU ’s specialized forensics program ishelping to meet that demand and place West Virginia at the forefront ofnational crime fighting efforts,”Byrd said.

Byrd added $1.24 million to legislation to upgrade two floors of Oglebay Hall, which will eventually house the entire Forensic andInvestigative Sciences Program, to federal appropriations legislation in 2004. This builds upon $2 million that Byrd added to legislation in 2003 for the project and $2 million that he added in 2005, which isexpected to be released in coming months. The upgraded space is neededto accommodate the explosive growth of WVU ’s forensic science program.

“WVU’s forensic science program has grown from four students inthe first class in 2000 to more than 500 majors last year. This fundingfor renovations to Oglebay Hall will allow forensic and investigativescience classes, currently taught at several different locations acrossthe WVU campus, to be consolidated in one building. The significantgrowth and success of the forensics program has created a need forcentralized, state-of-the-art facilities,”Byrd said.

WVU became the first university in the world to offer aspecialized fingerprint identification undergraduate curriculum, when itpartnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Criminal JusticeInformation Services Division (CJIS) in Clarksburg in 1997. Theexplosive growth in the WVU forensic science program has been spurred bythe growing missions of the CJIS facility and the Biometrics FusionCenter (BFC) in Bridgeport, both of which Senator Byrd helped to locatein West Virginia.

“Forensic science and biometrics have become valuable tools forlaw enforcement in identifying criminals and solving crimes. The jobopportunities in Harrison County and the forensics training studentsreceive at WVU are helping graduates to launch their careers in theMountain State as well as other national, state, and localcrime-fighting organizations across the country,”Byrd said.