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By Sherry F. Pruitt

JONESBORO -- Crime scene investigation has become a pop culture staple because of myriad television programs, but Arkansas State University's version of CSI puts summer camp participants to work in the laboratory and at the crime scene.

In the second season of the weeklong residential camp, participants faced a mock scenario: The dead body of a man was found on the shore of the ASU Lake near the Pavilion. The victim had a massive head wound and smaller injuries.

"The students have to find out if he was killed there or dumped there and who committed the crime," said Dr. Gloria Gibson, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at ASU.

The 16 students participating, from Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri, were divided into groups -- investigators, a biological team and a physical evidence team.

"It's a multidiscipline approach to criminology and forensic science," she said.

The criminology department is a part of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, but the summer camp crosses over and involves faculty scientists from the College of Sciences and Mathematics and the ASU Biosciences Institute.

"These students are very privileged to be able to work with Maureen Dolan and Robyn Hannigan in the ABI building," Gibson said.

Hannigan is the director of the Environmental Sciences doctoral program and associate professor of geochemistry, and Dolan is a research assistant professor of biology. Dr. Gregory Russell, director of the Criminology Program, also is heavily involved in the CSI program.

One of the CSI participants plans to attend A-State this fall and will work under the direction of Hannigan, Gibson said.

Planning a 'crime'

Faculty members involved get together a few weeks prior to the beginning of camp and decide what the crime scenario will entail.

"It's difficult to set up a crime scene and evidence," she said. "If one part of the equation is changed the entire equation is changed. We have to find ways to keep the students challenged."

Participants that ASU planners try to keep challenged vary in age from 15 to 18. Some of the campers want to find out more information about criminology, and the program gives them an opportunity before they decide on a college major.

"For others, their interest is mystery -- figuring out 'who done it.' It's an extracurricular activity," Gibson said.

In addition to the student who plans to attend ASU this fall as a freshman in the forensics program, "several others will be here for the fall 2007," she added.

One of the main goals of the camp was to get students on campus as a recruitment initiative. Deans were asked last year to come up with ideas to promote student recruitment.

The college tried a pre-law camp last year, but it was not repeated because it was not as popular as the CSI camp. A Model United Nations camp also was tried last year, but a late start caused limited enrollment.

Plans for next summer call for an "academic boot camp" for high school juniors and seniors.

"It will give them a head start for their freshman year in college. It will include basic grammar, composition, math and history," the dean said.

Last year, the university accommodated 30 students in two camps and plans to return to that model next year, but will offer two different crime scene scenarios.

sherry@jonesborosun.com