GRAND FORKS — Curious residents, University of North Dakota students and UND prospects explored the (fake) blood-spattered and mystery-riddled "crime scene house," or Gustafson Hall, Friday to learn more about forensic science.
It was the first in a series of community events hosted by the University of North Dakota Forensic Science Society. Thomas Sikorski, vice president of the society, said the events, in part, aim to demystify the field of forensic science. He and other members said the work of a forensic scientist isn’t necessarily what viewers see in television and movies.
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“I feel like a lot of people, when they find out I’m in forensics, they’re like, ‘Oh, like the show,’" said Madison Angeles, secretary of the society. “I actually don’t want to be at crime scenes.”
Forensic science isn’t just CSI. Many of these scientists work in labs or digitally with different specialties. They can look at DNA, data, toxicology, drugs, anthropology and more. The National Institute of Justice lists 13 specialties within the field with CSI just being one of them.
But Friday’s event did showcase the crime scene investigation side of forensics. About 50 attendees explored four l...