CSI: Guelph-Humber
Justice Studies students have been given the chance to represent the school in a “CSI Challenge.”
A body lying on a bed with a gun near its head, blood on the wall and shotgun shells on mattress. This is not your typical background setting for an interview.
But, this is exactly what Kunal Luthra, a Justice Studies student at Guelph-Humber, encountered when he walked into the room to be interviewed for the school’s CSI Challenge team.
“There was a (mock) crime scene behind us. So, they would just ask you ‘what do you see?’ and you would have 10 to 15 seconds to draw everything you see in your notebook,” Luthra said.
The mock crime scene and interview were set up at Guelph-Humber in the crime lab.
He said this situation is meant to simulate having a memo book and writing all your notes in it before you contaminate any evidence.
The CSI Challenge is run by Mount St. Mary’s University in Washington. To be able to potentially qualify to attend Luthra said a lot of hard work has to be done.
“Students who have a 75 per cent in Forensic Science, which is a course taken in second year, are able to apply,” he said.
Luthra said also having taken Investigative Techniques helps with the application process. After taking both of these courses Luthra said he felt ready to apply.
He applied by email and was then offered an interview. He said to prepare for the interview he had to study a package he was given. “In the package it showed how to lift different materials. Like how to lift blood, semen samples and finger prints,” he said it’s all about knowing the proper techniques.
He was also given articles on concepts, history and training for forensic officers. Luthra said he had a little under a week to read through the material given to him.
He said he had to know all of this as well as have general knowledge on the topics.
The panel interviewing Luthra was Guelph-Humber students who participated in the event last year. He said the event is student-run and you can only compete in the challenge once.
Raagul Sriprakas, also a Justice Studies student at Guelph-Humber, applied for the CSI Challenge as well.
He said during the interview he was asked several “situational” questions. He said he studied the package really well but he also already had good background knowledge.
Sriprakas said he is very excited to compete at the two-day event and to look at the sights in Washington.
“Our school sends two or three teams and at least one of those teams will place in the top three,” he said.
Sriprakas and Luthra are two of the roughly eight students who have been chosen to represent Guelph-Humber in this event.
John Irwin, a professor at Guelph-Humber will be traveling with the team on this trip. Irwin teaches the Forensic Science course that the students need to be able to apply.
He said there will be four schools competing this year and Guelph-Humber will be the only Canadian school.
Irwin said they train like investigators. Students are thinking, he said, about the case but also about the “next step.” He said this is what pushes our school to a higher level.
Guelph-Humber will be traveling to Washington to compete on March 19th.
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