South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

BioMed students at Affton High School learn from St. Louis County Police crime scene and forensics professionals

Members of the St. Louis County Police Department spoke to students in the Project Lead the Way Biomedical program at Affton High School Oct. 24.

Detective Sam Crespo, from the Crime Scene Department of the St. Louis County Police, and Ryan Campbell, Forensic Scientist III-Chemistry, related how their professions involve the Biomedical sciences.

The Health Occupation Student Association, or HOSA, students learned about the tests and data collection that goes on in a crime scene from Crespo, including how the collection of blood, fingerprints and other physical evidence is gathered and properly documented for further investigation, according to a news release. The information covered was an extension of the very first activity the students completed during the first year of the Biomedical program.

Additionally, Campbell related how the testing done in the St. Louis County Crime Lab is performed in the Biomedical program at Affton. These include Gel Electrophoresis, Polymerase Chain Reaction and Forensic Anthropology testing, the release stated. Included in the presentation was a detailed explanation on the importance of the molecular structure and DNA tests when comparing evidence that has been gathered.

“One of the most important things we can do as educators is provide our students exposure to see how what they’re learning is applicable to life outside of school,” Tim Knox, lead teacher for the Project Lead the Way Biomedical program, stated in the release. “These students are taking away tangible knowledge they couldn’t otherwise receive in the classroom.”

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