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Forensics Blog

Investigate it: Forensics at BCIT

CSI Student Academy Starts in July

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A student at the CSI Academy using some equipment.From July 9 to 13, 2012, BCIT will be the scene of a murder mystery. The blood and body may be fake, but the techniques used to solve the crime will be very true to life. Our CSI Student Academy is held every year to give local high school students an idea of what life is like as a forensic investigator. This year, students from grades 11-12 will learn how to apply real forensic techniques to things like knots, fingerprints, video analysis, and of course, DNA. At the end of their week of training, these students will apply their new skills to a murder mystery right here at BCIT. They will use what they learn to find clues, and then put them all together to discover the killer.

For more information about the Academy, visit their website.

A Webinar On the Women’s Health Effects Study

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Women of different ages and ethnicities.She’s left her abusive partner… Does that mean she’s okay now?
A webinar on findings from the Women’s Health Effects Study.

Date: Monday June 4, 2012
Time: 13:00-14:00 EST
Place: Online

Between 6% and 8% of women report experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) each year in Canada – and this figure is broadly assumed to be under-reported. That’s over two million women a year.

Dr. Marilyn Ford-Gilboe, Dr. Colleen Varcoe, Dr. Judy Wuest and their colleagues decided to take on the task of providing comprehensive evidence about the long-term effects of IPV on women’s health and lives even after leaving abusive relationships. In the Women’s Health Effects Study, they interviewed 309 women in Ontario, BC, and New Brunswick 5 times over a period of 4 years, gathering data about their health, relationships, service use, economic situation, personal strengths, and exposure to violence.

Marilyn, Colleen and Judy will discuss the findings of this research and how these results can be transformed into actions to end the impacts of violence in women’s lives.

Visit the webinar sitelet to register.

Forensics Info Session in June

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Information ButtonFor those of you looking for more information about BCIT Forensic Science and Technology programs, please join us at our information session on June 18, 2012 at the Downtown Campus starting at 5:30pm.

At the info session, each Program Coordinator does a general presentation about their option, giving you tips on how to apply, when to apply, and what the career prospects are in their area. After the presentation, the attendees are divided up according to the option they’re most interested in and then are given more in-depth information from their particular Program Coordinator.  This is also an opportunity for you to ask questions specific to your circumstances and background, to see if your career aspirations line-up with what we have to offer.

All you have to do is visit our info session web page to sign-up. See you on the 18th!

Course Schedule for Fall and Registration Dates

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CalendarIt’s hard to believe that we’re already talking about the fall when summer hasn’t even started yet…

I recently uploaded our Fall term 2012 course schedule to our website, so you can use it to plan your course load for September-December 2012.

Some important dates to remember:

  •     May 25th – Web preview (You can see the Fall 2012 courses online, but can’t register for them yet)
  •     May 27th – Web registration opens (You can start registering online)
  •     May 28th – General registration opens (You can now register by any method)

Forensic Technologist and Analyst Job Opportunities

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This is a very quick post on a Friday before a long weekend about two job opportunities with the RCMP that crossed my desk. Both these jobs close on May 22nd at midnight, so if you want to apply, you better do it really quickly:

Forensic Search Technologist – Biology
Department Name: Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Civilian Staff)
Locations: Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa
Salary: $53,008 to $64,491
Closing Date: May 22, 2012 – 23:59, Pacific Time Useful Information
Reference Number: RCM12J-010526-000121
Selection Process Number: 3-11-72-655
Employment Tenure: Permanent position
Vacancies: This poster will be used to meet ongoing recruitment needs

Forensic Technology Analyst – Biology
Department Name: Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Civilian Staff)
Locations: Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa
Salary: $53,008 to $64,491
Closing Date: May 22, 2012 – 23:59, Pacific Time Useful Information
Reference Number: RCM12J-010050-004212
Selection Process Number: 3-11-72-606
Employment Tenure: Permanent position
Vacancies: This poster will be used to meet ongoing recruitment needs

Please use the links provided above to apply online for the positions. Good luck!

Coroner Job Opportunity in the Lower Mainland

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Logo for BC Public ServiceCoroner
Department: Ministry of Justice & Solicitor General
Ministry Branch/Division: BC Coroners Service
Posting Close Date: 2012-05-29
Location: Burnaby
Job Type: Regular, Full-Time

Fill a vital role when it comes to sensitive and challenging situations and circumstances.

The BC Coroners Service is responsible, under the Coroners Act, for conducting thorough, independent investigations of all factors contributing to the unexpected, unattended or unexplained deaths of persons in BC; and for issuing related recommendations to assist in preventing future deaths and improving community safety and quality of life for all British Columbians.

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Video of Forensic Nurses from the Lower Mainland Working in Kenya

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Forensic nurses working in global sexual violence prevention in Kenya:

S.A.N.E. Kenya Trip Video from Hungry For Life on Vimeo.

A team of 11 people from the Lower Mainland travelled to the community of Seje in western Kenya in April to facilitate community education workshops on sexual violence. The team consisted of women who work either within the Abbotsford Regional Hospital, the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program or are connected to someone who does.

The SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners) team prepared educational material for primary school aged children on the topics of self-worth and self-esteem with the goal of encouraging them to treat themselves and each other well. The team also facilitated a two-day seminar for local communities to address the issues they felt were contributing to the prevalence of sexual assault in their communities. The team also helped build a room at a school in the community of Seje.

BCIT Forensic Health Sciences instructors are part of the team depicted in the video. Susan Short, Lisa Creelman and Tara Hanson are instructors in the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Core Education course which is the only classroom delivered credit course west of Ontario.  Several others in the video have taken our courses at BCIT as well.

Congratulations all on such a worthwhile endeavour.

* Postponed* Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Workshop

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Deserted city blockCrime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Workshop – Offered in partnership with Lions Gate Investigations Group (LGIG)

This workshop instructs participants on how to design buildings and use the physical environment to create behavioural changes that can reduce the incidence and fear of crime. These principles have been successfully applied in government and business facilities, schools, parks, community centres, apartment and housing complexes and even entire neighbourhoods.

These principles can then be used when designing new facilities and communities as well as addressing crime in existing environments.  This is a great workshop for students and working professionals who are seeking employment or currently employed at federal, provincial or local public safety agencies including positions as corporate facilities managers, architects, city planners and those involved in urban development. This workshop is also useful for those working in the private sec­tor as investigators and security practitioners.

For more information, please check out the workshop flyer, or contact our Program Coordinator, Dave McKay.

** This workshop has been postponed until the fall and new dates will be posted soon.**

June 15th Is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

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Younger woman hitting older woman with caneAccording to the Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse:

“June 15, 2006 was the debut of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD). The day is in support of the United Nations International Plan of Action which recognizes the significance of abuse and neglect of older adults as a public health and human rights issue. Throughout the world, senior abuse and neglect is largely under-recognized or treated as an unspoken problem.”

BCIT Forensic Science and Technology wants to increase this awareness and will be holding a Focus on Elder Mistreatment workshop on June 15, 2012.
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BCIT Forensics in the News!

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David McKay's appearance on Daily PlanetDave McKay, Program Coordinator for our Forensic Science program, has recently been featured in news articles in the Vancouver Province and National newspapers, and also appeared on TV for CTV and Daily Planet.

You might have heard in the news about the hang glider pilot, William Jonathan Orders, who was taken into custody on obstruction of justice charges. Orders was conducting a tandem flight with 27-year-old Lemani Godinez when she fell to her death last Saturday outside of Agassiz. Orders swallowed a memory card from a digital camera that was mounted on the glider that police deemed as evidence. The police are holding the pilot with the hope that he can “produce” the evidence (ie. the memory card) related to the fatal flight.

[Read more…]