CSI is coming to Hamline University. At least for some students.
Dr. Jamie Spaulding is a forensic science professor at Hamline making use of a vacated building on campus for his student's interactive learning.
"The way we have it staged, we have an office, a few bedrooms, the living room, dining room, kitchen, as well as the outdoors," says Spaulding. "The vision is to make it as close to a residential house as possible."
The upgraded training, Spaulding says, will better prepare students for a field test that happens near the end of the semester.
"They are going to get a phone call from me between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. sometime during a night of that week," explains Spaulding. "They're going to respond in real time somewhere on campus."
The crime house is being called a rarity as Hamline is the only Minnesota university with a forensic science major and is one of the few forensics programs in the region.
The house, near Holton Street in St. Paul, will create very realistic scenario for students.
"They see mannequins used to stage victims, they see weapons on a scene, they see actual biological stains, and I think they've embraced this idea of getting that practical experience while they're here so that they are equipped," Spaulding tells WCCO. "They know if they want to do that throughout their career."