Forensic Science Internship

Forensic Science Majors Attend Prestigious Internship at Carnegie Mellon

By Dr. Kay Marden, ENMU Forensic Science Program Director

Three talented ENMU forensic science majors were chosen to participate in the 2017 National Science Foundation “Research Experience for Undergraduates” (REU) summer internship program. Susan Hartfelder (forensic anthropology), Kristyn Frisque (forensic biology) and Trysha Parker (forensic anthropology), were all invited to attend the nationally renowned, twomonth-long residential internship program at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, with all of the students’ travel and living expenses paid by the National Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence (CSAFE).

Working under the supervision of CSAFE’s leading experts, our students contributed to a major initiative in statistical foundations in forensic science, exploring novel ways to employ statistical models to solve key challenges in forensic evidence analysis. These young scholars participated in evidence collection, data analysis, and honed their professional communication skills through regular presentations of research results.

ENMU’s participation in the CSAFE REU internship program has not only increased threefold in just one year, but Eastern students comprised a large proportion of the participants. With only 16 undergraduate students from seven institutions around the country invited to attend this highly selective internship program, it is remarkable that all three Eastern students whose names we submitted were accepted. We’re very proud of each of these young scientists, and we can’t wait to watch the trajectories of their respective careers.