School of Natural Science and Mathematics Dean Neil Sabine works with students during the 2015 Crime Camp.

Registration is open for this year’s Crime Camp at Indiana University East. Students entering seventh, eighth and ninth grades can attend the one-day camp for free.

The camp will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6, at the Campus Library, located in Hayes Hall. All activities will take place on campus.

Lunch will be provided. During lunch, students will visit with Wayne County Prosecutor Mike Shipman.

KT Lowe, instruction coordinator for the IU East Campus Library, said Crime Camp uses crime solving techniques to build critical thinking skills.

“Students get to check out all kinds of forensic techniques like fingerprinting and DNA analysis, and practice their sleuthing skills at a crime scene we’ve set up in the library. It’s really cool that we can offer this program,” Lowe said.

Participants will be introduced to elements of criminal justice through interactive activities and development of critical thinking skills. Students will learn forensic science techniques and apply their knowledge to a simulated crime scene.

After assessing the crime scene, students receive basic training in concepts used in crime fighting such as fingerprinting, interrogation and DNA evidence.

At the end of camp, participants will have an opportunity to present their findings and receive recognition for their completion of the program.

“We get kids talking about Crime Camp long afterward. I was in a science class earlier this year, and some of the students there were talking about what they’d learned at Crime Camp the summer before. It really sticks with them,” Lowe said.

Mengie Parker, associate professor of criminal justice, is one of the IU East faculty members that will work with students during Crime Camp. He said the program, now in its third year, has been successful since its inception by Frances Yates, director of the Campus Library.

“In addition to being a load of fun, Crime Camp is beneficial to students in other ways. Students have the opportunity to use what they ‎learn about criminal investigation by solving mock crimes at the end of camp. This type of interactive learning helps promote divergent thinking which is necessary to solve more complex problems in school and in the workplace. Crime Camp is the most fun you can have at school,” Parker said.

Crime Camp is sponsored by the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.

Registration is open through Friday, June 17. To register, visit http://iue.libguides.com/crimecamp2016.

Crime Camp is limited to 30 students. Participants will receive a t-shirt and a certificate of completion.

For more information, contact KT Lowe, instruction coordinator for the Campus Library, at (765) 973-8470 or liblearn@iue.edu.