TAS Forensic Science Camp Armidale

Each July school holidays,  selected students in Year 8 travel to Armidale to participate in the Talented Students’ Forensic Science camp, run by the Armidale School.

Over an exciting four days, students work in small groups to solve a ‘crime’, learning a number of skills such as cryptography, microscopy and fingerprint analysis. After solving the crime, they then use the evidence that they collected to prosecute the criminal in a committal presentation on the final day, which is open to parents and members of the public. 

The below testimonies are from previous students who participated in the camp 

Grace

“I went to the Forensic Camp in Armidale and it was one of the best camps that I have been on. The entire experience was something that I have never done before. For one thing, the camp was completely run by students who had participated in the camp previously. The camp was focused on a major crime, and a main portion of the day was working on solving the crime, using real forensic equipment to find and investigate clues. The crime was very complex and wasn't easy to solve unless you had all the pieces of th  e puzzle, and to find the pieces, it took numerous trials and errors to get right. As well as solving the crime, there were many activities to fill the day, which included sport, trivia, mind puzzles, and many other activities. There were many kids at the camp, and I made many friends that I still in contact with. I would recommend this Camp to all the future year 8 students-  it's a new and exciting experience, where you learn a lot and have lots of fun. I would do it again and again if I could.” 

Olivia

“I went to the Forensic Science Camp because when I found out about it and did a bit of research about it, it seemed like a very exciting and interesting experience. We were involved in a murder simulation that took place over the course of five days...and we were the detectives. It was our responsibility to interpret the physical and written evidence we received in ways that would enable us to make the connections necessary to find the killer. 

One of my favourite parts of the camp was testing the blood on the evidence to determine  whether or not it was real, as well as testing and matching the fingerprints we recovered from evidence. When we needed additional information, we could search for it in the criminal database or request it from Police Headquarters. This was very surreal as we had to ensure that all requests were written in a formal style. It was so much fun comparing ideas and coming up with new mind blowing theories. The camp was a challenging, exhilarating  and unforgettable experience. I highly recommend it to any future Year 8’s as it is a camp that challenges you and forces you to stretch your mind in ways you could never expect, all while having so much fun and making heaps of new friends. My experience at the Forensic Science Camp was definitely an incredible and unique one that I would repeat in a heartbeat.”

Additional information about the camp can also be found here