News from the Cayman Islands for
|
| Back To Today's News |
Underwater CSI comes to Cayman
|
| Published on Friday, March 5, 2010 |
Email To Friend Print Version |
Marine Forensic Biologist, Dr Hector Cruz-Lopez
The Cayman Islands’ first Underwater Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) training course is coming to Little Cayman later this month. The Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) will host the three-day course at its Little Cayman Research Centre as part of its Dive with a Researcher (DWAR) Programme.
The all-inclusive course, includes accommodations, three meals a day, diving and gear rental, airport transfers and CSI tuition, and will be conducted at the Little Cayman Research Centre from March 26-30. The cost to Cayman residents is CI$1,000.
Lead diver and instructor will be marine forensic biologist, Dr Hector Cruz-Lopez, a professor of forensic science at the Palm Beach State College Criminal Justice Institute and a member of the National Forensic Science Initiative at West Virginia University.
“The enforcement of laws and regulations designed to protect coral reefs and other marine habitats deserve specialized means to investigate and document violations,” said Dr Cruz-Lopez.
“Underwater forensics provides such a tool, as well as an opportunity to play CSI without having to deal with hardcore criminals or messy crime scenes.” CSI has become quite well documented in both the press and the television CSI series. The use of science to prove the facts, especially in the arena of the law, or more importantly in the prosecution of the unlawful, has become quite popular.
Forensic science and pathology have been developed since the 1700s, gaining a technological boost from the 1960s onwards; however, the old forensic science methodology is currently undergoing a transformation with the introduction of Underwater CSI.
About 44% of the coral cover on the world’s reefs has been lost to date, and two thirds of the Caribbean’s reefs remain at risk. Unfortunately, some people are still slow to realise the potential impact their behavior can have on our reefs, often resulting in negligent and/or illegal activity. As a result, Underwater CSI is being used to help to identify and prosecute those who continue to threaten the existence of our reefs and marine ecosystems.
So, what exactly is Underwater CSI? Essentially, it is a set of protocols and techniques for investigating underwater crime scenes; as such, it can be quite useful in determining short-term violations that have had negative impacts on our reefs.
The results of these investigations can be documented, recorded and analysed in a systematic fashion using tool kits developed to support these types of investigations. Similar techniques are now being used worldwide by marine enforcement officers, environment assessment agencies, coral reef researchers, litigators and natural resource managers.
If you are a diver and are interested in taking a new look at the underwater world through the eyes of a forensic scientist, then this three-day course is for you. Not only will you play a legitimate part in conducting an actual underwater crime scene investigation, but you will also learn how to analyse the data and construct a proper defense, using forensic techniques that you will learn in the programme.
To find out more about CCMI’s DWAR Programme, visit www.reefresearch.org. For enrollment, call 948-1094 or send your inquiry to ccmiapplications@reefresearch.org. Deadline for enrollment is 19 March 2010. Space is limited. | | | | Reads : 1513 |
Back...
| Comments: |
|
| No comments on this topic yet. Be the first one to submit a comment. |
|
Back...
|
|
|
|
