Alana Crawford Studies Forensics and CSI at Michigan Tech This Summer

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Alana Crawford

HOUGHTON, MI (08/08/2011)(readMedia)-- It's like the best of summer camp and school rolled into one. Hundreds of high school students spent a week or more exploring dozens of different fields of study at Michigan Tech over the summer. They lived in residence halls, took classes and enjoyed the unique recreational opportunities in the UP.

Michigan Tech's Summer Youth Programs and Scholarship Programs, which end this week, had something for just about everyone--from sixth through 12th grade. Seven categories of explorations included business, computing, engineering, humanities and social sciences, leadership, outdoor and environmental studies, and science and technology. Classes ranged from the predictable to the astounding: the wide world of chemistry, computer graphics, motor sports, molten metals and plastics, and blacksmithing, to name a few.

This summer was Detroiter Alana Crawford's second at Michigan Tech. The 13-year-old, who wants to be a doctor, took a popular course called "Forensics and CSI," where she learned how forensic scientists solve crimes though analysis of DNA, blood typing and splatter, hair and fibers and facial reconstruction.

She and her classmates examined bones and tooth impressions and worked in teams to investigate and solve a mock crime scene. "I thought it was going to be a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun," Crawford said. She is an eighth grader at St. Clare of Montefalco Catholic School. "The things we do here are so different from what we do in school," she said. "Everything is so hands-on."

Crawford is the daughter of Adam and Yolanda Crawford.

Michigan Technological University (www.mtu.edu) is a leading public research university developing new technologies and preparing students to create the future for a prosperous and sustainable world. Michigan Tech offers more than 130 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering; forest resources; computing; technology; business; economics; natural, physical and environmental sciences; arts; humanities; and social sciences.