2-week Academy: July 11 – July 24, 2026
- Move-in: July 11
- Orientation: July 12
- Move-out: July 25
Application dates are available on the Application Information page.
This immersive two-week residential program introduces high school students to the scientific principles and investigative techniques used in modern forensic science. Through hands-on lab work, mock crime scene investigation, and analysis of real-world case studies, students will explore how evidence is collected, processed, and interpreted across disciplines such as toxicology, DNA analysis, fingerprinting, and trace evidence examination.
Participants will discover how forensic scientists apply biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics to address real-world legal questions. The program emphasizes the importance of precision, clear communication and documentation, preparing students to present scientific findings effectively in both written reports and oral testimony.
Students will engage directly with experts from fields including chemistry, anthropology, criminology, ballistics and investigative science to gain insight into the highly specialized and collaborative nature of forensic work.
In addition to technical skills, students will develop the ability to construct persuasive scientific arguments and communicate findings to diverse audiences. Through structured lab work, case study analysis, and interdisciplinary journal discussions, participants will gain insight into how forensic scientists collaborate across disciplines to uncover truth and support justice.
Features
Learning outcomes:
- Identify important forensic science methods across a selection of disciplines in criminology, anthropology, molecular biology, genetics and chemistry, with attention to applied research outcomes that is favorable in the court of law
- Critically assess techniques to identify how researchers across different disciplines and professions evaluate the importance and value of evidence
- Develop the skills to locate existing details and assess it for credibility and applicability to the crime investigation
- Apply techniques to evidence to elucidate factual data to convincingly be understood by academic, professional, and general audiences
- Establish standards in forensic science to exonerate or implicate individuals in mock case studies
Syllabus: coming soon
Prerequisites
Students must have successfully completed at least one year of a lab-based science course prior to the start of the program.
Dr. Tina Morgan Ross is the associate director of the Master of Chemical Sciences Program at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. Previously, she was the codirector of the Forensic Science MS program at Drexel Medicine from August 2018 to August 2021. She worked as a project manager at Tindey Technologies LLC, focusing on intellectual property challenges, laboratory safety, and expert witness, while also teaching at Ursinus College, Immaculata College, West Chester University, and Drexel University College of Medicine from 2013 to 2018. From 1988 to 2011, she worked for several pharmaceutical companies in drug discovery as a medicinal chemist, most recently Hoffman-La Roche (Nutley, NJ) and Johnson & Johnson PRD (Spring House, PA).
