On Friday December 7th, 2007 the 7th grade honors science students, under the instruction of Ms. Denise Skinner, were visited by Dr. Jason Byrd, a board certified forensic entomologist and Diplomat of the American Board of Forensic Entomology. He currently is the Bureau Chief of Biological Control for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Dr. Byrd also is a professor at the University of Florida, combining his formal academic training in entomology, forensic science, criminal justice, and law, Dr. Byrd regularly consults in both criminal and civil legal investigations, and even the popular TV show CSI. He specializes in the education of traditional academic students, law enforcement officials, medical examiners, coroners, attorneys and other death investigators on the use of applicability of anthropods in legal investigations.Dr. Byrd has been involved in the collection and analysis of entomological evidence for over 15 years. His research focused on the development and behavior of insects that have forensic importance as well as computer modeling of insect growth on human remains. Dr. Byrd is a member of both the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the Entomological Society of America.Dr. Byrd’s visit enhanced the forensics unit that Mrs. Skinner and Deputy Erick Kuleski were completing with the honors students in unison with their studies of the human body. As a culminating activity, students played the role of crime scene investigators and had to process scientific evidence to solve a mock murder mystery that occurred on campus. |  |
