COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. — Every week millions of viewers tune into the top-rated show on television, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigators.” In less than an hour the investigators manage to find clues that help them solve complicated crimes.
Z.G. Standing Bear, coordinator of Forensic Health Science endeavors at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs’ Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences and a 24-year Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, knows the reality of what goes on in investigating crimes.
“For forensic scientists, the only thing the show achieves is to drive up our blood pressure,” he says.
Standing Bear will share his insight into the world of forensic science at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 15 during the monthly Café Scientifique. His presentation and discussion “Forensic Junk Science: Beyond the Tube” will address the darker side to forensic science that viewers don’t see on television or in documentaries. The Café will be at the Warehouse, 25 W. Cimarron. The event is free and open to the public.
The Colorado Café Scientifique is organized by an informal group of faculty from CU-Colorado Springs and other institutions along the Front Range. It’s an idea that started in England and was based on the French Café Philosophique. The public is encouraged to attend.
“We want people to get interested in science. The U.S. population isn’t very scientifically literate,” explains Tom Huber, associate vice chancellor for research and dean of the graduate school. “Science is fun. Ideas are fun.”
CU-Colorado Springs, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in northeast Colorado Springs, is the fastest growing university in Colorado and one of the fastest growing universities in the nation. The university offers 25 bachelor’s degrees, 17 master’s and two doctoral degrees. The campus enrolls about 7,800 students annually.