VIDEO: Gustafson House serves new role for Forensic Science
President Armacost meets with Associate Professor Lavinia Iancu at the Gustafson House — UND’s Forensic Science lab
For his latest biweekly video, President Andrew Armacost meets with Assistant Professor Lavinia Iancu, program director and graduate director for UND’s Forensic Science program, in the Gustafson House.
Iancu is also a fellow and section chair for the American Academy of Forensic Sciences’ Pathology/Biology section and serves as president of the North Dakota Chapter of the Fulbright Association.
On the banks of the English Coulee, the Gustafson House has stood for much of UND’s history. First built as the home of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, and later serving as an office space, the building now serves as a classroom and lab that Iancu and her students use as a realistic training space for crime scene investigation.
Iancu talks with Armacost about how the Forensic Science program has grown over the past few years and how the house has allowed for a high standard of hands-on education and job preparation for aspiring students in the Department of Criminal Justice.
Students — decked out in full hazmat suits — get immersed in all stages of crime scene investigation, including photography, dusting for prints and packaging evidence.
Iancu also says that the program is in the final stages of earning accreditation from the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission, referred to as FEPAC, which would position UND as the only university in the upper Midwest — and one of only 20 nationwide — to hold such a designation for its forensic science degree programs.
The department has also recently introduced a graduate degree to the program.
To help fill the space and make the house even better for simulation purposes, Iancu calls on the campus community to consider donating household items, as well as equipment such as gloves that can be of use to students.
The Forensic Science program is active on social media including Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, and more information can be found on the UND website. Iancu also invites people to contact her if they’re interested in learning more.
