Security
focus of biotechnical conference
By
Michelle Spalter
On-line Forty-Niner
A
group of eighteen hand-chosen criminal justice
students attended the 10th annual Biotechnical
Security Conference June 21 through 25 in
Washington, D.C. to learn how to provide
security for the nations top political figures.
Second
year criminal justice major, Rachel Wiedemann,
said the highlight of the trip was getting
to see President George Bush. Thomas Rich,
director of Homeland Security, and Bush
were among the officials who attended the
conference.
Just
knowing that we were there to learn how
to help protect the president, "was
an amazing feeling," Weidemann said.
Harv
Morley, the group's adviser and a professor
of criminal justice, takes select students
to a political event. For the past three
years, that event has been the Biotechnical
Security Conference.
"The
criminal justice department fully supports
activities that take theory and show them
in a practical setting," Morley said.
"As their professor and advisor, I
try to provide students with the greatest
range of activities to enhance their academic
careers. The university is aggressively
pursuing service learning and this trip
is the optimum of service learning."
The
annual conference gives scientists and politicians
a chance to discuss and introduce the latest
technology and research regarding biotechnology.
This year parts of the conference were held
at the Smithsonian Institution and the Union
Station.
"This
trip is a lot of work," senior Sean
Kelly said. "When you have only five
days to spend in the nation's capital and
you are working 14 hours a day, you come
to realize that this trip is not for fun."
This
seemed to be the general feeling coming
from the students about their experience.
Heidi Chavez, a fifth year student who had
attended the conference in Toronto last
year said that this trip was easier because
she already knew what to do.
The
trip included daily seminars and classes
providing a forum for the students to discuss
relevant issues and what they might have
learned at the conference throughout the
week. In addition to on site learning and
daily reports, students were required to
complete a project due at the end of the
conference.
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