At Sam Houston State University, professors can provide students with firsthand experiences thanks to community collaborations. Chemistry professor Darren Williams has partnered with Huntsville Police Department (HPD) for 10 years, allowing his students to benefit from meeting and interacting with crime scene investigators and learning about the resources the department uses for real investigations.
Williams was able to establish the partnership thanks to a gap between his third and final exams for the forensic chemistry course he leads. Instead of cramming in more textbook chapters and other material, he decided to look outward.
A chance encounter with then-sergeant Ken Foulch at a local event led to the professor and sergeant discussing his course and the possibility of a tour of HPD. Williams knew this would offer his senior-level students a great opportunity to be exposed to a potential career environment.
As Williams explained, students get to connect with numerous aspects of the work handled by the police department. Their tour encompasses the divisions of patrol, training, victim services and investigations. They also are taken to the evidence storage facility, to understand the chain of custody and how it moves through each of the divisions before ending in storage.
Overall, students throughout the years have expressed gratitude for the opportunity to tour HPD. In the end-of-semester student feedback, they refer to the tour as a positive experience for learning real-life applications of lessons and for giving them a break from the standard lecture. Williams, though, has had the joy of witnessing their appreciation of the trip firsthand.
