A classroom on Indiana University Northwest’s Dunes Medical/Professional Building’s second floor was transformed into a mock crime scene Thursday — complete with shell casings, dummies and red fluids.

Participants of a university summer camp had the opportunity to learn to be investigators with the Gary Police Department.

“I think this is great,” said Cmdr. Justin Clark with the Gary Police Department’s investigative services. “It helps bridge the gap between us and the public. IUN is kind of giving us that gateway, that bridge to that.”

The Gary Police Department this week was one partner with IUN to host a free forensic investigations camp for incoming high school juniors and seniors. Other partners included the sexual assault nurse examiners and the Indiana State Police’s Forensic Lab.

The camp was from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with the final day spent learning how to investigate and putting their skills to the test with a mock crime scene.

Students learned from Gary Police Department officers, specifically those in the crime scene investigators unit, which helps with evidence collection, identification and preservation.

The crime scenario transported campers to the 600 block of Grant Street, where officers were dispatched for reports of shots fired.

In the scenario, officers were made aware of a gunshot victim in the street and advised that a white SUV might have been involved in the shooting.When students arrived at the mock crime scene, they found John Doe with multiple gunshot wounds, with shell casings and red fluids lining the floor. Students took pictures of the scene and helped identify what the police could use as evidence.

Amari Roberson, an incoming senior at Merrillville High School, said she was surprised to learn how much she liked forensics after four days of camp.

Roberson initially wanted to work in the medical field, and she signed up for the camp to see how it could relate to science.

“(The camp) definitely made me question what I want to do,” she said. “It was really cool.”

Roberson also enjoyed listening to speakers and participating in the different activities through the camp. She liked that students were given an opportunity to solve crimes.

“It was a lot more interesting and fun than I thought it would be,” she said.

Roberson was also surprised by how many different career routes she could take with forensics. Monica Solinas-Saunders, IUN associate professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, said forensics involves both science and law knowledge, which surprises some students.

The forensics camp was created to form a new community of students interested in forensics and to build interest for its newly formed forensic science bachelor’s degree, Solinas-Saunders said.

The forensic science degree has three tracks — bioforensics, chemistry forensics and criminalistics. The program’s first cohort should graduate in 2027, Solinas-Saunders said, and after two cohorts graduate, it will be accredited.

“We also thought of the camp as a way to say thank you to the community because the community is very engaged with the School of Public and Environmental Affairs,” Solinas-Saunders said. “The kids in Lake County deserve a camp where they can learn more about forensic science and have fun.”

For Solinas-Saunders, it’s exciting to watch students get more interested in forensics throughout the camp’s four days. She looks forward to seeing more students learn as the camp grows.

“This program belongs to the community,” she said. “They have just been very supportive, not just with money, but also with daily professional experience that they share with us, and we couldn’t be more thankful.”

mwilkins@chicagotribune.com