Teams of students from Seneca Polytechnic's School of Public Safety recently demonstrated their outstanding skills at the Inter-collegiate CSI Challenge, a competition that tested their abilities in crime scene investigation, forensic knowledge and teamwork.
The event was a resounding success, with three of the top five teams consisting of Seneca students.
The 2025 Inter-collegiate CSI Challenge was won by Camese Olivia Thompson-Broomes, Sofia Baiocchi and Margaret Nott of Seneca Polytechnic.
The experiential learning event took place at Humber Polytechnic's North Campus in early February but the students' work began much earlier. Participants formed teams of three with each team consisting of an interviewer, a photographer and a sketch artist. Once assembled, teams spent weeks preparing for the competition day.
Seneca student Sonia Baiocchi said the weeks of training allowed her and her teammates to gain additional hands-on experience with the skills that will be required of them as professionals.
"The training provided us an opportunity to grow as a team, take in mentorship advice and improve our passion for similar fields," she said.
When the big day came, each team was presented with an identical simulated crime scene. Teams then had to gather evidence, interview witnesses and compile a case report for a panel of judges.
Ms. Baiocchi and her teammates Margaret Nott and Camese Olivia Thompson-Broomes - all students in Seneca's Honours Bachelor of Crime & Intelligence Analysis program - clearly impressed the judges, as they were awarded first place.
"I love that we got to utilize all the equipment that real investigators would use and put all of our training into action," said Ms. Thompson-Broomes.
Seneca Polytechnic student Azra Yanasik collects evidence during the Inter-collegiate CSI Challenge.
It was a strong showing for all Seneca students at the event - the team of Rebecca Crossman, Ashor Oshana and Odesho Sada landed second place, while Emma Banton, Julia Iacoucci and Azra Yanasik finished fifth. In total, 15 teams from the seven postsecondary institutions took part in the event.
The Inter-collegiate CSI Challenge launched in 2024 and is co-organized by Glenn Barenthin, Seneca Professor, School of Public Safety, and Debbie Harris, a professor at Humber.
