TIFFIN, OH (WTOL) - Criminal forensic students at Tiffin University received an explosive education Wednesday.
It was a loud morning at the Hanson Aggregates Midwest quarry near Bloomville as the Franklin County Bomb Squad setup and set off more than a dozen different homemade explosives.
"It's all about chemistry, happening very fast is what it is. And I can't do this in the chem lab, because we have a brand new chem lab and I don't want to blow it up," said Tiffin University assistant professor of chemistry John Schupp.
It was a demonstration for a group of Tiffin University Students studying criminalistics and forensic science.
Their chemistry professor, John Schupp, figured there is no better education than a first hand experience.
"Versus a PowerPoint and sitting in the classroom and just writing notes and doing whatever, they're actually out here investigating something." said Schupp.
"Just knowing that as a junior I already know a breakdown of all of the chemicals that are being used. And it's very beneficial to see from our perspective how they make them and how everything operates," said Ashley Canankamp, who is majoring in Criminalistics and minoring in Forensic Science.
The bomb squad used multiple home made explosives, tartarite, and even C-4 to give the students a well rounded understanding of how each different type of explosive works.
And the members of the Franklin County bomb squad not only showed these students the true power of the explosions, but also how to properly investigate the aftermath.
After the smoke settled, the students went over the scene, looking for the clues that professional bomb squads and forensic investigators identify.
"Something that I can tell my future employers, 'Hey, this is something that I've done,' and it is very neat that I can see this today. Especially coming from a small town like Tiffin," said Roy Rashke, who is double majoring in Criminalistics and Law Enforcement.
More information on Tiffin University's criminal justice programs can be found here.
