Internships / Shadowing / Tours

Internship Program and Shadow Experiences

The Westchester County Division of Forensic Sciences is pleased to be able to offer internships or shadow opportunities to college students from the Tri-State area and shadow opportunities to local high school students interested in pursuing a career in forensic science.  More information regarding eligibility can be found in the College and High School sections of this document.

Our Internship Program is designed to meet the needs of college students in Forensic Science majors who require an internship as part of their core curriculum. Forensic Science students who do not require an internship and students majoring in related laboratory sciences will be considered based on availability. As an intern, you may observe the analysis of physical evidence in the following areas: Forensic Biology (DNA), Trace Evidence, Forensic Chemistry, and Forensic Imaging.  Non-lab related projects may be available on a very limited basis. We do not have the capacity to mentor or otherwise guide students needing research projects. Our Shadow opportunity is a short-term experience designed for students at the High School level or above to spend time observing the analysis of physical evidence in the Forensic Biology (DNA), Trace Evidence, Forensic Chemistry, and Forensic Imaging sections of the Division of Forensic Science Services. High School students will only be offered the shadow experience option.

Additional requirements for interns and shadows

You will be required to submit an elimination buccal sample (oral swab) if you are accepted for an internship or a shadow experience. This is required for you to be able to observe analysts during the examination process and the DNA analysis of evidence. A profile from your buccal sample will be generated and this profile will be added to the laboratory’s staff database. Your profile will be checked against DNA profiles generated from evidence (crime scene and exemplar specimens) as a quality control measure to detect possible unintended contamination of that evidence by anyone present in exam rooms/DNA laboratories, but it will not be uploaded to any other databases or given to any outside agencies (law enforcement, district attorney’s office, etc.). Your profile will be marked for deletion 6 months after your last day here. You can be notified once the deletion has taken place upon request.

In addition, you will also be required to sign a Confidentiality & Conflict of Interest Policy Agreement.

If you have any questions regarding the buccal sample and/or the agreement, please put them in the questions/comments section of the application.

College Students – Internships/Shadows

Applicants must either attend a college/university within the Tri-State area or reside in NYS, and be in an undergraduate program. Westchester County residents will be considered before non-Westchester County residents. In general, students must be enrolled in school during the term of the internship, should be in at least their Junior year when applying, and must be in good academic standing in a Forensic Science program or a closely related laboratory sciences program.

The Forensic laboratory distributes applications for internships to college students twice yearly to be considered for winter intersession and summer breaks. 

To receive an application, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. on or after the distribution start date above.  After you send us your completed application we will let you know that we have received it.  We will also send you another email explaining the status of your application, in approximately one month.

If you have any further questions or require additional information regarding the internship program, contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  and we will respond to your email as soon as we can.

Shadow requests may be sent at any time to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will respond to your email as soon as we can.

High School Students – Shadows Only

Applicants must reside and attend school in Westchester County, NY. If you are interested in a shadowing opportunity or have any questions, contact the laboratory at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and include the name of your high school and grade level.

Tours

The Division of Forensic Sciences offers tours of the county's Forensic laboratory. These tours are typically offered to local legal entities (e.g., prosecutors and defense attorneys), local area colleges, and Westchester County high schools. Please be aware that due to staffing and casework responsibilities, the laboratory must limit the number of tours and the number of individuals on each tour. Groups larger than 20 cannot be accommodated and will be asked to create smaller groups to visit on different days.  The laboratory does not accommodate individual tours.  

To start the process of requesting a tour, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please include the following in your email: preferred date(s) and time(s), your institution name and address, the total amount of individuals you are requesting to attend the tour, and the mode of transportation (for parking needs). A coordinator will respond to your request.

Thank you for your interest.