PDF version - College of Lake County

More documents

Recommendations

Info

COVER STORY Artist behind the mask continued from page 5 mask whenever he walks through an airport, or “rat maze” as he calls it. “Our challenge is to not live in a rut, but our lives can so easily go there.” Semmerling’s mask-making seminars and summer camps complement his mask sales, which he says are seasonal. Peak times include Mardi Gras and Halloween. Masquerade weddings are a newer niche, and he’s seeing more operas among his commercial clients. Jennifer Caprio, resident costume designer for Minneapolis’ Mill City Summer Opera, hired Semmerling to create masks for commedia clowns Nedda and Canio in the opera “Pagliacci.” “The masks were lightweight, sturdy and breathable, which made the opera singers very happy,” Caprio said. “They were just beautiful to look at, and the craftsmanship was the best I’ve ever seen.” This spring, Jeff Semmerling was named as CLC’s nominee for the statewide 2013 Distinguished Alumnus Award sponsored by the Illinois Community College Trustees Association. In November, Jeff’s studio will relocate to a much larger space in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood. To learn more about him, visit www.maskartists.com. Above: Mill City Summer Opera production of “Pagliacci.” Photo © Michal Daniel, 2012. Below: Animal masks om Florida Grande Opera’s production of “Romeo and Juliet,” 2012. Jeff in his ubiquitous “smile” mask. 6 | COLLEGE OF LAKE COUNTY
ALUMNI PROFILE Sarah Owen is portrayed in a typical lab setting at the Grayslake campus to demonstrate the actual tools she uses in her profession. The college has an evidence microscope available for classroom use. Real-life Crime Sleuths On television crime dramas, the life of evidence sleuths is filled with glamour and drama. The reality is far different, our experts say. Asleek crime fighter wearing a leather jacket, sunglasses and stilettos speeds to a crime scene in a Hummer. The evidence she collects is rushed to the lab, the findings processed in minutes with state-of-the-art equipment. Her razor sharp intuition is confirmed. The DNA of the culprit everyone else fails to suspect is all over the evidence. So goes a typical plotline of wildly popular crime shows like “CSI.” The reality is far different, as judged by the experiences of criminal justice experts such as forensic scientist Sarah Owen (’03), adjunct professor and police commander John Briscoe, and network security analysts Ken Kerasek and Sunshine Voelker, who received training in CLC’s digital forensics program. What happens at rapid-fire pace in an hour crime show in reality often involves slow, methodical work and little glamour. Obtaining a DNA sample, for example, often means examining clothing and bedding that can be blood-soaked or stained with semen or saliva. It’s part of the job, like painstakingly piecing evidence together. “They (television characters) do blood work or some fingerprinting, and the suspect’s face pops up on a screen in a matter of seconds, showing who it matches,” said Owen, who holds a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, with a concentration in criminalistics. “There aren’t computer systems out there to do that,” she said, shaking her head. In the real world, it can take weeks to analyze a piece of evidence, have it peer reviewed and produce a final report, Owen said. Continued to page 8 ALUMNEWS | 7
Page 1 and 2: AlumNews PUBLISHED FOR GRADUATES OF
Page 3 and 4: COVER STORY Artist Behind the Mask
Page 5: COVER STORY Semmerling (center) dem
Page 9 and 10: COLLEGE FOCUS From Silo to Hoop Hou
Page 11 and 12: CONTINUING EDUCATION Lifelong Learn
Page 13 and 14: COLLEGE FOUNDATION A Dream Fulfille
Page 15 and 16: NEWS ROUNDUP Keep learning, busines

PDF version - College of Lake County

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?