BOARDMAN — The FBI has several high-tech and innovative geophysical tools in its arsenal, courtesy of its collaboration with Youngstown State University.

“We can’t do it all ourselves. A lot of our innovation comes from partners like YSU,” Greg Nelsen, special agent in charge of the bureau’s Cleveland office, said.

Specifically, Nelsen expressed gratitude to Tom Jordan and Jeff Dick, both of whom are professors in the university’s Department of Physics, Astronomy, Geology and Environmental Sciences.

Their department also was the recipient of the FBI Directors Communication Leadership Award during a special ceremony Tuesday at the bureau’s Youngstown Resident Agency.

The local office is a resident agency of the FBI’s Cleveland Division Field Office.

Jordan and Dick discussed three key pieces of technology that can be used to pinpoint locations of buried human remains and other vital crime-scene evidence: ground-penetrating radar, electromagnetic induction and a newer device called a gradiometer, which is a surveying instrument that measures the gradient of an energy field. Gradiometers can help to locate vehicles criminals may have buried to hide evidence, for example, Jordan said.

After the event, Jordan demonstrated the use of a ground-penetrating radar device, which somewhat resembles a lawn mower and uses a variety of radio frequencies to obtain high-resolution images of the surface. A global positioning system is attached that picks up satellite images and data, then feeds them into a common iPad that corresponds with built-in Wi-Fi capabilities to allow it to detect clandestine burial sites in a minimally invasive manner.

“We can locate them and get the depths, and the forensics team can come in and do what they do,” Jordan explained.

In addition, determining the type of soil surface can aid in allowing crime-scene investigators to locate more accurately possible human remains and cadavers, he said. Jordan added that special software allows investigators to get a better 3-D look at evidence sites and assists YSU with research efforts.

Electromagnetic induction is the production of electromotive voltage across an inductor in a changing magnetic field. It has numerous applications that include everything from forensics to powering numerous electrical devices.

The technology also can be pivotal in finding missing persons and providing answers to loved ones. In addition, all of it can be done without disrupting other potential evidence, Dick said.

He added a research site in Columbiana County is used to conduct simulations with pigs as proxies to further assist with such efforts. The location is confidential, however, Dick said.

Nelsen recalled after the Cleveland office had received and assessed information from a tip regarding a missing persons case, the YSU team offered the equipment and expertise that led to discovering further leads and “saving countless FBI man hours and exposing geological information that would have otherwise been concealed.”

“We are proud of the work by the Youngstown State team to bond the fields of science, technology and investigation that augment the work of the FBI’s Evidence Response Team,” he said. “The department’s commitment to enrich student learning through real-world engagement and collaboration further solidifies the worthiness of this award.”

The YSU students and professors also were sensitive to methods related to and the fragility of evidence detection, he added.

The FBI’s Leadership Award, established in 1990, is a means for the bureau’s field offices to recognize individuals or organizations that have significantly contributed to helping the FBI and other law-enforcement bodies further educate about and prevent violent crime, said Susan Licate, public affairs officer with the agency’s Cleveland office.

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