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Forensic Science as First Year Seminar

Forensic Science as First Year Seminar. CWCS Session 37 July 29, 2008 Victoria Collins, Warren Wilson College. Benefits of CWCS Workshop. Skills, techniques and confidence to try things Great resources and bibliography See my website for experiments, tips, sources and suppliers

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Forensic Science as First Year Seminar

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  1. Forensic Science as First Year Seminar CWCS Session 37 July 29, 2008 Victoria Collins, Warren Wilson College

  2. Benefits of CWCS Workshop • Skills, techniques and confidence to try things • Great resources and bibliography • See my website for experiments, tips, sources and suppliers • www.warren-wilson.edu/~vcollins/forensic_fys

  3. Goals For New Students • Engage students – retention to graduation • Popular topic – J. Chem. Educ. June 2008 • Group identity - peer group • Critical thinking skills • Writing and library use • Research paper on historical crimes • Excite students about chemistry

  4. Reading and Writing • Saferstein: Criminalistics • Crime Case studies • Audri Kowalyk’s series • Other print and on line sources • Laboratory reports show need for documentation

  5. Trace evidence and chemistry • Chemistry of glass and fibers • Hair microscopy • Refractive index • Glass fragments show source and fracture www.tate.org.uk/research/tateresearch/ tatepapers/05spring/freemantle.htm www.fbi.gov

  6. Blood Spatters and Bite Marks • Reconstruction by geometry • Distance from surface • Trigonometry gives angles • Get animal blood from veterinary labs • Look at dental records – learn anatomy • Bite marks on styrofoam plates www.deviantcrimes.com www.nlm.nih.gov/visibleproofs/media

  7. Forensic Anthropology • Cool anatomy lessons • Find bones from biology, anthropology departments and Bone Clones • Relate to social sciences and history • Radiocarbon dating activity for Gen chem www.boneclones.com/BC-199.htm

  8. Drug Analysis: Surprisingly easy chemistry • Field test kits inexpensive • False positives with lab chemicals • Confirmatory tests using GC/MS • Cocaine on money: see U. Buffalo’s Center for Case Studies in Science • 1 mg standards available without license • Spike fake urine or blood

  9. Arson using GC • Make fire debris • Headspace SPME • GC- FID • Adaptable for HS • See case study

  10. DNA Analysis • Commercial kits cost about $150 for class • Thermocycler, electrophoresis from Biology Department • Students can understand STR and probabilities • Worth long class /www.teagasc.ie/research/reports

  11. Crime Scene • Victim was possible drug dealer • Willing actors: girlfriend, jealous suitor, drug kingpin • Should solidify group • Students timid about tracking down suspects http://www.threeskins.com/acatalog/cri0613_s.jpg

  12. Success/ Disappointment • Popular topic – upper class demand • Writing successful • Ideas for other chem courses • Student retention in college <60% • 30% of returning students chem majors • Lack of teamwork on crime scene

  13. Looking Back and Ahead • CWCS workshop extremely valuable • Check my website: www.warren-wilson.edu/~vcollins/forensic_fys • Lots more links, recipes and tips on guns, explosives, fingerprints….

  14. Alcohol • Intoxilyzer uses IR: explain in gen chem • Redox chemistry of dichromate oxidation • Toxicology for freshmen

  15. Special Issues • All freshmen • Divergent interests • Advising new students • Introduction to library • Napoleon and As poisoning? • Required research paper on historical crimes www.ualberta.ca/~xcle/arsenic.html

  16. Fingerprinting • Easy activity for pre-college groups • Classification of prints • Dusting powders, fluorescent and colored • Techniques for latent prints • Ninhydrin • Super glue • Simple crime scene blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene/2006/03/22/index.html

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