Four-Day Forensic Workshop Preview
Day 1
Introduction to forensics
Hair and Fiber Analysis
Microscopic analysis of hair.
* Participants will prepare slides of their own hair and
will do a comparative analysis of found at a crime scene and hair found on a suspect.
- Participants will distinguish between animal and human hair.
- Participants will learn how to make a “poor man’s comparative
microscope by using a digital camera, microscope and computer.
Fiber analysis:
Burn test for fiber analysis
Fiber - weave pattern analysis
Pollen as a source of trace evidence
Participants will prepare microscopic slides of pollen.
Comparative analysis of pollen can help link a suspect to:
- crime scene
- victim
Pollen provides clues for not only of location, but also indicates the time of the year a crime was committed.
Participants will learn how to measure pollen under a microscope.
Participants will learn how to use a digital camera to produce excellent photos
of pollen viewed under the microscope.
Blood spatter analysis
Participants will explore how blood spatter helps to recreate a crime scene.
Participants will perform experiments demonstrating:
- effect of height on blood spatter
- effect of different surfaces on blood spatter
- angle of impact
- lines of convergence
- area of origin
From several drops of blood, participants will be able to determine:
- number of incidences
- source of blood from a 2-dimensional perspective
- angle of impact for each drop of blood
- source of blood in a 3 dimensional perspective
This area of forensics is an excellent example of how forensics integrates
math, biology, chemistry, and physics.
Participants should bring along a calculator with sine and tangent functions.
Fingerprinting
How are fingerprints produced?
When are fingerprints formed?
What are the major patterns?
How are minutiae used in fingerprint analysis?
How are algorithms used in fingerprint analysis?
Participants will analyze fingerprint patterns, produce a ten-card, and will lift latent fingerprints.
Day 2
DNA analysis
Review the process of DNA fingerprinting or gel electrophoresis
Participants will solve crimes, paternity cases and identify family
relationships using information gained from DNA
fingerprinting.
Participants will perform Gel Electrophoresis and use that data
to determine if a suspect’s DNA matches the DNA found
At a crime scene.
Participants will distinguish between mitochondria DNA and nuclear
DNA and discuss the role each plays in forensics
Participants will review the case of Anastasia using DNAi and NOVA
Video. Was Anna Anderson the long lost Anastasia? See how
DNA evidence was used to solve this real-life mystery.
Tool Marks
Participants will examine tool mark impressions left at a crime scene and compare
Those marks with tool mark impressions made from different tools.
Learn how to prepare your own tool mark impression demonstration board
Bones Forensic Anthropology
Discover how bones provide clues to ones:
Age
Sex
Race
Occupation
Participants will work a skull, pelvis, humerus and femur from the Wards’ Sherlock Bones Kit. Through examination and measurements, the participants will try to determine the age, sex and race of the skeletal remains.
In addition to performing the Wards Sherlock Bones lab, participants will
Also use a CD prepared by the Bertinos’ that facilitates the lab activity.
Teeth
Discover how teeth are used to identify a victim.
Participants will prepare their own bite mark impressions and learn how to
Prepare an analysis of a suspect’s bite mark with the bite marks found on a victim
Faces
View the computer program “Faces” used to create an artist “sketch” of a suspect.
Day 3
Ballistics
Participants will be able to distinguish between different types of firearms,
bullets, and shot.
A review of the anatomy of a bullet, the firing of a bullet and bullet markings
will be discussed.
By reviewing spent cartridge shells, models of bullets (Wards) and photographs of
bullets, participants will discover what type of evidence is used to help
identify a specific bullet to a specific firearm.
Different forms of ballistic evidence will be reviewed including: lands and
grooves, gun shot residue testing, microscopic comparison of cartridge shells.
Participant will use various models used to identify the trajectory of a bullet.
Participants will use mathematics to help reconstruct a crime scene using ballistic evidence.
Soil and Sand
Participants will perform several investigations that can be used to help identify
If a soil or sand sample matches the soil or sand sample obtained from a
Crime scene. These investigations include:
Microscopic analysis
Sedimentation jars
Physical and chemical testing of the samples
Glass
Participants will review how different types of glass are produced.
Several investigations will be performed to help identify is the glass found at a
crime scene matches glass found on a suspect. These tests include:
Density testing
Refractive index
Tire and Footprint Impressions
Participants will discover how foot and or tire impressions can link a suspect to
a crime scene.
Participants will produce their own shoe and or tire impressions using various methods such as: plaster of Paris impression, inked impressions or ink-less impressions.
Participants will take various measurements, use calculations to try to identify
a specific tire or foot impression.
Day 4
Drugs
Participants will review the different types of drugs.
Several investigations will be performed that demonstrate how a particular drug can be
identified using different chemical tests that simulate the actual lab testing of a drug.
Insect and forensic entomology
Participants will review the various types of insects used in the field of insect entomology.
(Wards cards are especially useful for this preliminary activity). The concept of
insect succession on a dead body will be reviewed.
Participants will review the life cycle of a Blow-fly and will distinguish between
the various stages of insect developmental stages using magnifying
lenses, stereomicroscopes and compound microscopes.
Participants will view live specimens and identify the life stage of the insect.
Suggestions on how to raise blowflies will be demonstrated.
Participants will determine time of death based on insect evidence.
Chromatography
Participants will discover through experimentation how the process of
chromatography can be used to help link a particular suspect to
evidence found at the crime scene.
Other methods of chromatography will be discussed.
Handwriting and forgery
Participants will discover how to identify a particular person’ handwriting.
Participants will determine which suspect wrote a ransom note using the
techniques of handwriting identification.
Case studies of different types of forgeries will be reviewed along with the
Evidence used to solve the crime
Wards Materials used at the four day workshop include:
Hair and fiber prepared slides
Blood Spatter Analysis Kit
Sherlock Bones Kit
Glass Refraction Kit
Fingerprint ink-less pads
Fingerprint inked pads
DNA Gel Electrophoresis Kit
Cartridge Family
Trajectory Models
Insect Entomology Cards
Chromatography paper
Chemicals used for the Drug identification labs
Digital microscope
Faces program
Sedimentation Columns for Soil