This 10 week class for high school students focuses on the scientific and legal issues surrounding a variety of evidence types.  We begin with core concepts that guide forensic scientists, as well as issues that are vital when evidence is transferred from the crime lab to the court room.  

When we cover a type of evidence, such as fingerprints, we will delve into the science behind each specific items.  For instance, with fingerprints, we will look at electron microscope images of volar pad development in the hands and feet of a 10.5 week old fetus and discuss the rippling of a semi-elastic layer in the developing skin that allows for the formation of friction ridges and therein, our fingerprints.

The topics will include:
Fingerprints
Blood and DNA
Shoe Evidence
Hair and Trace Evidence
Forensic Entomology, Botany, Geology, and Palynology
Questioned Documents
Forensic Anthropology
Forensic Environmental Analysis

We will utilize case studies, and students will have to use what they learn to figure out the types of challenges that forensic scientists face.