Forensics
Although I have been interested in forensics for many years, the cost of textbooks, for student use for a part of a course, was too prohibitive. In May 1993, there were 5 excellent short articles printed in Chemistry in Britain (the monthly journal from the Royal Society of Chemistry). Using the 5 articles for class text material, I started teaching hands-on forensics in the classroom in the Fall of 1993, writing the hands-on activities/experiments myself. Currently, the forensics portion of my course contains the following activities and information along with articles from a number of sources which are provided to my students on a CD-ROM.
General Articles
Chemistry in Britain articles Five short articles from the May 1993 issue of Chemistry in Britain:
Traces of poison , by Bill Wilson
Material evidence , by Martin Salter and Ken Wiggins
Size is no object , by Robin H. Keeley
High and dry , by Bill Wilson
A low profile , by Stephen T. Jones
Intro and Physical Evidence
Intro and Physical Evidence This is the information for the initial class on forensics.
Blood drop studies
Bloodstain patterns . An activity investigating bloodstains with fake, home-made blood.
Court TV Projects
Court TV has produced five investigations for the classroom. These files are available on the Court TV website.
DNA
We use the BioRad Forensic DNA Fingerprinting Kit for class. This is an excellent introduction to DNA analysis. You will need micropipettes, a constant temperature bath, a microcentrifuge, and electrophoresis apparatus for this laboratory experiment. The kit description is on the BioRad Life Science Education web site under Classroom Kits.
The Forensic DNA Fingerprinting Kit Instruction Manual is available on the BioRad Life Science Education web site under the Kit Instruction Manuals link.
DNA Isolation Instructions on isolating DNA using household materials.
Drugs
Drug Testing Testing over-the-counter drugs. Similar to laboratory drug testing, but using non-controlled substances. A complete kit for this investigation is available from Flinn Scientific (Catalog no. AP5603)
Charts of Commonly Abused Drugs can be found at the DEA (U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration) and NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) web siites.
Consumer Reports magazine published an excellent book Licit and Illicit Drugs. This is a link to that book online.
Fingerprints
Fingerprint Card A fingerprint card. These are supplied in class. These cards are purchased from Tri-Tech Inc.
Fingerprint Patterns Common fingerprint patterns provided by Criminal Research Products, a part of Tri-Tech Inc.
Fingerprinting This is the classroom investigation.
Fingerprints and Minutiae Common fingerprint patterns and fine points of fingerprints provided by the San Jose , CA , forensic laboratory.
Hair and Fibers
Burning Tests for Fibers Summary of burning tests.
Hair Analysis This is the classroom investigation. .
Fiber Analysis This is the classroom investigation.
Major generic fibers A table listing fiber information.
Handwriting and Ink Analysis
Handwriting Analysis This is the classroom investigation.
Ink analysis This is the classroom investigation.
Microscopic Analysis
Microscopic Analysis This is the classroom investigation.
Polymer Identification
Identification of Polymers This is the classroom investigation.
Toxicology
Toxicology basics This is a PDF of a PowerPoint presentation Principles of Toxicology by Elizabeth Casarez of the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy.
Notes on Toxicology basics These are a PDF file of the Principles of Toxicology (BIOC 597c) by Elizabeth Casarez of the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy.
UV Detection
UV Detection Methods This is the classroom investigation.
References
References This is a list of additional references and a source for forensics supplies.