Forensics Project #1- TV Review or Topic Poster
55 pts
Due: _____________
Alone or with one partner, choose from the following options:
Option #1: Forensics TV Review
Watch 2 episodes of any pop Forensics show (Forensic Files, CSI, Bones, NCIS, etc)- they may be 2 episodes from
the same series. Write a paper including the following components:
Part 1 (1 page minimum): TV Review
Choose two DIFFERENT TYPES of evidence, one from each show.
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Name, Year, Fictional Location of each show.
Description of the crimes (including names of victims, accused etc)
What is the evidence?
How is it analyzed on the show?
What information does the actor/investigator learn from the evidence?
Part 2 (1 page minimum per piece of evidence = 2 pages): Evidence Research
Now, do a bit of research on these two types of evidence, and address the following questions for each.
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Is the evidence considered to contain class or individual characteristics?
What branch of a Forensic Lab would be responsible for analyzing this evidence?
How is it analyzed in real life?
How long does analysis take?
What information can forensic investigators learn from the evidence?
What are the drawbacks/limitations to the evidence analysis techniques utilized by modern forensic
investigators?
Part 3 (1 page minimum): Compare/Contrast
Write a critique of how well (or poorly) the evidence is analyzed in the TV shows compared to real life.
Part 4 (1 page minimum): Case Studies
Find two articles about RECENT (within the past 10 years) cases involving your evidence (one case per type of
evidence). Print off the articles and write a synopsis of each, indicating why the evidence was so important to
the cases and how it was used in the investigations.
Format:
All Projects should be typed in a size-12 normal font (Times, Arial, etc). Default margins (1” - 1.25” max).
Separate your project by topic and make sure each section has a heading. Organize in a binder with your name
on the Title page. The order of items in your binder should be:
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Title Page (2 pts)
TV Reviews (10 pts)
Evidence Research (20 pts)
Compare/Contrast (5 pts)
Case Study Synopses (10 pts)
Articles (2 pts)
Bibliography (3 pts)
GUM (3 pts)
Option #2: Topic Poster
Choose a forensics topic that interests you. Only one person/group to a topic, on a first-come-first-served basis.
Please report your topic to me and I will let you know if it is available.
Do some research to investigate the following information:
History: (5 pts)
Brief overview of how this forensic technology was developed.
Include people involved in the development/discovery of this technique.
Was the technology developed to replace an existing technology?
Description: (15 pts)
A discussion of the forensic technology. What is it? What is it used to analyze? How does it work? What can
results can tell investigators?
Drawbacks: (5 pts)
Drawbacks, limitations and/or shortcomings of the forensic technique.
The Future: (5 pts)
What does the future hold for this forensic technique? Are there better techniques currently in development?
How could this technique be improved upon?
Interesting Info: (3 pts)Teach me something NEW and interesting that I don’t already know about this forensics
technique!
Application:
Find a real-life case from within the last 10 years that included the forensic technology you are researching.
Print out an article about this case.
(7 pts) Write a synopsis of the case and
(2 pts) Attach the article to the back of the poster.
Create a poster containing this information. Remember, please do not cut-and-paste from the internet- read,
understand, and write in your own words.
(10 pts)Posters should be neat, colorful, visually appealing, and engaging—please include pictures, as well as a
title and your name(s).
(3 pts)Please include a properly formatted bibliography- including pictures- on the back of the poster.