Forensic Science Course# 214 McCann Technical School 70 Hodges Crossroads North Adams, MA 01247 November 2010 Mucci, March 2011, Course #214, Page 1 Course Philosophy Forensic Science is an integrated science course that incorporates subject matter from biology, chemistry, physics, math, engineering, law, psychology, and ethics. Goals of the Course: • To allow students at all levels of need to participate and succeed • To expand the study of scientific concepts beyond the standard curriculum • To apply scientific concepts to real‐world applications • To incorporate authentic, hands‐on laboratory activity in each unit of study Course Description Forensic Science is a double period class which meets every day during the students’ academic week. Forensics is the study of science in the pursuit of law. Forensic Science introduces students to the many types of evidence that can be collected in order to prove a case. Each type of evidence is researched, utilized, and discussed in order to build the technical skills necessary for the culminating activity of the course which is to process and analyze a mock crime scene. Course Syllabus As each type of evidence is presented in class, students will examine both the techniques involved in processing evidence and the information that can be drawn from each type of evidence. Students will have an opportunity to practice the necessary techniques and report on conclusions drawn. Current information in the form of magazine and newspaper articles and/or internet websites will be incorporated into the course of study. Course Assessment Plan: For the Forensic Science students at McCann Technical School the quarterly grades will be determined as follows: Test Labs/Projects Class Activities Journal Writing Homework Class Participation & Notes Total 30% 20% 15% 15% 10% 10% 100% Grading System: “Report cards are issued quarterly and serve as a guideline for students and their parents to measure achievement. Parents are encouraged to contact teachers and counselors to ensure a Mucci, March 2011, Course #214, Page 2 continuing participation in student progress. Parents are also encouraged to utilize the Family Portal in X2 as a means of following student progress. Courses are graded numerically in accordance with the following values.” (2010‐2011 McCann Student Handbook) 100‐97 A+ 96‐94 A 93‐90 A‐ 89‐87 B+ 86‐84 B 83‐80 B‐ 79‐77 C+ 76‐74 C 73‐70 C‐ 69‐67 D+ 66‐65 D 64‐0 F Course Timeline: Week Topic What is Forensics? Week 1 Week 2 Crime Scene Investigation Week 3 Fingerprints Week 4 Impressions & Casts Week 5 Hair & Fiber Analysis Week 6 Human Remains Week 7 Entomology Week 8 DNA Week 9 More DNA Week 10 Drugs & Toxicology Week 11 Blood & Blood Spatter Week 12 Questioned Document Analysis Week 13 Re‐writing History Week 14 Mucciville Crime Lab Week 15 The Trial Standards MA Curriculum Frameworks Skills of Inquiry SIS1. Make observations, raise questions, and formulate hypotheses.
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Observe the world from a scientific perspective.
Pose questions and form hypotheses based on personal observations, scientific articles,
experiments, and knowledge.
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Read, interpret, and examine the credibility and validity of scientific claims in different sources of
information, such as scientific articles, advertisements, or media stories.
SIS2. Design and conduct scientific investigations.
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Articulate and explain the major concepts being investigated and the purpose of an investigation.
Select required materials, equipment, and conditions for conducting an experiment.
Identify independent and dependent variables.
Write procedures that are clear and replicable.
Employ appropriate methods for accurately and consistently
o making observations
o making and recording measurements at appropriate levels of precision
o collecting data or evidence in an organized way
Properly use instruments, equipment, and materials (e.g., scales, probeware, meter sticks,
microscopes, computers) including set-up, calibration (if required), technique, maintenance, and
storage.
Follow safety guidelines.
SIS3. Analyze and interpret results of scientific investigations.
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Present relationships between and among variables in appropriate forms.
o Represent data and relationships between and among variables in charts and graphs.
o Use appropriate technology (e.g., graphing software) and other tools.
Use mathematical operations to analyze and interpret data results.
Assess the reliability of data and identify reasons for inconsistent results, such as sources of error
or uncontrolled conditions.
Use results of an experiment to develop a conclusion to an investigation that addresses the initial
questions and supports or refutes the stated hypothesis.
State questions raised by an experiment that may require further investigation.
SIS4. Communicate and apply the results of scientific investigations.
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Develop descriptions of and explanations for scientific concepts that were a focus of one or more
investigations.
Review information, explain statistical analysis, and summarize data collected and analyzed as
the result of an investigation.
Explain diagrams and charts that represent relationships of variables.
Construct a reasoned argument and respond appropriately to critical comments and questions.
Use language and vocabulary appropriately, speak clearly and logically, and use appropriate
technology (e.g., presentation software) and other tools to present findings.
Use and refine scientific models that simulate physical processes or phenomena.
Biology, High School 3.1 Describe the basic structure (double helix, sugar/phosphate backbone, linked by complementary
nucleotide pairs) of DNA, and describe its function in genetic inheritance.
4.8 Recognize that the body’s systems interact to maintain homeostasis. Describe the basic function
of a physiological feedback loop.
Mucci, March 2011, Course #214, Page 4 Vocational/Technical Education Curriculum Frameworks Strands 1, 4, 5, and 6 1.B Demonstrate health and safety practices: 1.B.01a Identify, describe and demonstrate the effective use of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) 1.B.02a Read chemical, product, and equipment labels to determine appropriate health and safety considerations 1.B.03a Identify, describe and demonstrate personal, shop and job site safety practices and procedures Locate emergency equipment in your lab, shop, and classroom, including (where appropriate) eyewash stations, shower facilities, sinks, fire extinguishers, fire blankets, telephone, master power switches, and emergency exits 1.B.06a 1.B.07a Demonstrate the safe use, storage, and maintenance of every piece of equipment in the lab, shop, and classroom 1.C Demonstrate responses to situations that threaten health and safety 1.C.01a Illustrate First Aid procedures for potential injuries and other health concerns in the occupational area 1.C.02a Describe the importance of emergency preparedness and an emergency action plan 1.C.03a Illustrate procedures used to handle emergency situations and accidents, including identification, reporting, response, evacuation plans, and follow‐up procedures 1.C.04a Identify practices used to avoid accidents 1.C.05a Identify and describe fire protection, precautions and response procedures Mucci, March 2011, Course #214, Page 5 4.B Communicate in multiple modes to address needs within the career and technical field 4.B.01a Apply strategies to enhance effectiveness of all types of communications in the workplace 4.B.02a Apply reading skills and strategies to work‐related documents 4.B.03a Locate information from books, journals, magazines, and the 4.B.04a Apply basic writing skills to work‐related communication 4.B.05a Write work‐related materials 4.B.07a Explain information presented graphically 4.B.08a Use writing/publishing/presentation applications 4.B.09a Apply basic skills for work‐related oral communication 4.C Solve problems using critical thinking 4.C.01a Demonstrate skills used to define and analyze a given problem 4.C.02a Explain the importance and dynamics of individual and teamwork approaches of problem solving 4.C.03a Describe methods of researching and validating reliable information relevant to the problem 4.C.04a Explain strategies used to formulate ideas, proposals and solutions to problems 4.C.05a Select potential solutions based on reasoned criteria 4.C.06a Implement and evaluate solution(s) 4.D Demonstrate positive work behaviors 4.D.01a Identify time management and task prioritization skills 4.D.03a Demonstrate willingness to learn and further develop skills 4.D.04a Demonstrate self‐management skills 4.D.07a Show initiative by coming up with unique solutions and taking on extra responsibilities 6.A Demonstrate proficiency in the use of computers and applications as well as an understanding of concepts underlying hardware, software, and connectivity Mucci, March 2011, Course #214, Page 6 6.A.01a Select and utilize the appropriate technology to solve a problem or complete a task 6.A.07a Illustrate methods of selecting and using search engines 6.C Demonstrate ability to use technology for research, problem solving, and communication 6.C.01a Locate, evaluate, collect, and process information from a variety of electronic sources 6.C.03a Demonstrate the use of appropriate electronic sources to conduct research (e.g., Web sites, online periodical databases, and online catalogs) 6.C.05a Collect, organize, analyze, and graphically present data using the most appropriate tools Instructional Activities The Forensics course involves many different types of activities as outlined in the table below: Unit of Study Course Activities: What is Forensics? Lecture: Origins of Forensics Class Activity: Observation Skills Project: History of Forensics Timeline Crime Scene Investigation Lecture: Crime Scene Investigation Protocols Bertino Chapter 2 Blog Project: Careers in Forensics Class Activity: Photographing and Documenting a Scene Fingerprints Lecture: Fingerprints Bertino Chapter 6 Activity: Create a Ten Card Lab: Latent fingerprint detection and collection Activity: Study Your Fingerprints Activity: Is It A Match? Impressions & Casts Lecture: Impression Evidence Bertino Chapter 15 Activity: Casting Shoeprints and Tire tracks Lab: Comparison of Shoe Size & Height Lab: Vehicle Identification Mucci, March 2011, Course #214, Page 7 Hair & Fiber Analysis Human Remains Entomology DNA More DNA Drugs & Toxicology Blood & Blood Spatter Questioned Document Analysis Re­writing History Mucciville Crime Lab The Trial Journal: How to make a Cast Lecture: Hair & Fiber Evidence Bertino Chapter 3 & 4 Hair Evidence Case Studies Lab: Comparison of Hair Evidence Journal: Hair Expert Witness Testimony Lecture: Pathology Bertino Chapter 11 Activity: Estimating Time of Death using Rigor Mortis Activity: Estimating Time of Death using Algor Mortis Project: Virtual Autopsy Lecture: Anthropology Bertino Chapter 13 Activity: What the Bones Tell Us Activity: The Romanovs webquest Lecture: Entomology Bertino Chapter 11 Activity: Estimating Time of Death Lecture: Structure & Function of DNA Bertino Chapter 9 Group Projects: DNA in Forensic Investigations Lab: Extraction of DNA from cheek cells Lecture: Ethical Uses of DNA Evidence Lab: DNA Fingerprinting Lecture: Drugs & Toxicology Bertino Chapter 10 Lab: Identification of Unknown Substances Case Studies: Drugs & Toxicology Lecture: Serology Bertino Chapter 8 Lab: Blood Typing Lab: Blood Spatter Analysis Case Studies: Blood Evidence Lecture: Handwriting Analysis, Forgery, & Counterfeiting Movie: Catch Me If You Can Activity: Handwriting Analysis – the Fourth Amendment Lab: Ransom Note Analysis Research: Jack‐the‐Ripper Blog Project: Historical Case Project: You’re the Crime Lab Director, order tests, analyze results, report findings Project: Documenting a mock crime scene Lecture: Trial Law Journal: Opening statements Mucci, March 2011, Course #214, Page 8 Long Term Projects: Forensic Fiction Book Review Handout You have been asked to choose a forensic fiction book to read. There are a multitude of books
out there with forensic content because the subject is so popular. In an effort to find the high
quality books and weed out others, you will write a detailed book review of your chosen novel.
All of the book reviews will be submitted as a blog post. Make the book’s title the title of your
post, and don’t forget to choose the ‘Forensic Book Reviews’ category!
Some guidelines to consider when writing your review are available at this website. I
STRONGLY suggest you check it out!
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/bookrev/index.htm
The grading rubric for this project is below:
Book Review Rubric:
Item
Setting of the Book
Main Character Description
A Taste of the Plot
Forensic Techniques and Evidence
Rate Quality of Forensic Information (1 Poor – 5 Great)
Overall rating of book (1 Poor – 5 Great)
Would you recommend the book? Why or why not?
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5
10
30
30
10
5
10
100
Points
Earned
Enjoy your books!
You can start posting your book reviews at anytime.
Ripped From the Headlines Handout “Ripped From the Headlines” Discussion If you read the newspaper or watch the evening news you’ll notice that there are stories daily that involve forensic science in solving crimes. If you dig a little deeper you can usually find the whole story and see what type of evidence is being analyzed, what evidence is submitted in court, and what results are being drawn from it. Mucci, March 2011, Course #214, Page 9 What You Need To Do: •
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Find an article within the past two years that describes an application of forensics regarding DNA evidence. o Resources must be credible and articles must be at least five paragraphs. o Click on the Useful Links page above for a list of credible science/news sites. o You may not duplicate a news story that’s already been presented (using the same source). o You must use the original article rather than a summary of an article Describe the article that you found in your own words. Your description should be in paragraph form and should include the reference for the original article. Post your summary of the article along with the website in paragraph form as a blog post o You must choose an article that has not been summarized to earn credit! Respond to at least two classmates posts by the end of the week indicating how you think this information is relevant to our study and our society. How You Will Be Evaluated: Each summary post is worth up to 60 points and is required.Each thoughtful comment post is worth up to 20 points. Resources Books: Bertino, Anthony J. Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations. Mason, OH: South‐Western, 2008. Evans, Colin. The Casebook of Forensic Detection. John Wiley & Sons, 1998. Videos: Catch Me If You Can NOVA: Sam Sheppard Murder Case NOVA: Mind of a Serial Killer Websites & Articles: The Innocence Project ‐ www.innocenceproject.org Mucci, March 2011, Course #214, Page 10 Visible Proofs­The Rise of Forensics: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/visibleproofs/exhibition/rise.html FBI Kids Page: http://www.fbi.gov/fbikids.htm "How Stuff Works "http://science.howstuffworks.com/csi.htm/printable Evidence Collection ‐ http://crime‐scene‐investigator.net/csi‐collection.html Fingerprint Model Makes an Impression http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/20479 Taking Legible Fingerprints: http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/takingfps.html TruTV Forensic Files – Casting of Shoeprints http://www.trutv.com/shows/forensic_files/techniques/casting.html TruTV Forensic Files – Characteristics of Shoeprints http://www.trutv.com/shows/forensic_files/techniques/print.html West Virginia Crime Lab Info: http://www.wvstatepolice.com/impression.pdf Virtopsy: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/visibleproofs/galleries/technologies/virtopsy.html Wikipedia ‐ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_anthropology ForensicEntomology.com DNA Evidence: http://science.howstuffworks.com/dna‐evidence.htm The Human Genome Project: http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/forensics.shtml Information on how the DNA tests work: http://www.scientific.org/tutorials/articles/riley/riley.html Information for investigators on collecting DNA evidence: http://www.dna.gov/audiences/investigators/know/collection The NY Times has posted this series of articles regarding advances in DNA technology:http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/national/series/dnaage/index.html The DNA Workshop: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/dna/ An Interview with DNA Forensics Authority Dr. Bruce Weir ‐ http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/AB/BA/Interview_Weir.html Mucci, March 2011, Course #214, Page 11 An excerpt from a talk by Dr. Eric Lander, a now famous scientist for his work on the Human Genome Project, discussing the use of DNA to identify people: http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/AB/BA/Use_of_DNA_Identification.html Chemist to Plead Guilty to Faking Drug Evidence: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1462/a02.html Drug Evidence in Probation Search Is Inadmissible, C.A. Rules: http://www.metnews.com/articles/murp100703.htm Judge Reverses Four Drug Findings: http://cjonline.com/stories/072199/com_drugreverse.shtml Information on processing drug evidence: http://www.tpub.com/maa/83.htm The Interface of Science & Law in Drug Testing: http://www.nacdl.org/public.nsf/698c98dd101a846085256eb400500c01/7e2489f2d3cca065852
568480073b12f?OpenDocument Drug testing protocols: http://www.utexas.edu/courses/bio301d/Topics/Drugs/Text.html This is the CrimeLibrary website with good information on serology: http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/forensics/serology/2.html Schiro, George. “Collection and Preservation of Blood Evidence from Crime Scenes,” http://www.crime‐scene‐investigator.net/blood.html Wikipedia – Questioned Document Examination: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Questioned_document_examination Graphology: http://www.bxscience.edu/publications/forensics/articles/document/r‐hand01.htm Handwriting Analysis – click on the “What Is” and “Analyses” links at the top of the page: http://www.handwriting.org/ Casebook ­ Jack the Ripper: http://www.casebook.org/ (Click on Frequently Asked Questions and Introduction to the Case) Patricia Cornwell’s non­fiction best­seller: http://patriciacornwell.com/books‐
novellas/portrait‐of‐a‐killer/synopsis/ PBS site – Ice Maiden: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/peru/mummies/high2.html Mummy tombs website: http://www.mummytombs.com/mummylocator/featured/juanita.htm PBS site – Ice Man: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/icemummies/iceman.html The Riddle of the Romanovs: http://www.crf‐usa.org/bill‐of‐rights‐in‐action/bria‐13‐3‐a.html Mucci, March 2011, Course #214, Page 12