Forensic Science Web Quest

A crime has been committed and you are part of the forensics team that is called in to aid in its investigation. Your forensics Web Quest Team can have between two and four members. Four pieces of evidence collected at the crime scene must be analyzed, and tests to determine the identity of your substance must be suggested. You and your team will report back to your superiors with your findings, and the quality of the suggested procedures will determine advancement and salary bonuses (always a good thing!). Be thorough and above all open-minded. There's no telling what you may find with the simplest of tests!

The forensics report which your team will submit to your superiors should include an explanation of each test necessary to identify the identity of the crime scene evidence. You should explain:

• what technique you will be using and a brief description of how the process works
• how each test is analyzed (sample prep, can you get the sample back once the test is complete, etc.)
• include a labeled image of the equipment used
• what the results would look like (mass spectrograph peaks, DNA electrophoresis gel images, etc.) and finally
• an interpretation of how the information would be used to identify the unknown.

To begin the Web Quest, you might wish to proceed as follows:

Perform background research concerning each of the tests in the list given above. You may find during your research that additional tests may be suggested to aid in your work. These should not be ignored. Each team member should then report back to the group his or her findings so that it can be decided which tests should be considered. Since you will receive only a specific amount of your substance, be sure to consider the minimum amount of your sample that would be necessary to perform the test. You don't want to run out of sample before you've identified what you have!

Comb the net to find diagrams and descriptions of each test that needs to be performed as well as pictures of the equipment and explanations of any solutions or materials used to prepare the sample for study. These materials should be included as part of your formal forensic report.

Each team member should write their own analysis section for their piece of evidence selected. The team should reconvene and discuss the findings by each person. The team should write the remainder of the forensic paper together; this includes an abstract, an introductory statement, a joint conclusion statement, and a list of references. In this Web Quest it is essential that the introductory statement and the joint conclusion statement be written for non-scientists - your superiors may not have the formal scientific training that you possess!

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Remember that each Team must select four pieces of evidence to analyze

Ask Jeeves is a metasearch engine which will check several different search engines for you at once, saving you time and aggravation. It also has the added bonus of allowing you to write your requests in simple language without all the tedious plus signs and quotation marks some search engines require.
Convicted by Juries, Exonerated by Evidence: case studies in the use of DNA evidence to establish innocence after trial.
Crime Scene Investigator's Site: the site contains information on photography, evidence collection, and training as well as articles on a wide range of topics.
DNA Fingerprinting and Its Uses: a great reference for identifying culprits based on the analysis of their DNA.
Forensic Science Resources: this is an amazing site which provides info and links to a variety of forensic techniques
DNA Testing: for the non-scientist. A few big words, not really scary concepts. Dictionaries are good things when reading any new material!
Science of Crime: from the Why Files. Basic information about the collection of evidence and how it can be used to solve a case.
Scientific Testimony: an online journal for the forensic scientist. Be sure to check out the archived materials as well as some of the tutorial information on basic forensics.

Grading shall be based on neatness, spelling errors, accuracy of information gathered, quality of list of references, and similar criteria. In addition, each participant shall anonymously complete an evaluation form for each Team member which will affect the final grade. For more information, contact the instructor.