CSI: Washington, D.C.

No, there’s not a new version of the hit T.V. show in the works, although I think our nation’s capital would make a great setting. The National Law Enforcement Museum is committed to exploring all aspects of law enforcement, and right now, one of the areas we’re focusing on is forensics.

I’ve written in the past about our “What’s in the Evidence?” program which is currently in beta testing. But there’s another new program in the works: an online, forensics-based activity that will allow students in grades six through eight to take a case, analyze the evidence, and then present the evidence in court, possibly leading to a conviction.

Students doing the online activity will use science reasoning skills as they work on the case. And in contrast to shows like “CSI,” “Cold Case,” or “NCIS,” they’ll have the opportunity to see how evidence is used throughout the whole law enforcement system. They’ll also get to see that not all evidence is as conclusive as the TV shows make it seem, hopefully preparing students to be more informed jurors when they get older.

We’ll be consulting closely with experts in the field as we continue to develop the program so that our activity is more authentic than many of the TV shows currently airing. But I’m curious—have you ever watched one of the forensics-themed shows and wondered whether some aspect or technique they’ve used is authentic? What aspect of forensic science fascinates you the most? If you could incorporate any type of forensic science into an activity like this, which types would you choose to feature?

Testing a Museum Program: “What’s in the Evidence?”

Because we don’t yet have a building, the Education Programs staff doesn’t get to work with the public very often. So I’m excited whenever I can get one of our programs in front of a group of living, breathing kids.

“What’s in the Evidence?” is an activity developed by our staff, including two of our past interns, to teach middle school students (ages 10-14) about forensic science and its connections to law enforcement. After testing with Memorial Fund staff and one group of students, the activity was just about ready for prime time.

An important component of any program developed by the National Law Enforcement Museum is evaluation, or looking at our programs to objectively examine whether they’re meeting the goals we created them to meet. Read Dean’s blog post to learn more about this process.

Recently, we’ve had three opportunities to test out “What’s in the Evidence” with some more students, each time working with a great group of kids who tried out the activity and helped us pilot the evaluation survey that will go with it. Every time we’ve all had a great time!

The middle schoolers solve a “vandalism” that occurred at the Visitors Center through forensic evidence collected at the scene of the “crime.” They analyze handwriting samples, run chromatography tests on ink from different pens, and examine shoe impressions (footprints) and fingerprints. Some groups have been more successful than others at fingering the culprit, but they’ve all learned about what forensic evidence can—and oftentimes cannot—tell us about crimes.

Sound like fun? This summer we’re offering the special opportunity to participate in this session free of charge. That’s right—you provide the kids, the room, and some adults to take part, and we provide the materials and an educational two-hour experience. If you’re in the D.C. area and know of a Girl or Boy Scout troop, science class, camp group, etc., who might like for us to come in and teach this activity, let me know [link to rfulcher@nleomf.org]. I’m also curious to know, if you could do this activity, what would you like to learn about in the area of forensic science?