Making Things Less Mysterious with Forensic Science

Cornelia V.M. Seiffert, MA

Bioscience Education Specialist

The Shodor Education Foundation, Inc.

Making Things Less Mysterious with Forensic Science

Kent Robertson

Matt Lathrop

What is forensic science?

•Forensic science - relating to the use of science or technology in the investigation and establishment of facts or evidence in a court of law. •Computational science - useful to forensic scientists because it allows them to view evidence with greater clarity, to simulate specific events and to save time by automating tedious processes.•For more information, see: http://www.shodor.org/succeed/forensic

Careers in Forensic Science

• Crime scene investigation

• Forensic entomology

• Facial reconstruction

• Forensic osteology

• Cryptography

• Questioned document analysis

• Forensic pathology

Crime Scene Investigation (CSI)• Practitioners of CSI

gather all evidence relevant to a crime that has taken place.

• Extreme attention to detail is necessary.

• The ability to recognize patterns that others may not notice makes for a good crime scene investigator.

Forensic Entomology• The study of the life

cycles of various insects in order to understand the timing of criminal activities such as homicide.

• Practitioners have a great deal of familiarity with insect taxonomy and ontogeny.

http://folk.uio.no/mostarke/forens_ent/forensic_entomology.html

Facial Reconstruction

• Using their in-depth understanding of human anatomy and osteology, scientists reconstruct the faces of homicide victims based on the morphology of skulls found at crime scenes.

FACES web site -http://www.faceslab.lsu.edu

Forensic Osteology

• Investigators use their knowledge of human bony anatomy to determine the biological sex, possible ethnicity, age at death, possible causes of death, and height of individuals based on their skeletal remains.

http://www.eskeletons.org

Cryptography

• The process or skill of communicating in or deciphering secret writings or ciphers. Cryptographers are often aided in their work by computer programs.

http://www.shodor.org/succeed/forensic/codes.html

Questioned Document Analysis (QDA)

• QDA is carried out by handwriting experts - those that are trained to determine whether handwriting is real or forged. These analysts (like many specialists in forensic science) are often called upon to testify in court.

http://www.bham.ac.uk/english/bibliography/handwriting/new_web_pages/UKhw.htm

Questioned document analysts CANNOTdetermine which attributes of the writer?

Gender

Age

Handedness

Source © Emily Will (Questioned Document Examiner)http://www.qdewill.com

Forensic Pathology• The forensic

pathologist performs autopsies to determine the cause and manner of death in situations falling under the jurisdiction of the local medical examiner or coroner. 

*Image source - http://www.phobe.com/furbyThe body farm Death's acre

Glossary• cryptography - the process or skill of communicating in

or deciphering secret writings or ciphers• entomology - the scientific study of insects• morphology - the branch of biology that deals with the

form and structure of organisms without consideration of function

• ontogeny - the origin and development of an individual organism from embryo to adult, also called ontogenesis

• osteology - the branch of anatomy that deals with the structure and function of bones

Glossary (cont.)

• pathology - the scientific study of the nature of disease and its causes, processes, development, and consequences. Also called pathobiology.

• taxonomy - the classification of organisms in an ordered system that indicates natural relationships