Anatomy Academy: What about Forensics

We like to have a plan for the following year's camp well before the current camp even begins.  West Virginia University has a Forensics Club, which does outreach.  I learned about the group when they delivered a program at the public high school in Inwood, WV and have contacted them to see about a program for camp, next year.  We will invite a police officer, too.  The officer can show kids how to take fingerprints and map a crime scene.  Fun!  In addition to taking fingerprints, chromatography is widely used in forensics investigations; kids can try ink chromatography to understand the underlying principles.  The White Powder Lab sets the challenge to sort sugar from salt, baking soda, or cornstarch.  In high school chemistry, the process is called qualitative analysis and typically involves 12-14 unknown white powders.  In a camp setting, with young children, four to six powders suffice.  I start the kids by testing each known.  In other words, the kids use pipets with iodine, water, vinegar, red cabbage juice and test each powder: sugar, table salt, baking soda, corn starch, Epsoms salt, and citric acid.  The kids are instructed to record their observations.  The same six chemicals are labeled in numbered jars or sandwich bags as unknowns.  The kids perform the same tests to determine which powder is which. I am always surprised how much they enjoy this lab.  When I have a young group, I let them experiment with the chemicals, mixing them as they please.

Forensics is a popular tool for chemistry. Clark's Forensics Chem website has links to video, labs, and more.  Our science camps like to keep things fun.  I plan to send the kids outside to chalk bodies as they lie on the black top.  Extreme Parties Made Easy has kids do mug shots at a photo booth!  Genius!  We make simple photo booths by draping a metal clothes rack with a sheet or several yards of fabric and a photo printer nearby.  The site has ideas for props and snacks, too, key properties of a successful camp!  I like to give the kids simple kits, like this green CSI kit, which is perfect!  I'm thinking about using red dye to make DIY blood splatter t-shirts.  I'll have to talk that over with the teens to make sure the idea isn't too gross!