July 10 - Issue 14 - Science-U

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An Outreach Program of the Eberly College of Science
July 10, 2012
Vol.4 Issue 14
C.S.I. Home Inspection
and find the clues for themselves. Once they
made their discoveries, their mentors helped
them collect samples of everything they’d found.
When the entire house had been searched for
helpful evidence, the campers went back to the
lab to examine their findings.
Campers always took careful notes on the scene
Above: A bloody handprint on
the wall of the crime scene
DID YOU KNOW?
When found, evidence
will be examined by many
different departments
before it’s determined
useable in court (not like
on TV)
UP AND COMING
Forensic Science Camp:
Fireworks in State College
(July 8-13)
On Monday, the C.S.I. campers paid a visit to
the “Boarding Home for Troublesome Employees”
in order to gather evidence for the Mysterious
Malady case. Because two of the people under
investigation lived in the home, the campers
combed the entire house for clues to help identify
the culprit. The clues varied from room to room.
As Maddie said, “In Edna’s office, we found a
chemistry book, and a letter for changing food
from G.A.G.M.E. Then we found another letter of
termination from Stanley, and a pen Edna could
have written with. In Gladys’ room, there was a
letter about bad food quality, and a map she was
going to burn. Then there was a vial with yellow
liquid, and a calendar with marked days and
notes from June. We also got a list of pathogens
and different bacteria. I had fun.”
Each group got to go through all the rooms
Campers inspect a broken potted plant for clues
One camper points to evidence he just spotted
Blood, Guns, and Glass
CSI Camp: The Case of
the Mysterious Malady
(July 8-13)
CSI Camp: The Case of
the Mysterious Malady
(Session 2—July 15-20)
Left: James examines a bloody T-shirt as other campers look at gunpowder and glass under a microscope.
Right: Later, campers examined a fragment of glass in oil. They tried to find the right mixture of oil to make the
fragment of glass “disappear.” What they could see in the microscope were Becke lines, which “are just the
white lines in the glass that reflect the glass,” as Mike explained.
ScIEnce-U
Director: Michael Zeman
Phone: (814) 865-0083
Penn State University
237 Ritenour Building
The 2012 Penn State Science-U Newsletter is written and photographed by
Michelle Felmlee-Gartner.
Website:
www.sciencecamps.psu.edu
Email:
sciencecamps@science.psu.edu
Miss an issue? Click here to see
the S.U.N.s of previous weeks!
Top Left: Alex and Jim show off their germ-free hands, which they just washed with soap
Top Right: Jasmine is inspected for the glow-germ that campers passed around via handshake to
show how diseases can be spread. Even after washing her hands, some glow-germ still remains
Bottom: Campers perform skits with various crimes in it that the class must guess
Campers Well-Suited for Crime Scene
While the C.S.I. campers searched for clues in their house, the Forensic
Science kids were hard at work at their own crime scene. Campers had to
don full-body suits and gloves before entering. Blood dotted the floor, forcing campers to step carefully around the shards of glass and evidence
around them. After they surveyed the scene, the campers split up into
groups to tackle different areas of the house. Each group had to sketch
the scene, measure distances, dust for fingerprints, take careful samples,
and photograph the whole scene. Because they would have to go back to
the lab to do most of their investigation, it was important to write down as
much information on the crime scene as they could.
Heading up to the crime scene
While one camper waited to swab a bloody table, another bent down to
carefully sweep up some of the gunpowder that dusted a nearby doorway.
After unsuccessfully trying to lift away the dried blood, Laura finally wet her
swab to acquire her sample. “I’m really happy it worked,” she said, triumCampers draw the crime scene phantly sealing her bloodied swab away. Once they had collected and photographed all the evidence, they brought it back to the lab to analyze.
Campers seal away blood samples from the house
This publication is available in alternative media upon request. Penn State is committed to equal opportunity, affirmative action, and the diversity of its work force. U.Ed. SCI
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