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2. If you need to schedule an oral quiz, make sure to schedule through flash appointments and CALL IN for your appointment time. Or Please attend a DBA Drive Thru (see below).
DBA DRIVE THRU SCHEDULE See your student calendar for times and dates!
MODULE 1: Students will be introduced to forensic science. Students will discuss what forensic science consists of and how the field developed through history. Students will learn about some of the responsibilities of forensic scientists and about some of the specialty areas that forensic scientists may work in.
MODULE 2: Students will discover some of the techniques and practices that forensic scientists and law enforcement officials use to identify evidence and collect that evidence in a way that maintains the integrity of the evidence. You will also learn about some of the different types of evidence that might be found at a crime scene and how the different types of evidence may best be handled.
MODULE 3: Students will discuss the physical evidence found at crime scenes. In doing so, they will examine the different types of evidence that are used in a crime investigation and in court trials. They will also discuss how forensic scientists and investigators identify and collect evidence. Finally, they will look at some specific examples of physical evidence, including glass, soil, and impressions, to see how forensic scientists identify and analyze these types of evidence.
MODULE 4: Students will examine three potentially important types of physical evidence: hair, blood, and fingerprints. For each of these types of evidence, they will look at how the evidence may be collected and how the evidence might be tested. They will also discuss some of the challenges in examining these types of evidence and what we might learn from them.
MODULE 5: Students will discuss the collection and analysis of firearm and tool evidence. They will learn some of the considerations in collecting this type of evidence. They will also examine what information forensic scientists can learn from evidence like firearms, bullets, gunpowder residue, and tool marks that are left at a crime scene. Finally, they will discuss under what conditions individual characteristics might be found on these types of evidence.
MODULE 6: Students will learn more about how forensic scientists examine human remains and gain information from these remains. They will discuss some of the ways that forensic scientists try to determine the time of death for recovered human remains. They will also discuss how forensic scientists make use of the forensic autopsy to gain more information about a probable cause of death and mechanism of death. Finally, they will discuss what scientists can learn about the condition of bones found at a crime scene and some of the ongoing research by forensic scientists to learn more about rates of decomposition.
MODULE 7: Students will discuss what DNA is and how it is used as evidence in crime investigations. They will examine the basic components of DNA and learn what makes the DNA of each person unique. The module will also discuss how biological evidence, like blood or hair samples, is preserved for DNA testing. Finally, they will examine the use of DNA evidence in court cases and some of the considerations that occur in these cases.
MODULE 8: Students will discuss how forensic science approaches crime scenes in which fire or explosions have occurred. In doing so, we will learn about the challenges that these crime scenes present in the collection of evidence, the methods used to determine the point of ignition, and how evidence is collected and preserved at arson scenes. They will also examine some of the different types of explosives and how explosive materials are collected and preserved.
SEGMENT 2
MODULE 9: Students will discuss how forensic science approaches drug evidence. They will be learning about what drugs are and types of drugs. In addition they will examine how to collect, identify, and test drug evidence. Precision and accuracy are crucial when dealing with testing drug evidence in the lab. Forensic scientists play a key role in assisting law enforcement with the widespread drug problem in our society.
MODULE 10: Students will discuss how forensic science approaches forgeries and document examination. They will examine handwriting and typescript and the challenges in comparing samples of each. They will also look at how documents can be altered and what methods are used to discover these alterations. Finally they will look at how ink and paper can be used and tested for authenticity, including an exploration of counterfeiting.
MODULE 11: Students will discuss how forensic science approaches poisons. This part of forensics is called Toxicology. They will explore the history of toxicology and types of poisons. Most importantly they will learn how to determine if a poisoning has occurred through the testing of various human tissues.
MODULE 12: Students will discuss how forensic science approaches trace evidence. Trace evidence can include small samples of various materials like paint or soil. They will look at different types of trace evidence that can be collected at a crime scene. They will also explore and compare the use and importance of different types of microscopes in examining this evidence.
MODULE 13: Students will discuss how forensic science approaches the study of insects as it relates to crime. This field is called Forensic Entomology. They will learn about some of the pioneers in forensic entomology. They will also learn how particular types insects can give us clues at a crime scene and how to collect and categorize those insects. They will how looking at insect samples in the lab helps a forensic scientist establish timelines of a crime.
MODULE 14: Students will discuss how forensic science approaches the study of bones as it relates to a criminal investigation. They will look at how the forensic scientist approaches a crime scene to ensure the best collection of bone samples for further examination. They will explore how bone structure and shape can be used to determine information about the victims of crime and establish time and cause of death. You will learn how forensic anthropologists use facial reconstruction to learn more about the victims they discover.
MODULE 15: Students will discuss how forensic science approaches the study of computers and other electronic devices as it relates to crime. They will review some basics on computers including hardware and software. They will continue to look at how the forensic scientist examines electronic devices to discover data that may be hidden. MODULE 16: Students will discuss the future of forensics. As the world rapidly changes, the field of forensics will too. New fields of investigation for crime include internet communication and hacking. They will also learn how computers and other electronic devices can be used and examined for forensic information. They will look at how computer programs are enhancing techniques in identifying suspects.