Clemson Life Sciences summer camp turns students into forensic investigators

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CLEMSON — Voldemort, The Joker, Maleficent and the Wicked Witch of the West were just a few of the suspects in a simulated murder investigation at a recent summer science camp for fifth- through seventh-graders held on the campus of Clemson University.
Students at the CSI summer camp decode secret messages.Image Credit: Katherine Freeman / Clemson University
The July 11-14 camp, led by instructors at the Clemson University Life Sciences Outreach Center (CULSOC) in Jordan Hall, was intended to spark interest in science for kids who might otherwise regard the subject as strictly lab coats and lectures.
On July 11, a group of 15 students from around the Upstate and Georgia began their investigation when they found a secret message written in “invisible ink,” or a dried mixture of baking soda and water, on a sheet of paper. When the paper was painted with concentrated grape juice, the message was revealed due to an acid-base reaction. The students were allowed to make their own secret messages to see how the chemical reaction works.
From there, the “victim” was identified by analyzing the loops, whorls and arches of fingerprints found at the crime scene.
“After the students discovered who the victim was, they analyzed their own fingerprints,” said Katherine Freeman, a recent Clemson graduate-turned-instructor for CULSOC. “We then noticed that there were no marks on the ‘body,’ so we concluded that our victim died from poisoning. This led us toward analyzing the ‘poisons’ that the crime scene technicians believe killed the victim.”
Microscopic hair analysis helped the students identify the “killer.”Image Credit: Katherine Freeman / Clemson University
Analyzing the poisons — mockups of arsenic, cyanide, hemlock, ricin and belladonna made from harmless household ingredients — introduced the students to the field of forensic toxicology. The study of dental evidence, called forensic odontology, was also touched on when the students examined teeth marks found on a piece ...

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