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Student Sleuths Learn Crime Scene Science

Middlebury, Vermont - January 15, 2008

Inside a Middlebury College chemistry lab, a few drops of chemicals are the starting point for unraveling a mystery. Chemistry professor Molly Costanza-Robinson beams, "Science can be accessible and fun!"

Costanza-Robinson's students are learning the basics of forensic science, in a class called "CSI: Middlebury." It borrows that course name from the popular shows that pump up the sexiness of crime scene investigation.

But Costanza-Robinson sighs, "Oh it's not what you see on TV," describing the real science behind the work.

Her students are checking for key proteins that may indicate the presence of blood. But unlike on TV, when a killer is cuffed in under an hour, lab work can be grueling.

Sophomore Jon Wischhusen explains, "A lot of the tests take hours or even days to complete."

The class is designed for any student, whether or not they have a background in science. The lesson here is not really checking for blood. More broadly, it's about the processes and pitfalls scientists go through. It is a real-world application for the scientific method, that system of researching and testing a hypothesis.

Sophomore Dale Freundlich says, "You have to do different tests and can't just rely on the results of one test."

The successes of science can sometimes make this work seem like magic. For instance, last week in Franklin County, police nabbed a burglary suspect in a cold case, three years after the crime, based on a fingerprint. But those cases are rare.

The students learned it's hard to get a good print, and evidence may never match what's on file. Forensic science is not magic, and not perfect.

For the blood test, professors planted traces of chicken liver that could give a false positive for blood, since the proteins are similar. Costanza-Robinson says, "It's all about grappling with uncertainty."

In a world that's far from black and white, forensic science explores those shades of gray that can lead to new questions, and sometimes, a satisfying answer.

Costanza-Robinson sums up her fascination with the field, saying, "We love solving puzzles!"

The students are visiting with forensics professionals including the state medical examiner. They are also reading mysteries like the Sherlock Holmes stories. Holmes used to solve crimes using footprints and early soil analysis, pre-cursors to the techniques we see on the CSI shows on Channel 3.

Jack Thurston - WCAX News