Students Explore the Science of Forensics

Earlier this month, Grade 11 students used their chemistry, physics and biology skills to solve non-violent crimes devised by their teachers. It was all part of the end-of-the year Group IV project, an interdisciplinary, collaborative project that is a requirement for every every IB Diploma science student. Ms. Dallin, Mr. Irvine and Ms. Mikes decided on the forensics theme as a fun way to get the students thinking and asking questions. They worked on the case files together, creating detailed scenarios and planting all the evidence necessary for the students to solve the crimes. “We started with a crime, then tried to think about how evidence could be processed using experiments from out course material,” says Mr. Irvine. “With each one, students had a couple different ways of moving forward.” In order to solve their crimes, students needed to extract DNA, analyze projectile motion, and identify metals in soil, among many other steps. While not all students correctly solved the crime, the activity allowed them to work together to apply their knowledge in creative ways. Great work, Gryphons!