Equipment for a Forensic Science Course for Nonscience Majors

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The equipment purchased through this project was for a laboratory program associated with a course designed for students who are not majoring in the natural sciences. The course, "Chemistry and Crime: From Sherlock Holmes to Modern Forensic Science", is a one semester course designed to teach the fundamentals of forensic science ranging from atomic absorption spectra and paint analysis to infrared spectroscopy and drug analysis to electrophoresis and DNA analysis. The funds were used to purchase equipment for six experiments. (1) Gas chromatography is being used to determine the concentration of alcohol in blood, to determine the identity of accelerants used in arson and to characterize a sample containing a mixture of drugs. (2) High pressure liquid chromatography is being used to separate and identify drugs in suspect samples. (3) The drugs present in samples separated by high pressure liquid chromatography are being identified by infrared spectroscopy. (4) DNA profiles for suspect identification are being obtained by using restriction enzymes and electrophoresis equipment and power supplies. (5) Visible spectrometers are being employed for determining the blood and breath levels of alcohol. These experiment have supplemented a series of experiments previously in place, on a limited basis, with phenomenal success. The various pieces of equipment acquired for the forensic science laboratory are also used in the organic and biochemistry laboratories. A "crime lab" equipped so that the above experiments can be conducted has created an environment to stimulate the interest of the traditional nonscience majors. It has made the study of chemistry more interesting, more challenging and more rewarding. The institution contributed to this project in an amount equal to the NSF funds.