How does science help solve crimes? Students get answers at crime lab's open house - News & Observer

Some Triangle youngsters were given demonstrations of science at work Wednesday afternoon when officials at the North Carolina’s State Crime Laboratory welcomed them to the lab’s annual open house.

Amanda Thompson, assistant director of administrative operations at the crime lab, said the fourth annual open house was held in conjunction with National Forensic Science Week and aims to attract elementary and high school students who may be interested in careers as forensic scientists.

“We have a lot of regular tours for college-age students,” she said. “This is a prime opportunity to anyone 18 and under.”

The event was held at the lab’s mammoth, red-brick building tucked in a wooded area off East Tryon Road.

It included demonstrations and information about trace and latent evidence, digital forensics, firearms and ballistics testing, along with DNA analysis. In real time, the youngsters were given the opportunity to peer through a telescope to see evidence of sexual assault. They helped conduct experiments to confirm the evidence of blood collected from crime scenes, they wore special glasses that enabled them to spot evidence unseen to the naked eye and they talked with scientists about testing firearms for evidence.

Home school teacher Erin Simmons of Fuquay-Varina attended the open house with her sons Mac, 13, Cameron, 11, and Callen, who is nearly 4. She called the open house “the science of the real world.”

“It’s science out of the textbooks,” Simmons said. “Every boy likes a superhero. These are real-world superheroes who go out and catch the bad guys.”

Cameron said his favorite part of the tour was the fingerprinting demonstration.

The state crime lab debuted in 1938. Prior to that, the state relied on Duke University Hospital for forensic testing.

“They were doing very basic stuff – firearms examinations, fingerprinting, handwriting analysis and basic photography,” said Alison Gant, a forensic scientist at the state lab.

In 1955, the General Assembly approved the establishment of a state crime lab. The facility was housed in downtown Raleigh, then eventually shared space with the State Bureau of Investigation on Garner Road before moving to its present location in 1996.

On Wednesday, forensic scientist Andrew Walker conducted a test to determine whether red-colored substances collected from a mock crime scene were actually blood. He folded a circular paper about the size of a half-dollar and rubbed it against one of the samples. Then he applied three colorless liquid chemicals that would turn the sample a light pink color if it was blood.

“It’s a very science-heavy discipline,” Gant said. “Biology, chemistry, the physical sciences, genetics, molecular biology. The biggest misconception is that you can work here with a criminal justice degree. That will not get you a job at the lab.”

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