Forensic Glass Analysis

     On the last day of classes before the Holiday Recess, students in the Forensic Science class completed their Forensic Glass Analysis labs. Their written lab reports will be due at the end of week when they return to classes.

     In the first lab the students, examined sheet glass, lead crystal glass, tempered glass and borosilicate glass samples visually distinguishing between the samples and measuring the densities of the different glass types. They also shattered sheet glass to study fracture patterns. They examined the broken edges to learn how a forensic scientist can determine which side of the glass was impacted to cause the fractures. At the end of this lab the students examined six glass samples related to two hypothetical crime scenarios.

      In the second lab pictured here, the students were introduced to a new scenario which will involve the students, as the year proceeds, in using the analytical skills learned to process the different types of evidence. At the end of the year, the students will present all of the data they analyzed in a mock trial once they have solved the scenario.

     The glass evidence they were analyzing came from glass found at an accident site in which three bodies were found in a burned vehicle found off a mountainside road and an abandoned vehicle found far from the accident and thought to be driven from the accident scene by a person of interest. The students were using Becke lines, produced by the refraction of light, to identify and compare the different glass samples. They were give three different liquids (each with unique refractive indices) to be used to determine the refractive indices of the different glass samples. They had two reference samples (bottle glass and headlight glass)to compare to the two crime scene samples (glass from the vehicle crash site and glass from the abandoned vehicle).

Katie prepares slides of the various glass samples in the liquids for her forensics team to exam with their microscope.

Kylie and Kailey are labeling the slides their team member Katie had prepared before the examine them under the microscope .

Nick watches as his partner, Alex, examines one of the samples their team prepared to determine the position of the Becke line.

Patrick examines his team's sample while team members Emma a Joanna log the teams data for the different samples.

Katie examines her team's data while Vivian logs their data while Kristen avoids the camera by hiding behind her "let it snow" pillow.