2022 | Issue 7 | SJC Newsletter

On the first week back at school, all the Year 9s engaged in a Science incursion that focused on forensic science in solving crimes. As part of the incursion, we were given a crime that we had to solve. The crime was that someone by the name of Dean Johnson had been murdered in a National Park. The suspects included an accused person, a drug dealer, and a couple.

Throughout the incursion, we learned how to use different methods to solve the crime. We used methods such as digital forensics, which involved going through someone’s phone to see who they had been in contact with, and DNA forensics, obtained by blood and different substances, such as residue on a cigarette. We also engaged in using older forensic types, such as fingerprinting, blood typing, and identifying tyre treads left by cars at the scene. We even found out how to check if someone had fired a gun using ways to check if there was any gunshot residue on the clothes or hands of the suspects. Finally, we got to work out who the killer was. We did this using the information collected throughout the experiment. The person who was the murderer of Dean Johnson turned out to be the drug dealer, using an unregistered firearm to shoot the man three times.

The experience allowed us to apply the knowledge and skills we had been learning in our Science classes and we found the sessions really interesting and engaging.