Sticky fingers have been found on the broken aquarium glass. Wet footprints lead to the open window. Answering these questions is what forensic science is all about.
Forensic science is the study of objects that relate to a crime.
The objects are evidence and analyzing the evidence is what forensic scientists do. They observe, classify, compare, use numbers, measure, predict, interpret data, and draw inferences. Scientists they are and crimes they solve. This article and a Web-based activity on the CyberBee site were inspired by Kimberly Franklin from Connolly Middle School, Tempe, Arizona, who developed an extensive unit on forensic science with a grant from the Chase Active Learning program. Before solving crimes, students need to know how to find, collect, and analyze evidence.