OSHER 471 - Forensic Science

Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences and technologies to investigate and establish facts of interest in relation to criminal or civil law. We'll start with an overview of the field and learn about the capabilities of the Utah Bureau of Forensic Services (a.k.a the State Crime Lab); walk-thru a mock crime scene and discuss probative evidence and how to collect it; learn about the history of fingerprints as evidence and about fingerprint processing techniques; and explore topics in biological evidence including serology and DNA. The class will be a balance of lecture and hands-on culminating in a visit to the State Crime Lab in the last class.