Teachers Janine Barry, left, and Chad Bronowski learned how to lift fingerprints off of a surface during an interactive activity at the workshop. Photos by Rob Williams
Educators in Texas got a glimpse into the world of forensic and investigative sciences as they learned how to use the tools during a session in the Heep Center 207 during the STEM4Innovation conference from February 21-22.
The day-and-a-half-long conference held campuswide focused on providing formal and informal educators and counselors in K-12 schools in Texas with strategies and ideas on encouraging students’ interest in careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Ina Knight, left and Brandon Pigeon, right, learn how to use the tools forensic scientists use to do casework with.
Instructional Associate Professor of Entomology and Associate Department Head for Academic Programs Dr. Craig Coates and senior Forensics major Tammy Bouldin led a workshop on how to teach STEM using forensic and investigative sciences. They used several activities during the session to allow the group to experience what forensic scientists do on a daily basis.
Participants were divided into small groups and worked on activities during the morning figuring out how to lift fingerprints off objects, studying bloodspatter patterns, lifting fingerprints off of objects, and how to solve a crime scene.
Participants try their hand at determining bloodspatter patterns at a station during the session
Spark! PK-12 Outreach program specialist Allana Felder enjoyed the program and said that she is grateful for Coates and Bouldin for conducting the workshop session.
“They’re fantastic,” Felder said. “I think it’s a wonderful thing that they are doing this for us. I think it will help the teachers to integrate into their programs at their schools. These activities will help reach kids that like doing hands-on learning.”
Ina Knight from Houston ISD wanted attend to see how she and other teachers could incorporate some of these activities into our core subjects into our secondary schools.
“This is great and gives our students a different way to learn and to retain what they have learned,” Knight said.
Brittney Mata enjoyed the fingerprinting activity and said that these activities would definitely help in her classroom.
“It is a great way to engage middle schoolers in real world scenarios that would involve math and science,” she said.