Crime Scene Investigation

Description

Each team will employ logic and deduction to determine the perpetrator of a crime.  The event will include the analysis of an unknown white powder and an unknown clear liquid, chromatography, and the examination of fingerprints.

Competition

The teams will be presented with a scenario in the form of a crime.  Samples from the ‘crime scene’ will be provided to each team, along with the means for analysis and identification.

Possible white powders are sugar, starch, Plaster of Paris, flour, or salt. Possible clear liquids are vinegar solution, bleach solution, water, alcohol solution, or salt solution.

Each team will write a paragraph explaining how they determined the identity of the culprit, citing evidence from the laboratory analysis. 

Other Information

The following items and materials will be available to each team for the purpose of liquid and powder identification:      

 We recommend that each team procure their own test items similar to, or the same as, those provided for preparation.

Scoring

The winner will be determined by the correct identification of the suspect in the shortest time and the quality, accuracy, and thoroughness of the written report.