April 28, 2005

NSLS Daughters and Sons are Forensic Scientists for a Day

On April 28, approximately 30 daughters and sons of NSLS staff and scientists questioned suspects, analyzed crime-scene evidence, and caught a thief - all in one morning. The activities were part of the national Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. This year at the NSLS, the day had a theme: forensic science.

Participants in the NSLS Sons and Daughters Day.

First, the children gathered in the NSLS seminar room to hear a brief safety talk by Nick Gmur, and then learned about light in its different forms from NSLS scientist Lisa Miller, in her talk, "What Kind of Light?" The kids guessed which type of light is used in many common objects, such as remote controls and microwave ovens.

After the talk, the main event began. Lisa introduced the crime - The Case of the Missing iPod - and then presented the "evidence" that had been found at the scene: a white powdery substance, a black powdery substance, a strand of hair, and a piece of notebook paper. In a nearby trash basket, there was also a soda can with a drop of "blood" on it.

NSLS scientist Randy Smith demonstrates the process of "blood"-typing.

The "victim," NSLS student researcher Meghan Ruppel, then told her story. She said she was studying for a test in the library, got up to talk to some friends, and returned to find her iPod missing. Her story revealed several possible suspects: Adele Wang, Meghan's friend; Michael Appel, the library's janitor; Laura Mgrdichian, the librarian; and Steve Giordano, a library patron. The suspects filed in, told their own stories of what happened, and were questioned by several of the children.

After seeing the evidence, hearing the victim's and suspects' stories, and interrogating everyone involved, the daughters and sons split into groups to analyze the evidence. They tested the "blood" on the soda can to determine the blood type, and dusted the can and the victim's notebook paper for fingerprints. They compared their results with the suspects' blood types and fingerprints.

NSLS scientist Lisa Miller uses a synchrotron infrared microscope to identify the unknown white and black powders.

Next, the children went down to the NSLS experimental floor. There, NSLS scientists Tony Lanzirotti and Bill Rao helped them analyze hair samples from the suspects using x-rays, which measure the levels of various trace elements (such as zinc, copper, or calcium) that are present in the hair. The analysis yielded a unique "signature" for each sample, which was compared to the signature of the strand of hair found at the crime scene. The group also analyzed the powders found at the crime scene with a synchrotron infrared microscope. They determined that the white powder was powdered sugar and the black powder was ground coffee.

With all the evidence properly analyzed, the daughters and sons returned to the seminar room, knowing who had taken the iPod.

And who was the culprit? Laura the librarian! She took the iPod "because iPods are not allowed in the library." In her introductory story, she only revealed that she made coffee and ate a powdered doughnut that morning. Caught, however, she further explained that she noticed a soda can on Meghan's desk and, because food and drinks are not allowed in the library, went over to throw it way. She cut her finger on the top, leaving a blood drop. Then she noticed the iPod, another forbidden item. She took it, but left behind coffee and sugar powders, a strand of hair, and many fingerprints. The NSLS daughters and sons successfully analyzed these clues to catch the true "thief."

ARTICLE BY: Laura Mgrdichian

PHOTOS BY: Roger Stoutenburgh / Meghan Ruppel