Project by: Olivia Roederer (11th Grade)
Project Advisor: Sarvjit Moonga
Student(s)’s Advisor(s): Peggy

The project I proposed was a project centered around forensics and the investigative process. I created my own crime scene that incorporated many forensic components we learned in class. There is a lot that goes behind a crime and for those who would like to create their own, you must think strategically and be aware of the various forms of evidence involved in crimes/murders etc. Conducting my own crime scene involved me curating my own plot and further researching the forensic analysis of evidence such as fingerprints, hair strands etc. A crucial part of successfully executing this project required me to plan out the trajectory of my murder. Essentially, a timeline from the beginning, middle, to end. As this was going to be a “documentary, crime show” like film, I also needed to write a script.

Reflection on Trimester 2:

(overview of the class that inspired my honors project)

For trimesters 1 and 2 of this year, I took a forensic science class that explored the analysis of forensic evidence and the investigative process of crime scenes. Forensics is a type of scientific test and technique that is used to process, detect, solve and analyze crime scenes. Forensics is based on evidence detected in a crime scene. A very important part of understanding forensic science is that evidence helps build a profile for suspects. In most cases, it does not identify who the person is down to their exact identity. For example, in most cases, forensic scientists and police would not be able to identify a suspect by just looking at the evidence at the crime scene -such as hair strands, DNA, fingerprints, blood spatter, fibers, toxicology tests- they need additional evidence like suspect interviews.

The first trimester of the class started with the basics; reading and presenting various murder cases and then moving into analyzing the evidence that is apparent in many crime scenes. This provided a good basis for us to picture the overview and trajectory of crimes/murders after they are solved. Once we grasped those concepts, we moved on to researching forensic evidence. Towards the end of Trimester 1, my class was tasked with creating our own crime scenes for one another to solve. Throughout trimester 2, we continued our exploration of evidence, specifically focusing on Toxicology testing. Toxicology and forensics are used to help identify unknown substances; particularly chemicals, poisons, toxins etc. Toxicology is an important part of forensics because it can be used to test if a suspect/victim has things like drugs or chemicals in their body (which can be useful information for solving/creating a storyline of a crime).

REFLECTION:

My interest in the class and the topics that we learned inspired me to create this honors project. During the start of this honors project, I was deeply interested in solving forensic crime scenes, so I named my project “Solving Crime Scenes.” I initially anticipated creating my own crime tv show which would involve me creating a storyline to a murder, script and filming it along with the investigative process, much like shows like Criminal Minds and Forensic Files. I started by watching more Hollywood style crime shows to notice how they structured their films and to gain some inspiration off of different storylines. After doing so, I started writing my own crime scene by starting with my characters, the plot, evidence involved and the motives of the murderer. Soon enough, I had a rough draft which I was ready to fully go over with Sarvjit.

After meeting with Sarvjit, I realized that while my storyline was on the right track, it was far too predictable and literal. I needed to revise my ideas and throw some plot twists in to make the investigative process more interesting and complex. Here are my revised ideas below.

I chose to base the story of my murder around love, jealousy, and relationships to make an enriching plot. This new storyline I created (after meeting with Sarvjit) gave me more room to incorporate up to 2x more evidence and more characters than my previous story. As opposed to just a simple crime between two people, it was one where I could have up to 5 identities involved making the crime more interesting.

After I planned a solid background, I wrote the script for my film and created the case file, to be used as an interactive portion to my video (essentially a key for the audience to help solve the crime with the video.) Without the background, I would not have been able to write my script.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MZ6ngMAXa6XcRGC0mC92Z2YxTIXe1-Vy9hSZ4UcqFqU/edit

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TRIMESTER 2 PROJECT PROPOSAL

Project by: Olivia Roederer (11th Grade)
Project Advisor: Sarvjit Moonga
Student(s)’s Advisor(s): Peggy Peloquin

Please write a description of the project you are proposing. Why do you want to take this on, and what do you hope to learn?

The project I am proposing is a project centered around forensics and the investigative process. I will be conducting my own crime scene that incorporates many forensic components we have learned so far in class. There is a lot that goes behind a crime and for those who would like to create their own, you must think strategically and be aware of the various forms of evidence involved in crimes. Conducting my own crime scene will involve me curating my own plot and further researching the forensic analysis of evidence such as fingerprints, hair strands etc. A crucial part of successfully executing this project requires me to plan out the trajectory of my crime scene. Essentially, a timeline from the beginning, middle, to end. As this is going to be a “documentary crime show” like film, I will also need to write a script. Finally, I will need to film and edit the film.

Critical thinking, creativity, citizenship and courage are essential LREI learning values. Explain how you’ll draw on at least one of these values to complete your proposed project?

The thinking behind the crime scene will involve critical thinking and creativity will come from the film I produce.

What is your proposed outcome? How will you be able to demonstrate successful completion of this Project? How do you plan to share your learnings with the larger LREI community (e.g., an exhibit of work, poster of learnings, performance, etc.)?

Video and case file: The film will be slightly interactive. It engages with the audience by having them (the viewers) solve the crime along with the show. This is through a key that they are given to specific pieces of evidence and the actors in the film speaking out to the viewer. For example, does this fingerprint belong to suspect A,B,C or D?

Please provide a general outline that indicates your work plan for the trimester? What are some of the key project benchmarks (i.e., goals that will help to ensure that you finish the project)?

Beginning: Curation of crime scene

-Draft Scenario

-Write Script

-Create case file
Middle: Film Crime scene
End: Edit crime scene using iMovie

When do you plan on meeting?
Friday X-Block