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Investigate staged cases in this three-week forensic science course for elementary and middle school students on Cornell University’s campus.
Course Description
A clue can point in more than one direction. Gather observations and build a case your classmates can investigate.
You’ll connect chemistry, physics, biology, and the scientific method with forensic questions. Fingerprint exercises, evidence classifications, and case discussions introduce different ways to examine a trace. Collect observations from staged scenes and compare how another team approached the task. Questions about trajectory show how physics can help explain where something moved.
Legal role-play introduces the perspectives of a detective, forensic scientist, plaintiff, and defense team. Your continuing group project starts with a case study and a hypothesis, then develops as you learn more about evidence and due process. Create a fictional investigation for classmates to examine, prepare a presentation, and consider their questions and feedback. The work asks you to explain both what supports an interpretation and what the evidence cannot establish.
This three-week Summer Discovery course for elementary and middle school students takes place on Cornell University’s campus in Ithaca, New York. Beyond class, students connect academic exploration with campus life, new friendships, growing independence, and curiosity they can keep exploring.
What Will You Do?
• Classify different types of evidence and discuss how observations are recorded
• Apply the scientific method to fingerprint and case investigations
• Examine how biology, chemistry, and physics inform forensic questions
• Collect observations from staged scenes and compare another team’s process
• Explore legal roles and due process through fictional case role-play
• Develop and present a group case project for classmates to examine
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Explain how careful collection and documentation protect simulated evidence
• Use scientific observations to compare possible explanations of a case
• Support a case hypothesis while recognizing evidence limits and legal responsibilities
You’ll leave with your group’s completed case project.
Why Forensic Investigation Skills Matter
An investigation depends on what a clue can support, how it was collected, and which other explanation could fit it. Comparing observations and reviewing another team’s process ask students to check the reasoning behind a conclusion. A convincing story alone is not enough to establish what happened.
Forensic exercises also connect science with communication. Students need to record observations clearly, distinguish a hypothesis from a result, and explain the limits of an interpretation. These habits can strengthen laboratory work, research assignments, and discussions where evidence matters. Group case projects give students practice examining a claim from several perspectives.
Who Should Attend?
For students who have completed 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th grade.
If you enjoy science, puzzles, or debating what a clue really shows, this course brings those interests together. You’ll collect observations, compare explanations, work with classmates on a case project, and explain the reasoning behind it. Students should be ready to handle evidence carefully and reconsider a hypothesis when an observation challenges it. The curriculum includes forensic topics such as fingerprints, blood-pattern analysis, injuries, and fictional crime scenarios. Those topics are explored through academic exercises and discussion.
Forensic Investigation in Action
Forensic work connects several sciences with an investigation. A fingerprint comparison, a trace of material, and a question about trajectory each require a suitable method and careful documentation. Investigators also have to explain what a result suggests and where its limits lie.
The course introduces that relationship through classroom exercises, staged cases, and a group project. Students can continue exploring chemistry, biology, physics, or the legal responsibilities involved in handling evidence. Looking at how a fictional investigation uses a clue can also raise useful questions about the difference between a persuasive narrative and a conclusion supported by observations.
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive