Forensic Investigation: Crime Scenes & Case Strategy

• Document a scene through notes, diagrams, sketches, and photography

• Collect and preserve evidence while maintaining chain of custody

• Compare fingerprints, impressions, and trace evidence

• Examine ballistics and blood-spatter pattern evidence

• Use chromatography and simulated blood typing in analysis

• Estimate time of death and integrate findings into a case strategy

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Explain how documentation and evidence handling affect forensic conclusions

• Analyze evidence types and explain what each finding supports

• Distinguish observations, inferences, and limitations when interpreting a case

You’ll leave with your forensic documentation, laboratory analyses and a certificate of completion.

Forensic work shows how scientific methods support legal decisions. A result depends not only on the test but also on how the scene was documented, how a sample was handled, and whether the reasoning can be reviewed. Students learn why accuracy and evidence integrity are inseparable.

The course also strengthens observation, quantitative reasoning, and communication. Students must notice details, distinguish an inference from a fact, and explain the limits of a finding. Those habits apply to laboratory science, research, law, medicine, and any field where decisions depend on reliable evidence.

For students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade.

If you find yourself asking what a clue really proves, this course connects that curiosity with biology, chemistry, and criminal investigation. You’ll compare different kinds of evidence and build a case others can follow. Precise records and safety procedures matter to the laboratory work, just as explaining the limits of a conclusion matters to an investigation.

Based on students surveyed in 2026 about Summer Discovery High School programs at Georgetown University campus.

Studying on Georgetown University’s campus gives high-school students the opportunity to explore an academic interest while experiencing campus life in Washington, D.C. Its historic campus and surrounding neighborhood sit near embassies, institutions, and organizations that shape national and international conversations, giving the summer a distinctive sense of place.

Students learn alongside peers with similar interests, navigate a new environment, and gain independence through everyday choices and responsibilities. Time outside class helps students experience the broader rhythm of university life while considering what subjects, communities, and possible directions feel right for them. For families, the program offers a combination of substantive academic exploration, personal growth, and clearer insight into what a student may want to study or pursue next.