Hamden High School Student Learn about Forensic Science at Quinnipiac

Press release

HAMDEN, Conn. - Twenty Hamden High School students-turned-sleuths learned about forensic science at Quinnipiac University on Friday, March 22.
The students participated in hands-on forensic physics and anthropology activities led by QU’s Nicole Granucci, instructor of physics, and Jaime Ullinger, professor of anthropology.
“I hope they learn the joy and love of problem solving,” Granucci said. “I hope this sparks an interest in some type of science field.”
Granucci engaged students in a blood-splatter activity, where they learned about the application of physics to forensic science, including calculating things like force and direction. In Ullinger’s anthropology activity, students learned how to estimate age from skeletons and how to assess traumatic injuries from bone.
Jemaya Sanders, a junior at Hamden High, said she enjoyed the hands-on aspect of the activities, made popular by television shows such as “CSI,” “NCIS” and “Bones.”
“It is different than what we usually do in class,” she said. “This is my first time experimenting with blood splatters. If it was real blood, I’d kind of be weirded out, but I’m enjoying it. It’s not like you see on TV. It takes a lot more time to solve cases in the real world.”
The visit included lunch and a tour of Quinnipiac.