Wisconsin School for the Deaf - The Wisconsin Times Vol. 135 No. 4 Summer 2014 | Page 9

CSI at WSD

WSD science teacher, Mrs. Martha Muller, contacted the Milwaukee crime lab in the hopes of taking the high
school science students on a field trip. Instead, the crime lab offered to come to WSD due to visitor restrictions.
On May 14, five real CSIs arrived at WSD for presentations, hands-on activities, and lectures on five subject
areas within the world of crime labs. WSD middle school students were included in the hands-on activities and
high school science students were able to attend the lectures as well.
While the high school science students used the WSD Round Room for the guest lectures, Mrs. Muller’s
science classroom was used for the hands-on activities. New WSD middle school science teacher, Mr. Matt
Palma led his students in the hands-on portion of the day. The students were taught how to take fingerprints.
First, they did their own fingerprints; then, they learned how to lift the prints off of a wall or from paper. The
students learned about footwear analysis by making plaster molds of a footprint in sand. By comparing the
fingerprint or footwear print with the library of samples in the database of the computer, a possible match could
be made to the individual person or to the designer/company/maker of the footwear. Other clues, such as color,
size, and even wear and tear to the footwear helps the CSIs to make identifications. Once a possible match is
made, more time is spent verifying the sample. The process is long and tedious. The results do not happen as
quickly as television shows would have us believe.

Mr. Tomasino demonstrates to Jenny
how to “roll the fingers” to create a
print samle.

Lucero dusts
her print.

Tao “lifts” her print off
from a ceramic tile.

Anthony shows off his
print sample.

One of the presenters talked about firearms and ballistics. Hundreds of types and
styles of firearms and bullets exist. He talked about identifying characteristic ̸