This Week At CART – Madelyn Binaski

Hello! I am an ambassador here at CART and a senior in the Forensic and Biotechnology lab. The forensic lab is all about learning the proper ways to collect and analyze evidence, like on crime shows, however, done properly. This week at CART is very special. For some time now students at CART have been working on a project to present at Showcase. I have been working on mine for the past six weeks. CART Showcase is an open house to show off the amazingly detailed projects all the labs have been doing. My project was the collection and analyzing procedure done at crime scenes, specifically, toward fingerprint evidence. With my group, we focused on presenting the collection process at a scene for the showcase. We created a mock interactive activity for friends, family, and others to get a hands-on experience.

Our showcase project is our focus this week, by getting prepared and presenting it. Our project consists of placing a fingerprint on a glass, dusting it with magnetic powder on a non-magnetic surface to have the fingerprint be visible to the naked eye. After the print gets dusted and collected off the glass by a piece of tape, it gets placed onto a flashcard. This is showing the demonstration on how to collect fingerprints at a crime scene, because any surface touched by a fingerprint is left. Also, during this week, I had an English rotation where I was assigned to start reading a book that is called Catch Me If You Can by Frank W. Abagnale which discusses Frank being a con man and stealing money. Which is related to what I am learning in class about the introduction of criminal psychology. Everything in class relates back to the bigger subject of Forensics.

The forensic and Biotechnology lab is an amazing lab to take. The teachers are a positive energy to be around. This lab is seen as more of a hands-on course to learn more details as it would be used on the field. The lab is always a great and safe environment. I would recommend this lab if you would like to learn more about criminology, if not I would recommend any other lab here at CART because CART is such a different atmosphere in a good way. CART is wonderful, and it is always fun and exciting to walk through the doors every day waiting for what the lab has in store for you.