🚔🚨 CM3301: Advanced Forensic Science 💉🔬
Lecturers: Experts from HSA
Workload: Compulsory module for Forensic Science Minors (Only available in Semester 2!)
Assessments: CA (Midterm) - 30% (all MCQs, no backward navigation via LUMINUS) / Finals - 70% (MCQs + choose 5 out of 9 short answered essays)
Midterms (30%): 24/28 [25th - 75th: 22-25 / 28] (This grade was only given 6 days after finals ended, so I really thought I did badly for midterms since I didn't manage to finish studying and I had no time to do the DNA questions so I randomly select an option for the last 3 questions, guess I was lucky)
Expected Grade: B
Overall Grade: B+
This module is extremely heavy in content. There are 2 lectures per week of which each lecture set can reach up to 100 slides. Due to the confidentiality of the content, lectures recorded via Zoom will be uploaded but taken down 2 weeks after the lectures. The main content for this is chemistry (drugs) but there is also a bit of physics/math calculations when it comes to traffic reconstruction and even stats (sampling of drugs). They are interesting but also fortunate that my badge at least had it open book despite the heavy content as previous semesters did not have webcasts and they had closed book exams.
These are the topics we covered:
Syllabus
# Trace evidence
Nature and value of physical evidence. Locard’s exchange principle. Definition of trace evidence. The importance of contact, transfer and persistence. Characteristics and value of trace evidence. Analysis of trace evidence. Scene investigation and case studies.
# Glass evidence
The various types of glass and their properties. Techniques used in forensic glass comparisons. Glass fracture analysis. Scene investigation and case studies.
# Fire and Explosion
Classification of ignitable liquids, types of techniques used, sample collection and preservation. Types of explosions, classification of explosives, fireworks. Scene investigation and case studies.
# Firearms/toolmarks
Value of firearms/toolmarks examinations. The machine as a tool. Methods employed and common terminology. Scene investigation and case studies.
# Traffic Crash Reconstruction
Common crash reconstruction concepts and techniques such as speed analysis, video analysis, blind spot analysis, and perception-reaction time for collision avoidance analysis.
# Forensic Biology
- Role of forensic biology in human identification
- Methods for the identification of biological fluids
- Extraction and quantification of DNA
- Biology of short tandem repeat (STR)
- Amplification and detection of STR markers
- Epigenetics and SNPs in crime solving
- Non-human forensic genetics
# Illicit Drugs
- Depressants
- Opiates
- Cannabis
- Phenethylamines
- Tryptamines
- Sampling, general analytical workflow and techniques
# Drug Consumption
- Overview of legislation
- Principle of pharmacokinetics
- Drug metabolism and disposition
- Analysis of drugs of abuse in urine
# Analytical Toxicology
- Acts and regulations in relation to toxicology testing
- Alcohol analysis
- Types of toxicological samples
- Sample clean up and extraction
- Chromatographic separation methods
- Detection methods
(Version 2021)
