Forensic Students Study Hair and Fiber Standards

          In the Forensic Science class, the students are currently studying examples of trace evidence, in this case hairs and fibers. To do this the students are using our digital microscopes to exam "standards" known samples of different types of hairs and fabrics. They will then use these knowns as a basis of comparison to identify an unknown sample of trace evidence by indicating its source.

          In this unit the students learned the characteristics used to distinguish the hairs from different animals, humans, and the three races of humans. Structural differences between these hairs allow their identification. The students learned to identfy different cuticle patterns and medullary patterns which are used to classify hair from different animals and humans.

          The hair samples used were from cats, dogs, rats, human dyed hair, human blonde hair, human natural gray hair, human brown hair, and human red hair. In addition to these samples, prepared slides contained sheep, wooly mammoth, mouse, deer, rabbit, mink, musk rat, seal and horse hairs.



K. Abiko and A. King are measuring the diameters of the hairs they have already captured digitally.



N. Janney and M. Warnken have catalogued all their various hairs.

I. Markota, K. Bisconti, J. O'Neill, K.Stack and J. Burns compare notes and images collected.