CSI: The Experience

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CSI: The Experience is a traveling exhibition about crime lab forensic science and technology inspired by the television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation .

A crime laboratory - often shortened to crime lab - is a scientific laboratory, using primarily forensic science for the purpose of examining evidence from criminal cases.

Forensic science the application of science to criminal and civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and criminal procedure

Forensic science is the application of science to criminal and civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and criminal procedure.

<i>CSI: Crime Scene Investigation</i> American crime fiction television series (2000–2015)

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, also referred to as CSI and CSI: Las Vegas, is a procedural forensics crime drama television series which ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. The series starred William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, George Eads, Ted Danson, Laurence Fishburne, Elisabeth Shue, and Jorja Fox and was the first in the CSI franchise. The series concluded with a feature-length finale titled "Immortality".

Contents

Development and location

The exhibit was developed for the Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative by the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History in partnership with CBS Consumer Products and the National Science Foundation, which provided $2.4 million in funding for both the exhibit and a CSI "Web Adventure" targeted to underserved youth. [1] Approved by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the exhibit was developed and designed by numerous partners. [2]

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History

The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is located on 1600 Gendy Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76107 in the city's Cultural District. It was opened in 1945 as the Fort Worth Children's Museum and moved to its current location in 1954. In 1968, the museum adopted its current name. Attractions at the museum include the Noble Planetarium and the Omni Theater, with Star's Cafe and Shop Too! gift shop, in addition to both traveling and permanent science and history exhibits.

CBS Consumer Products is a unit of the CBS Corporation which manages the worldwide licensing, merchandising, and video activities for a diverse slate of properties owned or controlled by the CBS Corporation, including CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Distribution.

National Science Foundation United States government agency

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health. With an annual budget of about US$7.8 billion, the NSF funds approximately 24% of all federally supported basic research conducted by the United States' colleges and universities. In some fields, such as mathematics, computer science, economics, and the social sciences, the NSF is the major source of federal backing.

The Museum also developed the exhibit, Whodunit? The Science of Solving Crime [3] in 1993 for the Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative and it has been touring science centers since, exhibiting advances in DNA science and associated information technology. [4]

CSI: The Experience debuted at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry in May 2007 and opened in the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History's new facility in November 2009. [5] CSI: The Experience is currently touring museums and science centers across the United States, Europe, and Asia. [6] On October 1, 2011, it is displayed at Discovery Times Square in New York City. [7]

Chicago City in Illinois, United States

Chicago, officially the City of Chicago, is the most populous city in Illinois, as well as the third most populous city in the United States. With an estimated population of 2,705,994 (2018), it is the most populous city in the Midwest. Chicago is the principal city of the Chicago metropolitan area, often referred to as Chicagoland, and the county seat of Cook County, the second most populous county in the United States. The metropolitan area, at nearly 10 million people, is the third-largest in the United States.

Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago) Science and technology museum in Illinois, US

The Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) is located in Chicago, Illinois, in Jackson Park, in the Hyde Park neighborhood between Lake Michigan and The University of Chicago. It is housed in the former Palace of Fine Arts from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Initially endowed by Julius Rosenwald, the Sears, Roebuck and Company president and philanthropist, it was supported by the Commercial Club of Chicago and opened in 1933 during the Century of Progress Exposition.

Discovery Times Square

Discovery Times Square was an exhibition space at 226 West 44th Street in New York City that opened June 24, 2009 and closed in September 2016. It specialized in traveling exhibitions with 60,000 square feet of exhibition space It was one of several exhibition spaces that catered to Times Square tourists.

From May 25, 2013 to September 2013 it was on display in the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.

Features and content

CSI: The Experience starts with a video briefing. The visitors start their investigation in one of three crime scenes: a suburban living room with a car crashed through it, a hotel alley, and a remote desert. In each, visitors are asked to identify and gather evidence; analyze materials with the help of scientific techniques; formulate hypotheses about the crime; and confirm and communicate their findings. [8]

CSI: The Experience features 2 separate crime labs ("trace evidence" and "forensic analysis") and an autopsy room where visitors can explore the technology used in evidence analysis. In order to trace vehicle tracks, clothing fibers, and paint chips in the first lab, museum-goers will collect data from microscope analysis to determine where matches occur and how they contribute to the larger hypothesis. Here, visitors can also evaluate digital evidence provided by cell phones and other electronics, in addition to hard evidence such as fingerprints, blood patterns, and ammunition casings.

In a second laboratory space, visitors examine forensic art as they study age progression and attempt to match an image with a victim. Visitors study DNA evidence and observe an autopsy for pathology analysis. At the end of CSI: The Experience, visitors use the scientific information they gathered to answer a series of multiple-choice questions on touch screens. After completing the survey, visitors proceed to a recreation of Gil Grissom's office to present their case. Exhibit-goers can compare their scientific findings to those of expert crime scene investigators.

The exhibit is geared toward adults and youth ages 12 and above.

Cast and crew promote exhibit

CSI: The Experience opened with a press preview on May 23, 2007 at the Museum of Science and Industry which was attended by stars from the cast of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, including William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, Gary Dourdan, Jorja Fox, George Eads, Wallace Langham, Eric Szmanda, and Robert David Hall. After the ribbon cutting, several members of the cast took a tour of the interactive exhibit. [9]

Awards and recognition

The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History received the Themed Entertainment Association's Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement for CSI: The Experience. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>CSI: NY</i> television series (2004-2013)

CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that ran on CBS from September 22, 2004, to February 22, 2013, for a total of nine seasons and 197 original episodes. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers identified as "Crime Scene Investigators" as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths, as well as other crimes. The series is an indirect spin-off from the veteran series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and a direct spin-off from CSI: Miami, during an episode in which several of the CSI: NY characters made their first appearances. It is the third series in the CSI franchise.

Behavioral Analysis Unit department of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime

The Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) is a department of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) that uses behavioral analysts to assist in criminal investigations. The mission of the NCAVC and the BAU is to provide behavioral based investigative and/or operational support by applying case experience, research, and training to complex and time-sensitive crimes, typically involving acts or threats of violence.

Crime scene location that may be associated with a committed crime

A crime scene is any location that may be associated with a committed crime. Crime scenes contain physical evidence that is pertinent to a criminal investigation. This evidence is collected by crime scene investigators (CSIs) and Law enforcement. The location of a crime scene can be the place where the crime took place, or can be any area that contains evidence from the crime itself. Scenes are not only limited to a location, but can be any person, place, or object associated with the criminal behaviors that occurred.

The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) is a society for forensics professionals, founded in 1948. The society is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.

CSI effect Influence of forensic science fiction on public perceptions

The CSI effect, also known as the CSI syndrome and the CSI infection, is any of several ways in which the exaggerated portrayal of forensic science on crime television shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation influences public perception. The term was first reported in a 2004 USA Today article describing the effect being made on trial jurors by television programs featuring forensic science. It most often refers to the belief that jurors have come to demand more forensic evidence in criminal trials, thereby raising the effective standard of proof for prosecutors. While this belief is widely held among American legal professionals, some studies have suggested that crime shows are unlikely to cause such an effect, although frequent CSI viewers may place a lower value on circumstantial evidence. As technology improves and becomes more prevalent throughout society, people may also develop higher expectations for the capabilities of forensic technology.

Bloodstain pattern analysis

Bloodstain Pattern Analysis (BPA) is the study and analysis of bloodstains at a known or suspected crime scene with the purpose of drawing conclusions about the nature, timing and other details of the crime. It is one of the several specialties of forensic science.

The Swedish National Forensic Centre — previously known as the National Laboratory of Forensic Science — is a Swedish government agency, organized under Department of Justice as a department of the Swedish Police Authority. It is tasked with assisting the Swedish police in investigating crimes. The agency performs laboratory analyses of samples which have been taken from various types of crime scenes. The laboratory has expertise in most science disciplines and uses technology to find and preserve trace evidence and to establish links between people, places and objects.

Crime reconstruction or crime scene reconstruction is the forensic science discipline in which one gains "explicit knowledge of the series of events that surround the commission of a crime using deductive and inductive reasoning, physical evidence, scientific methods, and their interrelationships". Gardner and Bevel explain that crime scene reconstruction "involves evaluating the context of a scene and the physical evidence found there in an effort to identify what occurred and in what order it occurred." Chisum and Turvey explain that "[h]olistic crime reconstruction is the development of actions and circumstances based on the system of evidence discovered and examined in relation to a particular crime. In this philosophy, all elements of evidence that come to light in a given case are treated as interdependent; the significance of each piece, each action, and each event falls and rises on the backs of the others."

Forensic biology

Forensic biology is the application of biology to associate a person(s), whether suspect or victim, to a location, an item, another person. It can be utilized to further investigations for both criminal and civil cases. Two of the most important factors to be constantly considered throughout the collection, processing, and analysis of evidence, are the maintenance of chain of custody as well as contamination prevention, especially considering the nature of the majority of biological evidence. Forensic biology is incorporated into and is a significant aspect of numerous forensic disciplines, some of which include forensic anthropology, forensic entomology, forensic odontology, forensic pathology, forensic toxicology. When the phrase "forensic biology" is utilized, it is often regarded as synonymous with DNA analysis of biological evidence.

FBI Laboratory

The FBI Laboratory is a division within the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation that provides forensic analysis support services to the FBI, as well as to state and local law enforcement agencies free of charge. The lab is located at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia. Opened November 24, 1932, the lab was first known as the Technical Laboratory. It became a separate division when the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) was renamed as the FBI.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to forensic science:

<i>CSI</i> (franchise) Franchise of American television series

CSI is a media franchise of American television programs created by Anthony E. Zuiker. The first three CSI series follow the work of forensic scientists as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious deaths, while the fourth series, CSI: Cyber, emphasizes behavioral psychology and how it can be applied to cyber forensics.

Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death forensics dioramas

The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death are a series of nineteen intricately designed dollhouse-style dioramas created by Frances Glessner Lee (1878–1962), a pioneer in forensic science. Glessner Lee used her inheritance to establish a department of legal medicine at Harvard Medical School in 1936, and donated the first of the Nutshell Studies in 1946 for use in lectures on the subject of crime scene investigation. In 1966, the department was dissolved, and the dioramas went to the Maryland Medical Examiner's Office in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. where they are on permanent loan and still used for forensic seminars.

Forensic entomology deals with the collection of arthropodic evidence and its application, and through a series of tests and previously set of rules, general admissibility of said evidence is determined. Forensic entomology may come into play in a variety of legal cases, including crime scene investigation, abuse and neglect cases, accidents, insect infestation, and food contamination.

National Museum of Crime & Punishment

The National Museum of Crime and Punishment, also known as the Crime Museum, was a privately owned museum dedicated to the history of criminology and penology in the United States. It was located in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C., half a block south of the Gallery Place station. The museum closed in 2015 and is now operated as Alcatraz East, a museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

The Scientific Working Group on Imaging Technology was convened by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1997 to provide guidance to law enforcement agencies and others in the criminal justice system regarding the best practices for photography, videography, and video and image analysis. This group was terminated in 2015.

Alcatraz East Crime museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Alcatraz East is a crime museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Opened in 2016, it was formerly operated as the National Museum of Crime & Punishment in Washington, DC. The museum gives a behind-the-scenes look at crime history in America. It was created and built by attorney John Morgan, and his Chief Operating Officer, Janine Vaccarello.

References

  1. "Crack the Case at the Museum of Science and Industry". (May 25, 2007). CBS Consumer Products Release. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  2. "CSI: The Experience" Archived 2011-07-29 at the Wayback Machine . U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  3. Walter, Charlie. "Whodunit? The Science of Solving Crime." Are We There Yet?: Conversations about Best Practices in Science Exhibition Development. Eds. Kathleen McLean and Catherine McEver. Washington, D.C.: Association of Science Technology Centers, 2004. Print. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  4. Wilson, Ellen S. (September/October 1999). "Whodunit? The Science of Solving Crime". Carnegie Magazine. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  5. "Fact Sheet". CSI: The Experience. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  6. "Locations/Schedule". CSI: The Experience. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  7. "Tickets on Sale Now for CSI: The Experience at New York's Discovery Times Square". (September 15, 2011). PR Newswire. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  8. "Exhibit Walk-Through". CSI: The Experience. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  9. Moore, Laura (May 24, 2007). "CSI Stars Spend a Night at the Museum". TV Guide . Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  10. "14th Annual Thea Awards (2008)". Themed Entertainment Association. Retrieved July 4, 2011.