Nearly There...

So...Now that all the photocopying and redacting is done, I now have to go back through and collect data from each case. Luckily, most of the information needed is in the photocopied documents, but I do need to go back into the case files for some facts. So, the end is yet to come. Keep stopping in and hopefully there will be a more exciting post soon. Thanks!

Free at last...

I'm done! I have photocopied, redacted and handled more file folders than I would have wanted to do in a whole lifetime! I dropped the huge stack of paper on Kim's desk before I left this afternoon, marking the completion of my main project. I am excited about the other projects I will do during the next week and a half. While the aircraft fatality study was thoroughly interesting, I am psyched to broaden my horizons in forensic investigation with other projects. I am sure the next few posts will be more intriguing...stay tuned!

Hours: 10:05 - 1:30

Total: 3 hours 35 minutes

Such a long day...

I worked all of forty minutes today. My sponsor, Kim, had to leave for a meeting and Jennie had an autopsy. Lynn, the secretary, also departed and interns are not allowed in the office alone. So, I drove an hour round-trip to get less work done. I am still excited though because I am getting closer to finishing my project. I usually don't go in to Concord on Wednesdays because of my game and class schedule, so any time is good time. I'll let you know how my day goes tomorrow. Later.

Hours: 9:10 - 9:50

Total: 40 minutes

Better than I thought...

I started going through the investigation reports for each of the cases and I have found that it is not as much work as I had thought. There are fewer pages than the autopsy reports and I don't have to redact as much information. It looks as though I will be done sooner than I had imagined. Today, I also "worked" in the evidence room. While I am not licensed, I watched Rosie, the woman who works in the evidence room, prepare some blood and urine samples to send away to NMS, or the National Medical Service. The state crime lab can only do so much in terms of detecting narcotics in samples of tissue. People tend to abuse prescription drugs these days and so with a few cases these need to be detected by NMS. Samples are sent to NMS, which sends back a detailed report of what, if any, drugs are found. Cool stuff. Even cooler is the fact that they receive thousands of samples every day. That's a lot of blood to test...

Hopefully in the next few days, I will finish my main project and learn even more about the system of the Medical Examiner's office. Later.

Hours: 11:10 - 2:20

Total: 3 hours 10 minutes

First Day of Week Two

I finished photocopying the autopsy reports and thought I was finished with my main project, but it turns out I also need to redact the investigation reports! I have to go through all the files again and then copy those documents. I have my work cut out for me! When I am completely finished going through all the case files, I will use the reports to gather and record some data before the information is sent out to the university. Tomorrow I will spend the day in the evidence room, so I am looking forward to the activities that I will be doing. Stay tuned for my post about the evidence room! Later.

Hours: 9:00 - 10:55

Total: 1 hour 55 minutes

Weekly Reflection One

I have only been in the office for a few days, but I have already learned so much. Looking through the case files has not only brought me closer to completing my main project, but has also educated me on the terms and procedures of autopsies and investigations. While redacting autopsy reports and photocopying hundreds of sheets of paper may seem extremely mundane to the average person, I find it quite exciting. As I have mentioned in my previous posts, I am happy my project was able to happen. I have always been a fan of the crime television show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and I had wanted to try it out for myself. While I was slightly surprised the television show was nothing like real life forensic investigation, it gave me a stepping stone, while a very small one, to start my internship. I already understood a few of the basics of crime scene investigation, but I wanted to know more about what happens after a scene has been processed. Lucky for me, I am at the Medical Examiner's office four times a week! I have gotten lots of verbal and electronic feedback on my senior project and to my pleasant surprise, people are very interested in hearing about my experiences. Even other students who are doing a senior project of their own have wanted to know about mine. I am more than happy to share with everyone because it is all part of the learning process. 

A university in Michigan is completing a study about airplane deaths and they needed the autopsy reports for all the aircraft-related fatalities in New Hampshire. I adopted this as my main project and will be finished with it soon. I am excited about the other activities I will be doing in the office. I know that I will learn so much more in the last week and a half that I can imagine. While I may not decide to pursue a career in forensic investigation, I will have had an amazing and fruitful senior project. If anything else, I can now point out the technical flaws whenever I watch CSI! While my senior project is just beginning, it has already opened my eyes to the outside world, even if that world is full of murder and crime. If I could restart my project, I wouldn't change a thing. I am very fortunate that I can learn so much about a subject that I love. 

Getting Closer...

Hey guys...I started photocopying the case files for my project. Hopefully I will be done by the middle of next week. I learned some pretty cool things today at the office, one of which I found to be particularly interesting. Kim, my Project Sponsor, explained to me that there are cases where a body is hard to identify. Typically finger prints are taken, but if that doesn't pan out, they go to dental records. We didn't really have much time to talk about it because I was so busy with my project, but she told me that there are a few other ways to identify a body. Super exciting if you ask me. When I find out what they are, I'll fill you in!

I find this project to be so interesting because I view each case as a puzzle. Yes, I am not a qualified forensic investigator, but I can feel that each person in the office wants to be there and they enjoy their job. To me, to start with one piece, almost always a DB (dead body for those of you who didn't read my earlier posts), and then go from there to solve a whole case is amazing. What a sense of accomplishment to find out the last moments of a person's life...you are a victim's last voice. Be heard.

Thanks.