Introduction to Forensic Biology BIO 96

Introduction to Forensic Biology – BIO 86

Tuesday + Thursday; 1:15 pm – 2:30 pm January 17th – May 5th Classroom: Waterman 413

Dr. Amanda Yonan [email protected] 802-656-0454 102 Marsh Life Science Bldg Office Hours: Tuesday 11:30 am – 1 pm Wednesday 2 to 3 pm Thursday 11:30 am – 1 pm

Two Required Text Books: Hidden Evidence – Owen ISBN: 1-55407-540-8

Unique Identifier - Yonan ISBN: 978-1-4652-1089-0 https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/unique-identifier-introduction-dna-profiles

Grades: Exams 3 x 100 300 45% Clicker Q's 80 12% Quizzes/Hmwks 9 x 10 80 12% Final 200 30% 660

At the end of this course successful students will be able to:

1. Critically analyze and interpret different forms of crime scene evidence.

2. Based on evidence from autopsies, discriminate the cause of death.

3. Evaluate DNA profiles to determine the source of a sample.

There will be a quiz or homework assignment each week. The quiz will be the first thing we do in class on quiz days and I will not wait to hand out the quiz and do not take late quizzes. I will announce which specific discussion set is due for homework at the beginning of class on homework days and will collect the homework immediately. I drop the lowest scoring quiz or homework, because of this there will be no make-ups quizzes or late homework allowed for any reason.

We are going to use iClickers in order to earn points for participation in our class discussion. To earn these points you must have a registered iClicker device with you AND attend class. You are responsible for bringing your clicker to class every day and making sure it has been registered correctly. I drop two days of clicker questions so that you may miss two classes without it affecting your grade. More information on the iClickers, and how to register them correctly, is available on our Blackboard website.

It is expected that you have already read the assigned chapter before coming to class that day so that you may fully participate in discussions and ask questions. This will also help you do well on the Clicker questions. There will be 2 or 3 Clicker questions per lecture, and each question will be worth 2 points. You earn one point simply for clicking in any answer, the second point is earned for answering the question correctly. I drop the lowest scoring two days of the clicker questions throughout the semester.

If you must miss class for a UVM sponsored event or religious holiday you need to let me know BEFORE the absences and I will give you the Clicker questions through email so that you don’t miss those points.

There will be three in class exams throughout the semester, worth 100 points each. The exams are a combination of true/false, multiple choice and short answer questions.

The final will be worth 200 points and will be cumulative. Half of the final will cover DNA Analysis and the other half will be cumulative, covering the entire semester.

All exams are completed using a scantron, so you must bring a #2 pencil to class on exam days. Exams are held in our usual classroom, during class hours. Schedule (subject to change):

Date Day Book - Chapter Topic Quiz 17-Jan T Hidden - 1 Introduction 19-Jan Th Hidden - 2 Evidence at the scene 24-Jan T Hidden - 3 Identification of Body 26-Jan Th - Chief Medical Examiner quiz 1 31-Jan T Unique - 1 Physical Evidence 2-Feb Th Unique - 1 Collection/Preservation hwmk 1 7-Feb T - Exam One 9-Feb Th Hidden - 4 Poison 14-Feb T Hidden - 5 Knives 16-Feb Th - State Trooper quiz 2 21-Feb T Hidden - 6 Strangulation 23-Feb Th Hidden - 7 Drowning and Burning quiz 3 28-Feb T Hidden - 8 Guns 2-Mar Th - Exam Two 7-Mar T - Town Meeting Day 9-Mar Th Hidden - 9 Fire and Explosives 14-Mar T - Spring Break 16-Mar Th - Spring Break 21-Mar T Hidden - 11 Fingerprints 23-Mar Th - Forensic Anthropology quiz 4 28-Mar T Hidden - 12 Trace Evidence 30-Mar Th Hidden - 13 Blood Splatter quiz 5 4-Apr T - Exam Three 6-Apr Th Unique - 2 DNA 11-Apr T Unique - 3 Isolating DNA 13-Apr Th Unique - 4 Genotyping Methods hmwk 2 or 3 18-Apr T Unique - 5 Degradation and Contamination 20-Apr Th - State Trooper II hmwk 4 or 5 25-Apr T - 27-Apr Th Unique - 6 Strength of DNA evidence 2-May T - DNA Databases hmwk 6 4-May Th - Final Review 12-May F 10:30 AM Final Exam Final is cumlative, but half of exam will be DNA, other half entire course Grade of: A+ > 99% A = 92 to 98.9% A- = 90 to 91.9% B+ = 88 to 89.9% B = 80 to 87.9% B- = 78 to 79.9% C+ = 76 to 77.9% C = 69 to 75.9% C- = 67 to 68.9% D+ = 65 to 66.9% D = 57 to 64.9% D- = 55 to 56.9% F will be anything less than 55%

Course Description: Introduction to Forensic Biology is a lower division biology course introducing the wide range of topics involved in different fields of Forensics. This course will cover crime scene investigation and the methods of evidence collection. It will also cover the methods for identifying a body and the cause of death as well as producing and analyzing a DNA profile. This course requires no previous Biology courses and will use a multitude of real life cases as examples of how Forensics is actually used in the field.

This course will also include guest speakers such as: Chief Medical Examiner Vermont State Police Officer Anthropologist

Accommodations: If you have a disability and need accommodations, please contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) for an accommodation letter and see me during the first few class sessions to discuss details of your accommodations. Some students will take their exams at the Exam Proctoring Center (EPC), if your accommodations include the EPC please note that you need to register at least one week before exam dates.

Behaviors: This is a college course, as so I expect every student to be an adult and to act as one in class. Some examples include but are not limited to: Treat each other and myself with respect. Turn off cell phones before class, do not answer them during class. No texting, it may be quiet but it is distracting, especially to you. Turn off any iPOD or music and remove headphones before class. Do not talk excessively or loudly during lecture or discussions If you arrive to class late or need to leave early please move as quietly as possible, walk behind the projector, sit in the back of class or near the aisle, in general please try to not be an interruption to the other students who have arrived on time.

This is especially true during guest speakers! These are busy people taking time out of their schedule to teach you. Please be quiet, pay attention and ask questions or do not come to class that day.

Cheating: Cheating is completely unacceptable under any circumstances and will result in your immediate failure from my class. You are responsible for having read the “Code of Academic Integrity” and for abiding by its rules in this classroom and on this campus: This includes voting with someone’s else’s iClicker. You, and the person you are voting for, will be failed from the course if you are caught voting for someone else. Offenses against academic integrity are any acts which would have the effect of unfairly promoting or enhancing one's academic standing within the entire community of learners. Such acts are serious offenses, which insult the integrity of the entire academic community of the University. Any suspected violations of the policy will not be tolerated and all allegations will be forwarded to the Center for Student Ethics & Standards. http://www.uvm.edu/sconduct/