Behind the Badge
Call it the case of the missing cake.
Tracking down the culprit responsible for swiping a cake from a conference room inside the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) Crime Lab was the recent mission facing a group of potential forensic experts.
The group of about 30 girls between the ages 4 and from Project Scientist, a summer STEM academy, were well trained in how to solve the case after touring the Crime Lab on July 3.
OCSD Forensic Specialist Chien Ting Liu points to a computer screen used to help identify people through fingerprints. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
STEM is the commonly known academic acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
With OCSD Supervising Forensic Scientist Stephanie Callian leading the tour, the girls visited multiple departments in the Crime Lab. They learned how to collect and analyze evidence such as fingerprints and DNA samples.
OCSD Forensic Specialist Chien Ting Liu examines the thumbs of members of the tour group as she talks about how the crime lab uses fingerprints to help identify people.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
The group was the youngest to have ever toured the crime lab, Callian said.
“(The girls) are just getting a whole smattering of what forensic science is all about,” Callian said. “They are having a blast … It’s really nice to see them exploring a scientific field and scientific profession, where we hope they have the courage to continue on in their education and eventually end up in a career like this one.”
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
The girls started the day off with a briefing in the conference room, where a sheet cake was sitting prominently on a table near the door.
The young sleuths then toured the building, where they saw OCSD’s various scientific and technological tools, demonstrated by the experts who use them.
OCSD Forensic Scientist Cristine Munoz, left, and Forensic Scientist Paulynn Carrington show how to collect a DNA sample as they give a tour of the OCSD Crime Lab to a girls’ STEM academy summer camp.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
“I’m so excited,” said Leila, 7. “I love it. I love this field trip.”
When the girls returned to the conference room, the cake was gone.
OCSD Forensic Scientist Cristine Munoz, left, demonstrates one technique for collecting a DNA sample as she and Forensic Scientist Paulynn Carrington give a tour of the OCSD Crime Lab to a girls’ STEM academy summer camp on July 3.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
But the suspected thief left clues everywhere. A handwritten note and an icing-laden fingerprint were among the most obvious.
With their newfound knowledge, the girls from Project Scientist were able to analyze ink on paper and lift a fingerprint on a wall near a doorway.
Bella Rose Alama gets her turn to look at cells through a microscope.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
“They’re all so excited to be here and to ask all the scientists and specialists questions about what they do,” said Jessica Stellmann, site director of Project Scientist Academy, based at Concordia University in Irvine. “It’s awesome to see all the different departments and see how they work.”
Mary Izadi, constitutional policing advisor for the OCSD, helped organize the field trip after a friend connected her with Sandy Marshall, the CEO and founder of Project Scientist.
Girls from Project Scientist take turns looking through microscopes to examine evidence samples during the July 3 tour. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
Izadi learned that the mission of Project Scientist is to foster enthusiasm for STEM careers in young girls.
“I was instantly fascinated with what they did,” Izadi said. “It was very interesting to me. She started telling me about the program and how they are affiliated with Cal Tech and all these amazing universities.”
Ameyal Martinez takes a look at the colors separated on a test tape during a chromatography experiment.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
When Izadi learned that Project Scientist’s curriculum includes themed activities, with one being “science crime week,” she approached OCSD officials about bringing the budding scientists into the Crime Lab for a tour.
“It’s been phenomenal,” Izadi said. “The kids are so engaged and the Crime Lab has done a phenomenal job.”
Testing tape separates colors in a chromatography experiment.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
As it turned out, the case of the missing cake was not a crime at all, but a misunderstanding.
An employee of the Crime Lab had merely taken the cake to decorate it.
When she returned with the newly adorned cake and explained what she had done, the case was solved.
It was a piece of cake.
Coraline Ontiveros gets her finger printed onto a bookmark by OCSD Forensic Scientist Allison Flattum.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
OCSD Senior Forensic Scientist Stephanie Callian shows Morgan Ossey, second from left, how to use a silicone casting gun for preserving evidence.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
The girls gather around their cake after it came back fully decorated.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
