JFK forensic Workshop for TY

Today our Transition Year took part in JFK forensic fun workshop. The workshop starts with a brief re-cap of what happened, the presenter Patrick then walked around each of 10 evidence stations, explaining each and what the students were looking at. Armed with a worksheet, students then spent about an hour 'gathering evidence'. They quickly discover that there are serious questions about the official verdict! Questions they explore include: Backyard photo ... genuine or not? Photo opportunity here - students re-created Oswald’s pose with the rifle and newspapers. Fingerprints - they took their own ... and found out who was the owner of the unidentified fingerprint found on the 6th floor? Ballistics ... if the magic bullet was planted ... why? (Striations) They discover the difference between a semi-automatic pistol and a revolver ... and why it was critical to the case. GSR (gunshot residue) ... they replicated the test performed on Lee Harvey Oswald ... and looked at the original test results ... there is a problem! Autopsy – they examined the official autopsy report and saw how much an average human brain weighs and how much JFK brain (apparently) weighed ... another problem! …… and where is JFK’s brain now? Students then regrouped and put together the evidence they have gathered. They ended the workshop with more questions than they started with! This was an enjoyable workshop rich with props and resources for the students to interact with.