You will choose both an organism that has to do with forensic entomology and a project from below. No more than 3 people may sign up for each insect.
For options 1 through 5, you should include the following information:
- Blowfly
- Flesh fly
- Coffin Fly
- House Fly
- Clown Beetle
- Burying Beetle
- Sexton Beetle
- Hairy Rove Beetle
- Hide Beetle
- Insect of your choice, approved by U
For options 1 through 5, you should include the following information:
- Classification (fly, beetle, wasp, ant)
- Habitat and niche
- Time of arrival at the decomposing body
- Physical description of the insect at different stages of development
- Physical description of the insect’s habitat and surroundings
- Description of the insect’s food at different stages of development
- Description of how the insect ingests and digests its food at different stages of development
- Description of how the insect obtains oxygen
- Description of any movements or migrations made during development
- Any encounters with predators and a description of the predator
- Pictures as the insect progresses from one stage to another
- Insect Autobiography
Write an autobiography from the viewpoint of the insects as it develops on decomposing tissue from an egg into adulthood. - Baby Book, Scrapbook, or Digital Presentation
Document the development of the blowfly in the format of a baby book, scrapbook, or digital presentation. This can be done on paper, on poster board, or electronically. Each photo should have a label with a brief description. - Maggot Home Movies
Using footage of developing insects, document the development of your insect. Add a voiceover narrating the development of the blowfly. - Creative Writing
Select from a variety of genres such as poems, rap, songs, or short stories. Your writing should contain sound scientific information that describes in some manner the development of a insect egg on decomposing flesh through adulthood. Be creative in the nonscience portion of the writing, but make sure your science is accurate. - Insect Stage Models
Construct a model depicting the stages in insect development from egg on decomposing flesh to adult. Make sure that the structures on your developing insect and the relative sizes of the stages are accurate and correct size proportions. Present your completed model to the class, describing each stage. - Expert Witness Testimony
Partner with another student to present testimony from an actual or fictitious case study. One of you will be the expert forensic entomologist testifying, and the other will play the role of the lawyer cross-examining the entomologist. (Remember that the best cross-examiners have an excellent knowledge of the expert witness’s field of expertise.) The forensic entomologist expert witness should assume that the jurors have no science background and have only the educational level of middle-school students. Remember to support any claims with sufficient and reliable scientific evidence. Your presentation to the class (jurors) can be done live, or if your teacher allows, you may present it on video. - Engineering and Design
Design one of the following projects, or design a different project that is related to insect development- Design a way to collect and raise the insect in two different environments. Observe differences in their development. Prepare data tables that document the difference in growth.
- Design a chamber to collect the insect and other forensic insects outdoors in an open environment. Your design should include some type of structure that will allow odors to escape and insect to enter. Your design also needs a component that excludes predators that may disturb the experiment. Photograph your decomposition insect study, documenting the various types of insects that arrive and the different growth stages that they exhibit.
- Design a rearing chamber for the insect that will be kept at a constant temperature (above 16 degrees Celsius or 61 degrees Fahrenheit) throughout the experiment. Determine the accumulated degree hours required for each stage of development using the constant temperature of your rearing chamber and the number of hours you observed the insect to be at that stage.