The new $14 million home of the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science at the University of New Haven allows visitors an up-close look at the bloodstained world of forensic investigation, reports the Hartford Courant. The missions of the institute include educating the public and students and training police, lawyers and investigators in the latest forensic practices. Its is also to show the public that forensic science “is not necessarily what they’ve come to know and believe after watching ‘CSI,'” said the executive director.
The institute is named for Lee, a prominent forensic scientist, and many displays there are related to some of his more famous cases. One virtual crime scene laboratory includes images and pertinent evidence from Connecticut’s notorious “wood-chipper” murder case. Other exhibits show how various types of light reveal bloodstains on a screwdriver; a chance to match bullets, and a look at the differences between male and female skeletal remains.