CSI: The Experience - Features and Content

Features and Content

CSI: The Experience starts with a video briefing. The new recruits start their investigation in one of three crime scenes: a suburban living room, a hotel alley, and a remote desert. In each, visitors are challenged to identify and gather evidence; analyze materials with the help of the latest scientific and technological advances; formulate hypotheses about the crime; and confirm and communicate their findings.

CSI: The Experience features two separate crime labs where visitors can explore the state-of-the-art technology used in evidence analysis. In order to trace vehicle tracks, clothing fibers, and paint chips in the first lab, museum-goers will collect data from microscope analysis to determine where matches occur and how they contribute to the larger hypothesis. Here, visitors can also evaluate digital evidence provided by cell phones and other electronics, in addition to hard evidence such as fingerprints, blood patterns, and ammunition casings.

In a second laboratory space, visitors examine forensic art as they study age progression and attempt to match an image with a victim. Visitors will study DNA evidence and experience an autopsy for pathology analysis. At the end of CSI: The Experience, visitors use the scientific information they gathered to answer a series of multiple-choice questions on touch screens. After completing the survey, visitors proceed to a recreation of Gil Grissom's office to present their case. Exhibit-goers can compare their scientific findings to those of expert crime scene investigators.

The exhibit is geared toward adults and youth ages 12 and above.