Sprawled beneath a dumpster outside of a Las Vegas motel, a girl with a name-tag that reads “Penny” is the victim of a murder. The investigator at this crime scene has to confirm the real identity of the girl, determine who she last sent text messages to, identify the unknown substance lying close to her purse, and determine the cause of her death. Right now at the Science Museum of Minnesota, you can be the crime scene investigator, and you can solve the crime at the CSI: The Experience exhibit.
This hands-on exhibit was created in collaboration with the CBS franchise, and so it feels like you are a real life investigator. “CSI’s creator and executive producer, Anthony Zuiker, was really excited to help and very engaged in the development of the exhibit,” said Anderson.
Immediately, you enter the briefing room, where all new investigators watch a short instructional video. Then new investigators are sent to their assigned crime scenes where they have a few minutes to draw everything they can identify in the crime scene. “I liked seeing the actual crime and how they made it look pretty real,” said junior Erin Katopodis.
The room that this procedure takes place in looks quite similar to that in the actual show: large bright lights, stainless steel bed, specialized equipment. “It was really cool because it seemed really real and showing the 3-D layers of the skin was interesting,” said Katopodis.
This exhibit is very popular and so the Science Museum of Minnesota highly suggests reserving tickets in advance, which cost $11 and include admission to the rest of the museum. January 4 is the last day to experience for yourself the work of a crime scene investigator.