Chicago Botanic Garden Spring 2020

chicagobotanic.org 23 Cracking the science code at Camp CBG A missing hornet’s nest. Scat- tered rocks. Scraps of fabric and hair. A sense of mystery fills the classroom at the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Regenstein Learning Campus. But there’s a group of third and fourth graders determined to crack the case. e hot crime scene is part of Forensic Files, just one of the many sessions of- fered at Camp CBG, where kids from the Chicago area come to the Garden to learn about science, nature, art, and ecology. For the last 15 years, Rhodi Hotaling has been leading Forensic Files, teach- ing campers how to use basic science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills and observational tactics to solve a crime. “Rhodi’s class is cross-disciplinary and brings together STEM, TV shows like CSI, and the Garden in a way that is fun for kids,” said Kathy Johnson, director of Youth Programs in the Joseph Regen- stein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden. “Forensic science skills are im- portant to the natural sciences.” Hotaling has a deep history with the Garden. His mother, Ginny, worked in government a airs at the Garden, and he proposed to his wife here. Now he splits his time between teaching math at North Park Elementary School in Chicago and teaching Camp CBG sleuths. “Teachers like Rhodi are trained in classroom settings and provide a supe- rior educational experience for our campers,” Johnson said. “ e students bene t from learning with teachers who get to focus on what they love in a relaxed setting.” On this day of Forensic Files, the campers crowd around microscopes. eir goal? To compare fabric samples with fabrics the suspects said they wore on the day of the crime. “I think it’s silk because it looks wiry,” said Sophie. She doesn’t have any guesses on who dunnit, though. She needs more evidence. Hotaling guides the class to hair sam- ples. e crime scene hair looks brown under a microscope. Is it human hair, or could it have come from a dog or a cat? “I think the hair is a dog and hu- man hair combined,” Coco said. She then chants “dog, dog, dog, dog!” e campers have already interviewed suspects and taken photos of the scene. Next on their list is to analyze hand- writing from a note that reads: “Sor- ry—I had to take it.” More questions remain before the case is closed. But for some campers, the an- swer is obvious. “I think Dana did it for sure,” said eodore. “I just have a feeling.” Learn more chicagobotanic.org/camp