CSI: The Experience at the Franklin Institute

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CSI: The Experience is a hands-on exhibit that showcases the scientific techniques and disciplines used to solve crimes. Visitors interact with multimedia displays that explain different forensic science fields such as DNA identification, toxicology, and blood splatter analysis. Add in a high dosage of the CBS hit TV show and you have a fun way to learn about science.

I walked into CSI: The Experience at the Franklin Institute jaded. These types of experience exhibits always seemed cheesy. I expected a half assed exhibit that used the popularity of the CSI television program to get people to buy tickets. But by the end of my visit, I felt strangely proud that I had solved a pretend crime.

You could say CSI: The Experience needs to be experienced. YEAAAAAAAAAAAH!

I visited the CSI exhibit during evening hours, which I highly suggest to anyone thinking of going. There are no children yelling or school groups crowding the walkways. The vacated science museum felt like the perfect crime scene to investigate.

Upon entering the exhibit, Gil Grissom himself welcomes you (via prerecorded video) to solve crimes using science. Your guide assigns you to investigate one of three crime scenes by keeping track of your clues and evidence on a worksheet. The crime scenes are life size dioramas with clues scattered throughout. I felt a little bad at this point because I dragged one of my friends with me to check out the traveling exhibit. So far, the experience started off toward the lame side of the spectrum with a prerecorded video and a museum display.

The lab areas are the real experience. I analyzed my clues using touch screen workstations that lined the walls. Each station was dedicated to a scientific crime solving technique such as finger print analysis, toxicology reports, and DNA analysis. As I moved through each station the evidence revealed suspects, motives, and causes of death. In between stations, I was sure to sing the CSI Las Vegas theme. Whooooo are you? Who? Who?

After all the sleuthing, I submitted my findings to Gil Grissom by entering answers into a touch screen computer. If you looked at all the evidence and input the correct answers, you solve the crime. The victim’s family has closure. The criminal goes to jail. You end the night with a snappy one liner like “it looks like the student has become the teacher”.

Actively moving from station to station and examining the evidence provided a fulfilling experience that strangely mirrored the pacing of the TV program. Each multimedia station offered insight to the murder scene. I didn’t want to miss a single station in case I overlooked a critical piece of evidence. Overall, the exhibit mixed pop culture entertainment and scientific learning into a fun yet informative package.

CSI: The Experience [Franklin Institute]