CSI: The Experience
Encyclopedia
CSI: The Experience is a traveling exhibition about crime lab forensic science and technology inspired by the hit television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
.
in partnership with CBS Consumer Products
and the National Science Foundation
, which provided $2.4 million in funding for both the exhibit and a CSI "Web Adventure" targeted to underserved youth. Approved by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences
, the exhibit was developed and designed by numerous partners.
This is not the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History's first venture into the world of forensic science. The Museum also developed the exhibit, Whodunit? The Science of Solving Crime in 1993 for the Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative and it has been touring science centers since. Advances in DNA science and information technology have dramatically changed the field of forensic science, leading to the new exhibit on the topic.
CSI: The Experience debuted at Chicago
's Museum of Science and Industry
in May 2007 and opened in the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History's new facility in November 2009. CSI: The Experience is currently touring museums and science centers across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Starting October 1, 2011, it will be at Discovery Times Square
in New York City.
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.
, Marg Helgenberger
, Gary Dourdan
, Jorja Fox
, George Eads
, Eric Szmanda
, and Robert David Hall
. After the ribbon cutting, several members of the cast took a tour of the interactive exhibit.
's Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement for CSI: The Experience.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
.
Development and location
The exhibit was developed for the Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative by the Fort Worth Museum of Science and HistoryFort Worth Museum of Science and History
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is located on 1600 Gendy Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76107 in the city's Cultural District. It was opened in 1945 as the Fort Worth Children's Museum and moved to its current location in 1954. In 1968, the museum adopted its current name...
in partnership with CBS Consumer Products
CBS Consumer Products
CBS Consumer Products, a unit of the CBS Corporation, manages the worldwide licensing, merchandising, and video activities for a diverse slate of properties owned or controlled by the CBS Corporation, including CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Distribution...
and the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, which provided $2.4 million in funding for both the exhibit and a CSI "Web Adventure" targeted to underserved youth. Approved by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences
American Academy of Forensic Sciences
The American Academy of Forensic Sciences is a professional society for people in all areas of forensics.For over sixty years, the AAFS has served a distinguished and diverse membership. Its nearly 6,000 members are divided into eleven sections spanning the forensic enterprise...
, the exhibit was developed and designed by numerous partners.
This is not the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History's first venture into the world of forensic science. The Museum also developed the exhibit, Whodunit? The Science of Solving Crime in 1993 for the Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative and it has been touring science centers since. Advances in DNA science and information technology have dramatically changed the field of forensic science, leading to the new exhibit on the topic.
CSI: The Experience debuted at Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's Museum of Science and Industry
Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago)
The Museum of Science and Industry is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA in Jackson Park, in the Hyde Park neighborhood adjacent to Lake Michigan. It is housed in the former Palace of Fine Arts from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition...
in May 2007 and opened in the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History's new facility in November 2009. CSI: The Experience is currently touring museums and science centers across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Starting October 1, 2011, it will be at Discovery Times Square
Discovery Times Square Exposition
Discovery Times Square is an exhibition space at 226 West 44th Street in New York City that opened June 24, 2009 and specializes in traveling exhibitions...
in New York City.
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.
Cast and crew promote exhibit
CSI: The Experience opened with a press preview on May 23, 2007 at the Museum of Science and Industry which was attended by stars from the cast of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, including William PetersenWilliam Petersen
William Louis Petersen is an American actor and producer, best known for playing Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom on the hit CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He portrayed President John F...
, Marg Helgenberger
Marg Helgenberger
Mary Marg Helgenberger is an American film and television actress known for her roles as Catherine Willows in the CBS drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and as K.C...
, Gary Dourdan
Gary Dourdan
Gary Robert Dourdan is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Warrick Brown on the television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.-Early years:...
, Jorja Fox
Jorja Fox
Jorja-An Fox , is an American actress, musician and songwriter. She first came to prominence as a guest star on the television drama ER, portraying the recurring role of Dr. Maggie Doyle from 1996 to 1999. This was followed by another critical success in the recurring role of Secret Service Agent...
, George Eads
George Eads
George Coleman Eads III is an American actor, best known for his role as Nick Stokes on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.-Early life:...
, Eric Szmanda
Eric Szmanda
Eric Kyle Szmanda is an Polish American actor. He portrays Greg Sanders in the television crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, a role he has held since the show began in 2000.-Early life and education:...
, and Robert David Hall
Robert David Hall
Robert David Hall is an American actor, best known for his role as coroner Dr. Albert Robbins M.D. on the television show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.-Biography:...
. After the ribbon cutting, several members of the cast took a tour of the interactive exhibit.
Awards and recognition
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History has earned the Themed Entertainment AssociationThemed Entertainment Association
The Themed Entertainment Association is an international non-profit association that represents creators, developers, designers and producers of themed entertainment...
's Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement for CSI: The Experience.