As the designated institute in the field of chemical metrology for Hong Kong, China, the Laboratory provides measurement traceability standards for the city. It has also demonstrated its high-level competency through inter-comparisons with national metrology institutes and designated institutes around the world. For years, the Laboratory has been providing back-end support to other government departments in various kinds of scientific services. Given the large amount of science behind its work, the department is pleased to introduce its services to the general public to let people know more about how science can serve the city. A recent outreach of the department was made in this past summer.

Over 200 participants attended “Junior Forensic Detective” demonstration at the Hong Kong Science Museum.

Children queued up to get hands-on experience in using forensic scientific tools.

On 24 July 2019, the Laboratory hosted a general education demonstration, entitled “Junior Forensic Detective”, at the Hong Kong Science Museum as part of the “Science in the Public Service” campaign. The event started with an introduction to the Laboratory’s forensic science services and was followed by a series of demonstrations of investigating a “mock” crime scene set up on the stage.

Two Chemists, working in the Forensic Science Division of the Laboratory, acted as demonstrators to explain the scientific principles behind the work and illustrate these principles with simple experiments. Then, the attention of the audience was drawn to the mock crime scene. The demonstrators showcased common tools and techniques employed to search for and collect forensic evidence in crime scene investigations, including:

As the demonstration event was held on a weekday afternoon during the summer holiday, the majority of the participants were students, young children and parents. It was a tremendous opportunity for the younger generation to learn about some basic concepts of “forensic science” and its applications in the criminal justice system. Before the demonstration concluded, there was a practical session, in which the audience was welcome to come up onto the stage and try out the forensic scientific tools. The practical session was very well-received. Lots of children and youngsters gathered around the forensic scientific tools – eager to get hands-on experience with them. Following the success of the demonstration, the Laboratory, as a public service provider, will continue to foster public’s interest in science in the community.