Mercedes Martinez – Forensic Entomology – “Give It A Whorl!”
7/15/19 – Luckily for me, I was able to put my newfound forensic entomology knowledge to the test in an actual crime scene! Uhh…sort of. Cristina put together four pretend crime scenes so that I could get a small taste of what forensic entomologists do on the scene of a crime. I […]
Mercedes Martinez – Forensic Entomology – “It Wasn’t All In Vein!”
7/11/19- While forensic entomology is incredibly useful in determining time of death in a victim, that requires the presence of a body. Forensics isn’t all about analyzing a body (albeit it’s obviously very crucial to the concept), it’s also about determining facts about a crime. This includes doing so without a body present, putting together […]
Mercedes Martinez – Forensic Entomology – “The Circle of Life”
7/9/19 – For the past couple of days, I’ve been observing the insects that come and go from Squirrel B, as well as traveling around outside the ranch to a town called Bisbee, a once copper-mining town in the Mule Mountains. I, of course, used this wonderful trip to fall into the tourist traps I’ve […]
Mercedes Martinez – Forensic Entomology – “You Go, Squirrel!” – Decomposition Day
7/5/19 – Wake up. Stop alarm. Squirrels. This morning, I walked down to the squirrels, half awake, as usual. However, as soon as I got to the site, I was greeted by a vulture. It startled me so bad that I gasped out loud. I’m sure the vulture would’ve gasped if it had the ability […]
Mercedes Martinez – Forensic Entomology – “They Went Buck Wild” – Deer 82/37 Returns!
7/4/19 – Before I even walked into the kitchen this morning, I was out by the site collecting data on Squirrel’s A and B. Surprisingly, there were no bugs in sight – not even on B. I was confused, but maybe B had gotten too cold during the night, which would deter insects from laying […]
Mercedes Martinez – Forensic Entomology – “Aw Nuts!” – The Squirrel Experiment (And More!)
7/3/19 – Today was a very important day. As soon as I was finished breakfast, I made my way up to Headquarters. Cristina greeted me, discussed the experiment set up briefly, and sent me on my merry way for some data collection. I opened the freezer, and right between a package of batteries and some […]
Mercedes Martinez- Forensic Entomology – “Oh Deer…” – The Ballad of Deer 82/37
{VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED} 7/2/19 – I woke up this morning just like any other day. I went through my morning routine as usual – I did everything except eat breakfast. I got to Headquarters at 9:30 am, which was about a 1 mile walk. After being debriefed by Cristina, the wonderful woman who helps […]
Mercedes Martinez- Forensic Entomology, Prologue
7/1/19 – Hello! My name is Mercedes Martinez and I attend Dolores High School, and through the Pinhead Institute I have had the amazing opportunity to intern at the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch in Elgin, Arizona. I actually arrived here on Friday (6/28/19) and have been slowly learning about the surrounding wildlife and plant life that […]