Avery Lee Smith has turned a few heads during her short time in the forensic science field. Her research is interesting, her focus admired and her creativity lauded.
Not bad for a 13-year-old.
Barely into her teenage years, Smith – known as SuperGlue Girl thanks to her research - first caught the forensic bug as a third grader. Since that time she’s put together science fair projects and conducted research in the back yard of her parents’ California home. Thanks to some recent success she’ll be able to now pursue her interests in professional crime labs.
Seattle Police Department Latent Print Examiner Lloyd Thomas came across a project of Smith’s online and invited her to participate in the poster session at the recent International Association for Identification conference in San Diego, Calif. She not only presented her research in the poster session there, she won the competition.
Her presentation at IAI combined two previous projects: “Will Adding Color During Superglue Fuming Enhance Latent Prints?” and “Will Adding a Substance During Cyanoacrylate Fuming Create a One Step Fuming Method?”
“I am trying to find a combination of superglue and another substance to make the latent print appear in color during fuming,” Smith said. “My seventh grade project was trying to enhance the print during fuming for viewing under a black light. My eighth grade project was more focused on making the print appear in color during fuming so no color would have to be added to the print after fuming.”
Forensicmag.com recently had a chance to discuss Smith’s recent efforts and how the IAI trip has helped her pursue a career in forensic science.
Name: Avery Lee Smith
Age: 13 (almost 14.)
How did you first become interested in forensic science? I have been interested in science since kindergarten. I first became interested in the forensic field when I started watching Court TV in third grade. I have been getting my science fair projects from problems that I have seen Dr. Henry Lee experiencing on Trace Evidence.
In sixth grade I did a project on eyewitnesses, whether females or males make a better eyewitness. Then in seventh grade I started researching cyanoacrylate fuming after seeing Dr. Henry Lee use the technique on TV.
Can you talk about your experience at IAI recently? When I first heard about the IAI conference I didn’t really know what to expect. I thought it would be a great place to find local labs I could do my next project in, possibly, and to meet contacts to do interviews for my next science fair project.
It proved to be all that I dreamed of and more. I was super excited but also a little nervous because I had never done a poster presentation. Mr. Thomas also attended the conference and I was thrilled to finally meet him in person. When I arrived I learned that my poster would be judged for an award. This made me very nervous because I knew I was going to be judged with college students and other students who have had so much more experience in the forensic field. I have never even been in a forensic lab.
I did all of my experiments in my backyard or at my family’s machine shop in cardboard boxes and with a coffee warmer. I tried without success to get into our local police department for interviews and a look at a lab for two years. My neighbor, Craig Cooper, is an officer with the South Pasadena Police Department and he got me an interview with Ann Punter at Cogent. She is really smart and a lot of fun to talk to. I interviewed Mr. Thomas on the phone about fuming but other than that it has been backyard, TV, and Internet fuming science.
Coming to the IAI conference was amazing. It was crazy to see all of the different forensic products and procedures I had read about or seen on TV. Mr. Thomas and I visited the vendor booths together before the poster presentation started. Everyone was friendly and interested in my project. I was excited for the poster presentation to start. I was so happy to answer questions on my research.
During the past two years at science fair I had not really been questioned on my research or the results of my project, mostly just on procedure and methods. In the two years I have made it to the state science fair I have yet to be interviewed by a judge in the forensic field or anyone who knew about superglue fuming. Being my first poster presentation and only 13 years old I was worried people would not talk to me and I would just be standing there.
I was so busy talking with people during my poster presentation the time flew. Everyone’s posters were so interesting and very well done. I kind of forgot about the award because I didn’t think I had a chance. I was having so much fun talking to people who actually knew about fuming. All of the sudden IAI representatives came to my poster and started announcing about me and my project over the microphone and told me I had won the poster presentation. I was stunned. I feel so honored that they liked my poster presentation. Until Mr. Thomas had contacted my school I was feeling a little discouraged about my research. A judge at the state science fair had told me that my project had no value or use two years in a row, so when a complete stranger who works in forensics found my state entry on the Internet and thought it was interesting I was thrilled and it gave me new hope that my work was worth something so I decided to continue my research for my eighth grade project and placed third at the California State Science Fair in Chemistry.
How has this changed the way you think about your future? The whole IAI Conference and being in The Print has made me a star in my family but most of all it has made me a thousand times more interested and excited about forensics and my future in forensics. I met the most amazing people at IAI. I got offers to use police department labs, learned about the FBI and talked to so many different companies I can’t even begin to list them all.
I spoke to West Virginia University - where I want to go to college now, sorry mom and UCI - and I even found out about an ROP Forensics class in La Puente. I not only will be starting high school and the ninth grade in September but now after the IAI conference I will actually be going to classes on forensics.
Have you taken part in other poster sessions? No, never. I have been doing our school science fair for four years now and I believe that prepared me for the IAI conference poster presentation. This is all so new to me.
Where did you get the nickname “SuperGlue Girl”? SuperGlue Girl was a little Barbie doll that I made with a superglue tube glued on her back as a jet pack for my science fair display board in seventh grade. I brought her to all my science fairs for the past two years for good luck. Judges and other people that saw my project started calling me SuperGlue Girl and it has kind of stuck. At the IAI conference I was called SuperGlue Girl by almost everyone. If you Google SuperGlue Girl you will find my state science fair entry. My friends and family even call me SuperGlue Girl now. I love being SuperGlue Girl.
What area of forensic science interests you most? I would like to do something in fingerprinting for the FBI or with DNA. I am not sure exactly what I want to do in the forensic field because it is all so new to me, but I was told by forensic scientists at the IAI conference that I should major in chemistry because it will give me more job choices, so I will definitely go after a degree in chemistry from West Virginia University.
What do your friends think of your interest in forensic science and your recent success at IAI? My friends are very proud of me and think it is amazing that I have gotten this far with my science fair project. I am the only student in the history of my junior high that has placed at a state science fair. I love being a science nerd.
What do your parents think of your pursuit of forensic science? My parents are very supportive and proud of me. They are my biggest fans. I love my parents.
Are your parents involved in the field? It’s so funny because I always get this question. I actually don’t have any family members in the forensic field. My Mom is the accountant for my Grandparent’s machine shop. I also work there when I am out of school. We make landing gear for planes. My Dad works for Castle & Cooke Homes in Customer Service. So it is just me who is in to forensics.
What do you see yourself doing 15 years from now? Wow, 15 years is a long time. I have not even been alive for 15 years yet. I hope I am processing fingerprints for the FBI or in a county lab analyzing DNA.
What is your favorite TV show? My favorite TV show is Forensic Files on Court TV. Ugly Betty is a close second.
What do you like to do other than pursue your forensic science interests? I like to listen to my ipod, hang out with my friends, and text message everyone!!
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