Ross and Grif closed out the month of November with their new friends in Dubai. Read on to learn about the rest of their time in the desert:

The second week we spent in Dubai was devoted to covering advanced bloodstain pattern analysis topics. The week was shortened due to the upcoming national holiday commemorating the 45th anniversary of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Sunday and Monday were focused on experimental design; each team implementing its design; peer review of another team’s documentation by photos and notes; conducting experiments in bloodstain size and distance droplets traveled; practicing the tangent method for determining two areas of origins for two impact patterns on the same surface; and looking at bloodstained clothing to evaluate the patterns to see if the bloodstain evidence supported or refuted a potential suspect’s statement.

The final morning, Tuesday, the class presented their peer reviews; offered reconstructions of the mock scenes they had examined on Monday; took the final test; and saw a case presentation to close out the class portion. We all then went to the auditorium of the Dubai Police Department Training headquarters where the brigadier general in charge of training presented certificates to the students and certificates and medallions of appreciation to us. On the way to the graduation ceremony, Grif unintentionally tried to make a lasting impression with respect to the BGA presence by walking into (but not through) a locked glass door. That action initiated a source of fresh blood that went to waste as all of the class experiments were completed.

The world travelers headed back to the U.S. on November 30th but have brought back memories and pictures to last a life time. Both Ross and Grif appreciate the opportunity to put their expertise to work on a global level and look forward to their next international adventure.