Murder in the Chemistry Lab By Betty Gabrielli
	Rob Thompson and Ruth Hook collect data they need for their murder scenario. PHOTOGRAPH BY LINDA GRASHOFF		AUGUST 24, 1998--Junior Ruth Hook is helping Professor of Chemistry Robert Thompson develop a murder scenario, complete with testimony from witnesses and a long trail of evidence. Sounds like fun, but the project is serious work for the chemistry major from Warminster, Pennsylvania, and her mentor. Students taking Thompson's Analytical Chemistry lab this semester will examine the scenario to figure out who done it. The lab students will use chemical instrumentation to analyze solutions that may contain telltale lead residue. They¼ll determine drug presence and blood levels, too, and compare various inks to establish the authorship of written documents. The faculty-student collaboration is one of four teaching assistantships made possible under the second year of a four-year McGregor-Oresman Scholar Program.