Maggot Aggregation
Student Name:
Arjun Chandra
UCD Department:
Entomology
UCD Mentor:
Dr. Bob Kimsey The presence of certain insects, such as maggots, that are found at a crime scene are useful in determining the time of a person’s death. Currently, when forensic entomologists collect insect samples from crime scenes, they collect only a few samples since they assume that the sample sizes accurately represent how other insects are spread throughout the decedent. Thus, if Arjun Chandra’s research demonstrates that maggots aggregate themselves based upon species lines, forensic entomologists would have to change the way in which they collect insect samples from crime scenes.