A University of Winchester student's innovative footprint recovery methods at fire crime scenes has intrigued the forensic community.

The third-year Forensic Investigation student, Jordan Bushnell, convinced Hampshire Fire and Rescue to act in her new research project by creating a controlled fire.

She visited the fire HQ in Eastleigh recently, staging a mock crime scene within a shipping container. After placing shoe prints on different material surfaces, the container was set ablaze.

After the fire was controlled and cooled down, her observations came first. Except for carpeted areas, footprints were recovered from all the other surfaces - wood, lino, smooth and textured tile.

This unique focus on the persistence of footwear marks for her dissertation has drawn attention, due to the lack of research in the field.

In the current era, with many understanding that fire destroys DNA evidence, arson has seen an increase.

However, Jordan's research suggests that since fires usually rise, destroying upper portions, surviving floors may offer clues earlier missed.

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What sets Jordan's work apart is her application of R programming and R-Studio in her research. A unique code is used to examine, compare, transform and plot the recovered prints. Jordan hopes to present machine learning models to make predicative analysis on the data.

Jordan said: "There haven’t really been any studies of recovery of footwear marks from arson scenes. I think it was assumed that the prints would just be destroyed."

Hampshire Fire and Rescue have shown interest in her study, which she also aims to publish. Recognition has already come her way, with her efforts earning her the Academic Excellence Award for the Faculty of Law, Crime and Justice.

This honor was presented to her by the Winton Society, at the annual awards event earlier this month, at the University of Winchester.

Selina Robinson, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader in Forensic Investigations at the University of Winchester, said: “Jordan's examination of footwear marks at arson scenes not only demonstrates a strong commitment to forensic analysis but also emphasises the important role footwear impressions can play in criminal investigations."