The rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is profoundly shaping our society. Among various AI tools, ChatGPT stands out for its user-friendly nature and wide accessibility to the public. However, despite their countless potential benefits, these tools also face significant challenges, especially in sensitive areas like Education. In this…

An educational activity is proposed that uses software for proteomic analysis and databases available for free on the Internet to estimate the structure and function of a hypothetical protein from its coding nucleotide sequence. This bioinformatics activity is recommended for integrated introductory courses that address the structure function…

Herbaria, collections of preserved plant specimens, have existed for 500 years as repositories of information about plants. Many of these collections are now being digitized, making them available to a much broader audience including students and teachers. Specimens can be used in a variety of different contexts in teaching biology, including from…

Many studies have characterized students' difficulties in understanding and reasoning about scientific mechanisms. Some of those studies have drawn implications on teaching mechanisms and how to guide students while reasoning mechanistically. In this theoretical article, I claim that one component that has not garnered much attention in the…

Hands-on chemistry experiments often stimulate students' curiosity about this subject, but blind or visually impaired (BVI) students usually do not get to participate in such hands-on activities. Thanks to adaptive methods and assisting technology, BVI students can actively participate in chemistry experiments. In this study, chemical laboratory…

Exploding pumpkins with rubber bands remains a popular demonstration of the conversion of spring potential energy into kinetic energy. Videos of laughing and squealing children and adults being pelted with pumpkin fragments have millions of hits on YouTube, and the activity has even been featured on talk shows like "The Tonight Show Starring…

We present herein a module of pigment synthesis experiments that could be adapted and implemented in a variety of curricular settings. At the conclusion of each of the past two spring terms at our high school, we offered a 4 day short course on the chemical synthesis of pigments used in art. As part of the course, our students synthesized four…

A laboratory project to introduce upper-level undergraduates to Pd-catalyzed C-N [sigma]-bond forming reactions is described. The exercise involves evaluation of monodentate phosphine ligands and solvents for the Buchwald-Hartwig coupling of 4-chloro-or 4-bromo-anisole with morpholine. Students gain experience in the synthesis of a biarylphosphine…

For undergraduate students to be prepared for graduate school and industry, it is imperative that they understand how to merge the theoretical insights gleaned through their undergraduate education with the raw data sets acquired through materials analysis. Thus, the ability to implement data analysis is a vital skill that students should develop.…

Making sense of data is fundamental to science. Yet, the form in which data are represented can make their interpretation challenging for students. We introduce an activity that transformed a data table into an embodied artifact. The activity helped 8th grade students interpret the data to find that cold water warmed "fast-then-slow," in…

Motivational hands-on workshops for grade-school level future scientists are needed to inspire young and receptive minds. Described here is an educational event, titled "Inspiring Future Rocket Chemists", with hands-on laboratory exercises demonstrating the fundamentals of rocket flight and live chemistry demonstrations illustrating the…

Studies in science education have explored contextual features that facilitate students' active participation in discussion in argumentation activities. Based on this literature, we aimed to explore students' practices as they shifted their epistemic practices from unproductive to collaborative meaning-making discussion in an argumentation…

Designing a science activity for middle school children is a challenging task, especially if it aims to be interdisciplinary. One may ask if it is possible to craft a positive learning experience from different areas such as history of science, chemistry, or ethics. In this paper, we argue it can be achieved if we use the right tools to engage a…

We suggest an activity for measuring the speed of a bicycle going in circular motion by measuring the bicycle's lean angle. In this activity students will be able to feel the strength that is being activated on their bodies while they are moving in circular motion. They will also understand that it is impossible to ride in a circle without the…

A wide variety of chemical concepts and principles can be taught and demonstrated with LEGO bricks. They are an excellent teaching tool for reinforcing theoretical and abstract chemical concepts and for conveying structure--function relationships. They are ideal for conceptual learning or problem-based learning and a great way of stimulating…