Many biology educators at the undergraduate level are revamping their laboratory curricula to incorporate inquiry-based research experiences so that students can directly participate in the process of science and improve their scientific reasoning skills. Slugs are an ideal organism for use in such a student-directed, hypothesis-driven experience.…

This section presents new ideas with regard to apparatus for teaching physics. The following four ideas are presented: (1) measuring speed of light (2) a poor man's barometer, (3) center of mass of a rotating object, and (4) minimizing glass breakage. (HM)

Recommendations are made for handling and growth of Beneckea natriegens, a rapidly growing, nonpathogenic marine bacterium which can be used with advantage to replace Escherichia coli in many undergraduate microbiology experiments. Examples of experiments and the potential value of this organism as a subject for student research projects are…

A procedure is described for providing preparations of dividing cells from root apical meristems, requiring only inexpensive equipment and minimal experimental skill, and using 8-Hydroxyquinoline and Toluidene-blue as a chromosome stain. The method has been sucessfully tested in schools and yields permanent preparations of adequate quality for…

Discusses the change in pressure as a balloon expands. Describes the pressure change in a spherical soap bubble and a rubber membrane on the tube. Provides demonstrations when two balloons are connected by a tube. Lists five further reading materials. (YP)

Presents a procedure by which cytokinins are used to induce a population of dividing and differentiating cells on the cut surface of the roots of an intact plant. Includes the method used, results, and suggestions for a variety of variables that may be tested. (RT)

Described is the construction and use of an osmometer that is low in cost, easy to make, and durable. Materials needed and procedures are outlined. Diagrams show an assembled instrument and individual parts. (RT)

Lists directions for creating some laboratory equipment that makes it easier for students to assess the rate at which an enzyme is modifying its target (substrate). (WRM)

Describes the sturcture and asexual reproduction of the fungus Pilobolus and outlines a number of experiments with this organism that are suitable for secondary school biology students. (JR)

Briefly discusses the theory of fatigue, and describes ways in which the fatigue rate in humans can be measured in the classroom using a simple physiological instrument, the ergometer. (JR)

Describes how the continuous variation method may be used in senior chemistry classes at the secondary level. This technique allows for the detection of the one or more reactions that may occur in a system over a wide range of composition. (JR)