We have developed a guided-inquiry laboratory exercise in which students perform viscosity measurements to infer the structure of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) in aqueous solution. The activity combines both experiments and modeling. In the experimental portion of the exercise, students measure the viscosity of several solutions of PVA with differing…

The rise of virtual and online education in recent years has led to the development and popularization of many online tools, notably three-dimensional (3D) models and augmented reality (AR), for visualizing various structures in chemical sciences. The majority of the developed tools focus on either small molecules or biological systems, as…

3D printers have facilitated a wealth of 3D printed molecular models illustrating key structural concepts for student learning. However, general adoption of 3D printed models in the organic chemistry classroom proceeds slowly as the majority of consumer-grade 3D (fused deposition modeling (FDM) and resin) printers are inherently monochromatic,…

Random-climb models enable undergraduate chemistry students to visualize polymer molecules, quantify their configurational properties, and relate molecular structure to a variety of physical properties. The model could serve as an introduction to more elaborate models of polymer molecules and could help in learning topics such as lattice models of…

The "Central Dogma" of genetics states that one gene, located in a DNA molecule, is ultimately translated into one protein. As important as this idea is, many teachers shy away from teaching the actual mechanism of gene translation, and many students find the concepts abstract and inaccessible. This article describes a unit, called Genetics…