The various aspects of projectile motion have been analyzed many times in this journal. As a sample, over the years, authors have investigated particular details of the path of a projectile and different situations for launching projectiles. Others have written about a nifty way to determine the maximum height of a projectile, finding the range of…

One of the greatest challenges in a student's ability to successfully complete reactions in organic chemistry is the ability to differentiate between reactions that have similar structures and proceed through similar reaction mechanisms. Featured in this article is an interleaved reaction review activity called a reaction web. Students are divided…

A lateral flow assay was designed and optimized as an independent study project that aimed to develop an assay for the qualitative detection of troponin assay. Lateral flow assays (the classic example being a pregnancy test) have the advantage of being rapid, specific, and user-friendly. They are composed of an absorbent pad, a nitrocellulose…

Despite its proven added value, modeling-based learning (MbL) in science is not commonly incorporated into the early grades. Our purpose in this descriptive case study was to enrich our understanding of how kindergarten children enact MbL by examining these children's constructed models and their accompanying oral descriptions of their models. For…

Student performance calculating the pH of a strong acid or strong base solution before and after instruction in general and analytical chemistry courses was investigated using open-response questions in which a pH equation was not provided. Prior to instruction, students in both classes scored very low. General chemistry students lacking prior…

This research paper aims to propose a novel didactic sequence inspired by an historical/epistemological study of the evolution of spectroscopy and in particular of colorimetry. The working principles of the historical color comparators and the visual color matching method, first proposed by Duboscq, stimulated us in the development of a five-step…

A culinary exploration of the role of CO[subscript 2] in leavening is described. This demonstration substitutes dry ice for chemical leaveners in order to achieve the same pancake fluffiness. Under the universal framework of food and cooking, we developed this activity to bring aspects of phase transitions and chemical transformations to a broad…

The article tells stories of how meaning can occur and be made in educational settings, using insights from the work of Patricia Carini and John Dewey to reflect. Dewey's description of what makes an experience meaningful and Carini's calls for an education grounded in meaning and value, along with the role of the Prospect descriptive processes as…

There are several 'cool' mechanisms that result in materials luminescing or emitting light. Artificial luminescence has often been created by mimicking nature and there are many examples of applications in society. It is very likely that most of your students will have observed luminescence in one form or another, such as glow sticks,…

There are hundreds of satellites in orbit around Earth. Readily available data about them can be a treasure trove for investigations by students at all levels. Orbital parameters and energy changes can be explored. Many of these satellites transmit signals that can be detected by an inexpensive radio receiver--a scanner--designed to receive FM…

Nicotine is a major alkaloid in tobacco plants and an addictive component of tobacco products. Some bacteria grow on tobacco plants and have evolved the ability to metabolize nicotine. As part of our microbiology teaching lab, we used minimal media with nicotine as the sole carbon source to isolate nicotine-degrading bacteria from tobacco leaves…

Scientific observation is a disciplinary-informed way of looking at the world that requires the coordination of domain knowledge and perceptual skills with specialized tools and techniques to systematically identify objects, organisms, specimens, or phenomena of interest. Identification is a particular form of skilled observational practice where…

The Scalable, Interactive Model of an Off-World Community (SIMOC) is a computer simulation of a human habitat on Mars. Built upon decades of NASA research and authentic science processes, SIMOC is both a research-grade simulation and an engaging web-based tool for science education. Users access an intuitive web interface to select mission…

The term "science practice" has drawn increasing attention in the current science education literature. In this study, the methodology of content analysis was adopted to examine the presentation of science practice in 20 historical cases compiled in a popular science book. Three aspects and eight categories of science practice constitute…

Here, we propose a laboratory exercise to quickly determine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in human "alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B)" and "aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2)" genes involved in alcohol metabolism. In this exercise, two different genotyping methods based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR), namely…