Results are reported of performance and attitudes of students (N=109) receiving high structure (objectives, reviews, examples, questions, feedback) and students (N=108) receiving low structure (emphasis on content) laboratory manuals and instructions. (SK)

Describes the development of a two-week National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded course at the Virginia Military Institute to promote the lecture demonstration technique. (SK)

Reviews common wild, cultivated, and household plants which may be harmful to humans by causing allergic reactions, dermatitis, physical injury, or internal poisoning. Includes brief descriptions of plants, their potential harm, and some illustrations. (DC)

Presents highlights of Chemical and Engineering News survey of the employment picture for chemical professionals. Focuses on the question of needing a Ph.D.; employment opportunities; salaries; and career planning, including the names and addresses of many employers of chemists and chemical engineers. (SK)

Reports results of a survey of 149 undergraduates (persisters - 73 White, 9 Black) and former undergraduates (nonpersisters - 35 White, 32 Black) indicating how their perceptions of their college environment affected the decision to remain at or leave the Speed Scientific School, University of Louisville. (SK)

Describes a course using the prospect of living in space for motivating students to learn basic physics as well as differences between pure science and technology. Includes course content and a sample final examination. (Author/JN)

Discusses the use of microcomputers as a universal instrument to replace more expensive instrumentation in many traditional labs. Describes the availability of microcomputers as inexpensive educational tools which can be used successfully in labs with minimal requirements on the computer. (SK)

Describes a set of equipment which can be mounted on magnetic chalkboards or other ferromagnetic surfaces, useful for both experiments and demonstrations in mechanics, including center of mass experiments, and force vector experiments using string, spring scales, weights, and pulleys. (SK)

Expresses viewpoints on the status of academic faculty towards the undergraduate education of a biologist. Advocates the acquisition of a general education that will give students the ability to deal successfully with a variety of social and economic problems. (Author/SA)

Describes the Improving Access Through Technology (IATT) project conducted by the Florida Postsecondary Planning Commission which attempts to use technology to increase student access to courses, thereby decreasing time to degree. Identifies student difficulty with math and science courses as a primary cause of lengthening time to degree. (JDI)

Nonscience majors in introductory science courses participated in focus groups to discuss their feelings about the courses. First-day issues were chief on their list as a source of science anxiety. Both general studies students and science-related major students asked for a different approach to the first day of class. Offers first-day strategies…

A study found first-year physics students at the University of Namibia (UNAM), considered to be a select group of students, to be as prepared for laboratory work as Australian tenth-graders. Comparison with students of Potchefstroom University (South Africa) found UNAM students deficient in both cognitive and affective aspects of laboratory work.…

Described are some commonly encountered chemistry experiments that have been modified for computerized data acquisition. Included are exercises in radioactivity, titration, calorimetry, kinetics, and electrochemistry. Software considerations and laboratory procedures are discussed. (CW)

Described is how the computer was used in an environmental education module to develop students' decision-making skills and the concepts of probability. The computer was also used to analyze the presence of lead in the environment. (KR)

Described are the apparatus and procedures needed for a demonstration of the measurement of the electrical resistance of metals as a function of temperature using a microcomputer interface. Discussed are materials, apparatus construction, and experimental results. (CW)