A simple, low-cost infrared LED speedometer is described that can be fitted to a skateboard, longboard or even a bicycle to measure speed. Notes on building, setting up and calibration are given. When used with a low-cost data logger, continuous measurements of speed can be made while out and about. The device forms an interesting science club…

This article describes a method for making a spectroscope from scrap materials, i.e. a fragment of compact disc, a cardboard box, a tube and a digital camera to record the spectrum. An image processing program such as ImageJ can be used to calculate the wavelength of emission and absorption lines from the digital photograph. Multiple images of a…

This study compared the efficacy of two cardiac anatomy teaching modalities, ultrasound imaging and cadaveric prosections, for learning cardiac gross anatomy. One hundred and eight first-year medical students participated. Two weeks prior to the teaching intervention, students completed a pretest to assess their prior knowledge and to ensure that…

A porphyrin-based test paper has been designed and prepared. It can be used to analyze for Al[superscript 3+] and Fe[superscript 3+] in aqueous solution. An experiment employing the test paper can help students understand basic principles of spectrophotometry and how spectrophotometry is used in analyzing for metal ions. (Contains 1 scheme and 1…

In this general chemistry laboratory exercise, the absorbance of [CoCl([superscript i]PrOH)[subscript 3]][superscript +], where [superscript i]PrOH is isopropyl alcohol, is used to determine the equilibrium constants for its reaction with methanol to form [CoCl([superscript i]PrOH)[subscript 2](MeOH)[subscript 3]][superscript +] in the temperature…

Titrations are common laboratory exercises in high school and university chemistry courses, because they are easy, relatively inexpensive, and they illustrate a number of fundamental chemical principles. While students have little difficulty with calculations involving a single titration step, there is a significant leap in conceptual difficulty…

There's always something new happening in the field of Astronomy. This includes the immediate environment surrounding Earth, the Solar system and the universe. This article looks at some of the recent research astronomers have been undertaking this year. Each article has reference to a web site so teachers can find out more information or ask…

Data from electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography, and biophysical analysis are used to create illustrations of viruses in their cellular context. This report describes the scientific data and artistic methods used to create three illustrations: a depiction of the poliovirus lifecycle, budding of influenza virus from a cell surface, and a…

NMR spectroscopy has become one of the primary tools that chemists utilize to characterize a range of chemical species in the solution phase, from small organic molecules to medium-sized proteins. A discussion of NMR spectroscopy is an essential component of physical and biophysical chemistry lecture courses, and a number of instructional…

The modulation of ligand p"K"[subscript a] due to its surrounding environment is a crucial feature that controls many biological phenomena. For example, the shift in the p"K"[subscript a] of substrates or catalytic residues at enzyme active sites upon substrate binding often triggers and controls enzymatic reactions. In this work, we developed an…

Each year, thousands of undergraduates in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields conduct research in US university and college laboratories. Such undergraduate research (UR) experiences are common practice in US higher education, with nearly a century of history at research universities and liberal arts colleges.…

A series of laboratory experiments that complement a medicinal chemistry lecture course in drug design and development have been developed. The synthesis of ethyl nalidixate covers three separate experimental procedures, all of which can be completed in three, standard three-hour lab classes and incorporate aspects of green chemistry such as…

A laboratory experiment is described in which students fabricate disk-shaped gold and platinum microelectrodes with diameters of 10-50 [mu]m by sealing sodalime glass with metal microwires. The electrodes are characterized by performing cyclic voltammetry in aqueous and acetonitrile solution. Commercial microelectrodes are expensive (cost depends…

The encounters of writing center tutors and clients, this essay argues, are tensional, asymmetrical, and productive negotiations of a coauthored "we". As authorship and authorization are discursive processes, we offer an empirical examination of how personal pronouns mark important shifts in the dynamic creation of a shared academic manuscript in…

This paper presents an ultra-low-cost wireless communications laboratory that is based on a commercial off-the-shelf field programmable gate array (FPGA) development board that is both inexpensive and available worldwide. The total cost of the laboratory is under USD $200, but it includes complete transmission, channel emulation, reception…