Recent education initiatives have created a spotlight for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs within schools with an eye to not only improve students' overall performance in mathematics and science, but also increase the pipeline of students pursuing STEM-focused careers. While current STEM initiatives focus on all…

A lab activity for teaching physics students the fundamentals of statistical analysis during the first few weeks of instruction is described. This activity involves students timing a pulse of light generated by an Arduino device of fixed duration with individual timers (e.g. stopwatch, iPhone timer). To select the most precise timing methods and…

The Franck-Condon Principle (FCP), the key concept for describing vibronic spectra, results from the large disparity between the time scales of electrons and nuclei in molecules. Yet in an undergraduate lecture, the FCP is nearly always rationalized from a time independent quantum mechanical viewpoint, due to students' lack of knowledge of time…

A straightforward synthesis of 2-phenylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine is described. The reaction is designed to demonstrate to students the preparation of a bridged N-heterocycle, in which the heteroatom occupies a bridgehead position. The product is obtained in moderate to high yield and is highly crystalline. The compound can be purified either by…

Ever increasing technological progress opens novel opportunities concerning educational activities, and the ability to use the technology effectively is one of the 21st century's most demanding skills. The Partnership Forum for 21st-Century Skills (P21) states that no organization can achieve satisfying results without using technology and…

Science instructors assume that they have created their laboratory curriculum in such a way as to reflect an ideal science instructional laboratory, but students may not recognize this. A recent study used the Student Perceptions of the College Instructional Laboratory Survey (SPCILS) to examine students' perceptions of their science instructional…

This study aimed to identify the income-generating activities and explore its management model using the case study method. In-depth interviews and documentation were used to collect data. The sample used purposive sampling from 26 study programs. Government subsidy, which is meant to cater to tuition and operational expenses, has been inadequate.…

Photo-oxidation is one of the main causes of oxidative deterioration in food. Understanding of the mechanisms of photo-oxidation is essential for food science students when pursuing careers in food safety and quality assurance. However, few food chemistry laboratories emphasize photo-oxidation. Thus, we develop a laboratory activity that trains…

Organizing undergraduates in chemistry, energy engineering, and chemical engineering specialties to participate in an energy transformation experiment can encourage them to think about the impact of human activities on nature and stimulate them to learn more about the topic. This laboratory experiment demonstrates a general approach to the…

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many academic institutions had to rapidly transition education to a remote online environment. While a hurdle for most educators, this transition posed an even greater challenge for anatomy educators, many of whom were forced to depart from the traditional cadaver-based laboratory to a virtual format. Recent…

Chemistry educators around the world have had to introduce innovative approaches for engaging students through virtual chemistry laboratory exercises, both out of necessity and to complement traditional in-person learning. As new methods are explored, instructors strive to offer experiences that are engaging and accessible and that foster skills…

Cadaver-specific postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) has become an integral part in anatomy teaching at several universities. Recently, the feasibility of contrast-enhanced (CE)-PMCT has been demonstrated. The purpose of this study was to identify particular strengths and weaknesses of both non-enhanced and contrast-enhanced PMCT compared to…

We present a course-embedded undergraduate research module that involves real-time polymerase chain reaction testing for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in environmental samples. A positive control RNA was constructed and two RNA extraction methods were compared and a range of primers were available to compare. Using a combination of published…

Early college and dual enrollment initiatives provide students opportunities for college credit courses and increased academic engagement. The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to examine the case of 79 dual-enrolled students in a research methodology course using online surveys and focus groups. Students perceived increased…

Previous research on student argumentation in the chemistry laboratory has emphasized the evaluation of argument quality or the characterization of argument structure (i.e., claims, evidence, rationale). In spite of this progress, little is known about the impact of the wide array of factors that impact students' argumentation in the undergraduate…