Discusses the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) Laboratory Safety Standards as the major driving force in establishing and maintaining a safe working environment for teachers and students. (Author)

Discusses the merits of the Spectrum Techniques gamma spectroscopy system as used by university students to determine the mass-energy of an electron from measurements of the energies of Compton-scattered gammas. (WRM)

Contends that mud dauber nests--which are widely available, safe, inexpensive, and easy to use--offer a novel and highly motivating way to teach ecological concepts to life science students at many grade levels. Presents background information for teachers, details classroom-tested methods for nest dissection, provides keys to nest contents, and…

Describes a laboratory exercise for undergraduate science students in which they evaluate soil samples for various parameters related to suitability for crop production and capability for retention of contaminants. (Contains 18 references.) (WRM)

Presents an activity that allows students to remove tarnish from silver using the reaction of tarnish with aluminum rather than the abrasion method of commercial tarnish removers. Makes suggestions for adapting the activity to an at-home investigation. (WRM)

Measurement of the compositions and temperatures of H2O-NaCl brines in equilibrium with ice can be used as an easy in-class experimental determination of a liquidus. This experiment emphasizes the symmetry of the behavior of brines with regard to the minerals ice and halite and helps to free students from the conceptual tethers of one-component…

Explains an activity in which students construct a simulated ice core. Materials required include only a freezer, food coloring, a bottle, and water. This hands-on exercise demonstrates how a glacier is formed, how ice cores are studied, and the nature of precision and accuracy in measurement. Suitable for grades three through eight. (Author/PVD)

Describes construction and use of a simple air-flow porometer for measuring how rapidly a certain quantity of air can be driven through a leaf by a known pressure difference. The device can be used to investigate how stomata respond to light, carbon dioxide, water status, and air pollutants. (PVD)

Describes two simple laboratory exercises that allow students to test hypotheses concerning the requirement of cell energy for osmosis. The first exercise involves osmotically-caused changes in the length of potato tubers and requires detailed quantitative observations. The second exercise involves osmotically-caused changes in turgor of Elodea…

Reports the results of an experiment with undergraduates in a physics laboratory that indicates that preparation before a lab session improves student performance in the lab. Also concludes that follow-up work can lead to meaningful learning. (DDR)

Discusses a year-long course of study called Chemistry in the Community, or ChemCom, developed by the American Chemical Society (ACS) to improve chemistry studies in high schools and to relate chemistry to the real world of students. Students spend half the time in the laboratory with more discussion on nuclear, organic, and biochemistry than that…

Focuses on how teachers understand the place of the laboratory and laboratory work in their practice. Observations are based on interviews conducted with secondary science teachers in England. Contains 27 references. (DDR)

Describes a course that mimics experiences in research laboratories, engages students in collaboration, and reflects trends in educational reform. (YDS)

Describes an interactive game used in conjunction with traditional laboratory work, group discussions, student presentations, and writing exercises to provide an enjoyable and motivating dimension to a university seminar/lab course in historical geology and paleontology. The game is designed for a university setting but can easily be modified for…

Describes an experiment in which groups of students in a plant tissue culture course worked together to test application of the Skoog-Miller model (developed by Skoog and Miller in regeneration of tobacco experiments to demonstrate organogenesis) to sweet potato root explants. (ZWH)