Provides specific procedures for the disposal of a variety of highly reactive chemicals and reports the results of a study of their safe disposal. Disposal of some problematic sulfur-containing compounds are included. Procedures are based on a combination of literature review and author development. (LZ)

Describes a simple method for preserving snowflakes that allows them to be viewed and photographed through a microscope under different lighting and color-filtering systems to bring out details that would otherwise go unnoticed. Includes directions for preparing the preserving solution, replicating procedures, and the related safety precautions.…

A quantitative and inexpensive way to measure the rate of enzymatic reaction is provided. The effects of different pH levels on the reaction rate of an enzyme from yeast are investigated and the results graphed. Background information, a list of needed materials, directions for preparing solutions, procedure, and results and discussion are…

The study of aerodynamics using a wind tunnel helps students develop an understanding of the basic scientific concepts of lift, drag, and stability and their applications. Directions for building a wind tunnel in the classroom and activities for using the tunnel are provided. (KR)

Describes an activity in which teams of students locate laboratory safety equipment in a scavenger hunt contest. (WRM)

Suggests specific ways in which laboratory activities might be slightly modified to increase students' understanding in science, based on recommendations from the National Science Education Standards and on constructivist understandings of the learning process. Contains 42 references. (WRM)

Presents a laboratory experiment on determining the molecular weight of an unknown molecule by using gel filtration chromatography. Describes the procedure and lists required materials. (YDS)

Presents a story of a footrace between different groups of people that can be used to teach about chemical separation by chromatography. (WRM)

A novel instrumental-digestion technique using pressure-assisted chelating extraction (PACE), for undergraduate laboratory is reported. This procedure is used for exposing students to safe sample-preparation techniques, for correlating wet-chemical methods with modern instrumental analysis and comparing the performance of PACE with conventional…

This laboratory experiment was designed for Chemistry, Food Technology, Biology, and Chemical Engineering undergraduate students. This laboratory experience shows the advantages of immobilized bakery yeasts in ethanol production by alcoholic fermentation. The students were able to compare the ethanol production yields by free or calcium alginate…

Convergent data suggest dissociated roles for the lateral (LA) and basolateral (BLA) amygdaloid nuclei in fear conditioning, depending on whether a discrete conditioned stimulus (CS)-unconditional stimulus (US) or context-US association is considered. Here, we show that pretraining inactivation of the BLA selectively impaired conditioning to…

Although an important role for the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) has been established for memory consolidation in a variety of learning paradigms, it is not known if this pathway is also involved in appetitive classical conditioning. We address this question by using a single-trial food-reward conditioning paradigm in the freshwater…

This study investigates how high school students respond to an environment of authentic science inquiry while participating in an intensive summer institute, the Waksman Student Scholars Programme at Rutgers University. We examined how students apprenticed with expert scientists in a study of contemporary questions in molecular genetics. Students…

A new, fast and effective colorimetric analysis of the artificial sweetener aspartame is presented for application in undergraduate laboratory courses. This new method incorporates the use of a modified biuret reagent for selective detection and analysis of aspartame in aqueous solutions. The modified reagent is less caustic than the traditional…

A series of activities involving comparing weights of objects directly, using non-standard units, using standard units, using simple scales, and using complex scales are described. (SD)