By focusing on food and a pervasive contaminant, this experiment engages student interest and effort while providing essential instruction and experience. As institutions are challenged by existing and emerging budgetary constraints, this experiment offers a determination approach employing commonly available instrumentation, the graphite furnace…

The identification of coloring substances is a relevant task in the field of conservation and restoration, but it can be challenging as in real samples the target analytes are inserted in a very complex matrix made of binders and additives. Understanding this concept is fundamental for upper-division undergraduate students interested in…

The use of three-dimensional printing in chemistry education has expanded greatly in the past 10 years. The technique has been used to demonstrate a range of concepts including molecular structure, orbitals, and point groups; to produce chemical equipment such as cuvettes and columns; and even to print out mathematical shapes and functions. Here,…

This article reports on the implementation of a CURE project in an upper-level analytical chemistry course to engage a larger number of students in research at a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI). The lab course syllabus was modified to provide students with an opportunity to experience the process of conducting research through a project…

Water analysis is an excellent interdisciplinary topic for project-based learning. An undergraduate course was designed to engage the senior undergraduate chemistry students in a real-life experience. In this course, students developed methodologies based on published American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) methods for the measurement of…

A suitable combined laboratory experiment can involve more chemical disciplines and form students' views on practical connections. A laboratory experiment has been prepared focusing on the adsorption of the dangerous Co(II) ion using natural adsorbents representing waste material of a polysaccharide and keratin nature. Efficiency of Co(II)…

American lobster, "Homarus americanus," H Milne Edwards 1837, are an ecologically, economically, and culturally valuable marine resource for the coastal communities in the Gulf of Maine (GoM). The American lobster fishery is the most valuable commercial fishery in the United States, supporting thousands of jobs and generating hundreds of…

Equally as important as growing the body of human knowledge through scientific discoveries and analysis is relaying this information to the general public in a digestible manner to establish a scientifically literate society. This dissertation approaches the multifaceted issue by combining an in-depth study of brown dwarf binary atmospheres with…

Authentication of the Vinland map manuscript, supposedly from the 15th century, was used as a case study in an undergraduate upper-level instrumental-analysis class. The case provides a review of spectroscopic techniques and data analysis from several nondestructive techniques. Assessment of the case shows it to be particularly beneficial for…

Ambient ionization mass spectrometry enables rapid in-situ analysis of a plethora of analytes that are relevant to the forensic and defense communities. As the arsenal of ambient ionization techniques, aimed at solving specific targeted problems, continues to expand, the adoption of these techniques into non-academic settings has been relatively…

With the advent of new technologies, assessment research has adopted technology-based methods to investigate test validity. This study investigated the neurocognitive processes involved in an academic listening comprehension test, using a biometric technique called functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Sixteen right-handed university…

Infrared (IR) technologies have been universally acknowledged as a valuable pedagogical tool for exploring novel and abstract scientific subjects in science education. This study explores the roles of IR images played in middle school students' Evidence-based Reasoning (EBR) process in support of the understanding of the heat radiation process.…

An experiment for the calculation of the degree of double bond conversion, after a polymerization reaction, of photopolymerizable liquid monomers using FTIR-ATR spectroscopy is reported. The experiment was successfully conducted with undergraduate students in materials engineering during the Fundamentals of Polymeric Material course. Students…

Polymer chemistry lab experiments present a unique opportunity to allow students to experience the consequences of reaction mechanisms on the properties of the resulting product. In this organic chemistry experiment, students prepared a polyamide by three different reaction mechanisms that represent step-growth and chain-growth methods of…

Optics is one of the subject areas in which students have difficulty learning. Establishing the right connections between the concepts of optics and daily life supports the learning of the concepts of optics. In addition, this connection increases the students' motivation to learn optical issues. In this study, three activities related to prisms…