In this article, an approach to integrate contemporary quantum physics into secondary school teaching is presented. The Erlanger concept on quantum optics provides an experimental-based guideway to aspects of modern quantum physics. We avoid the traditional historical approach in order to overcome the lack of modern concepts of quantum physics. In…

A quasi-experimental control group pre- and post-test study was used to determine the effect of a Multi-Step Inquiry (MSI) approach on pre-service elementary school teacher's conceptual understanding. The MSI study involved the development of a conceptual workbook, and a Physical Science Concept Inventory. The conceptual workbook has activities…

The results of an earlier empirical research study on modifying 'step-by-step' instructions to practical activities requiring one or more steps of the experiments to be designed by students initiated a longitudinal study to investigate the effectiveness of the approach for younger students and over a period of time. The longitudinal study that…

A common problem in many schools is the lack of equipment and materials in their science laboratories due to both limited budget available to the school and high maintenance cost of the lab. The latest technological advancements provide great opportunities for schools to go over the budget and cost issues by using 3D virtual learning environments…

In this study, we have explored the ways in which small-group work in science can contribute to strengthen multilingual students' subject language and conceptual development when working with language-oriented classroom activities in primary classrooms. The aim is to determine whether it is possible to identify factors in interactions in…

This laboratory experiment employs an innovative approach to introduce undergraduates to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) by developing a method based on multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). During this qualitative investigation, students operated a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer in the MS scan and product ion scan…

An iridium(III)-mediated C-H functionalization sequence involving a concerted cyclometalation-deprotonation/migratory insertion pathway is reported for the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. The air- and water-stable iridacycle intermediates are readily isolated and characterized by NMR spectroscopy. Both steps of the experiment are performed at…

A high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) experiment for the upper level analytical chemistry laboratory is described. The students consider the effect of mobile-phase composition and pH on the retention times of ionizable compounds in order to determine the acid dissociation constant, K[subscript a], of a phenolic acid. Results are analyzed…

There are many physics experiments with long time scales such that they are usually neither shown in the physics class room nor in student labs. However, they can be easily recorded with time-lapse cameras and the respective time-lapse videos allow qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of the underlying physics. Here, we present some examples…

In this paper, we propose a simple experimental apparatus that can measure the force variation over time to study the impulse-momentum theorem. In this proposal, a body attached to a rubber string falls freely from rest until it stretches and changes the linear momentum. During that process the force due to the tension on the rubber string is…

Glycoscience continues to be an underrepresented topic in current undergraduate-biochemistry-laboratory curricula. Of the educational laboratories present in this subject area, few introduce students to cutting-edge methods and techniques related to carbohydrates. A multiweek series of experiments is described that highlights a recently published…

Thermogravimetry coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG-FTIR) is a useful technique for the thermal and structural characterization of materials at academic and research levels. This paper describes an experiment for chemistry students to understand the use of TG-FTIR for advanced qualitative and quantitative thermal analysis…

With the advancement of ribonucleic acid (RNA) research in the field of biochemistry, ensuring that undergraduate students have both the theoretical and practical knowledge of current, cutting-edge experimental techniques is of marked importance. Many current biochemistry experiments demonstrate various basic molecular biological techniques…

A simple and inexpensive paper chromatography experiment that separates and identifies major organic acids in wine and fruit juices has been developed for introductory organic undergraduate students to teach the basics of chromatography. This experiment reinforces several concepts for students such as compound separation via extraction and…

Providing exposure to the process and methods of science is a fundamental goal of any general education college science course. This is largely because most students taking such courses are generally "not" science majors, so they are likely to take few, if any, other science courses. Meeting this goal can be a challenge in courses such…