Medicinal chemistry is a core course for undergraduate students who major in pharmacy, where complex drug structures and abstruse concepts often pose significant challenges for students. As an important supplement to classroom teaching, online teaching resources have demonstrated the ability to enhance students' interest in learning and improve…

In this paper, a new practical training project was designed and implemented for a Bi-based semiconductor. It is convenient to investigate the structures and properties of semiconductors for undergraduate materials chemistry. Bi-based semiconductors are getting recognition for promising sunlight-driven properties. Among them, Bi[subscript…

Gender equity is an area of concern within STEM, where women are underrepresented in education and career roles. Increasing the representation of women in STEM and removing negative gender stereotypes are necessary actions, both of which can be fostered during formal education through employability initiatives and in the workplace. This study…

The complexity of RNA cannot be fully expressed with the canonical A, C, G, and U alphabet. To date, over 170 distinct chemical modifications to RNA have been discovered in living systems. RNA modifications can profoundly impact the cellular outcomes of messenger RNAs (mRNAs), transfer and ribosomal RNAs, and noncoding RNAs. Additionally, aberrant…

The measurement of glucose through electrochemical methods is a great example to illustrate the practical application of electrochemistry. Although many students enrolled in chemistry classes are familiar with the glucose meter, only a few have delved into the underlying principles governing its operation. This experiment aims to address this gap…

In the environment, communication among microorganisms is a key aspect of their lives. Through communication, single cells of a microbial population can coordinate their gene expression and, in consequence, their physiology. Quorum sensing systems (QS) are one of these mechanisms that allow this communication through the production and detection…

The use of a multicompartment electrochemical cell for the potentiometric determination of solubility product constants of aqueous I[superscript -], Br[superscript -], SCN[superscript -], and Cl[superscript -] salts of silver is presented. An electrochemical cell presented in this study contained multiple half-cells made of disposable drinking…

The implementation of a laboratory exercise in an undergraduate chemistry course, where students perform a comparison of three different synthetic methods toward [Cu(Cl)(IPr)]-complexes (IPr = N,N'-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene), is described. The students are introduced to the continuous improvement of reactions in terms of green…

Lidar remote sensing, which uses laser pulses to measure three-dimensional structure, has become essential across natural science disciplines. However, undergraduate students typically receive limited, if any, exposure to this technology and rarely have opportunities to experience it. Experiential and multi-modal courses may be ideal for…

Energy is a crosscutting concept in science, but college students often perceive a mismatch between how their biology and chemistry courses discuss the topic. The challenge of reconciling these disciplinary differences can promote faulty reasoning--for example, biology students often develop the incorrect idea that breaking bonds is exothermic and…

The 2011 "Vision & Change" report outlined several recommendations for transforming undergraduate biology education, sparking multiple pedagogical reform efforts. Among these was the Promoting Active Learning and Mentoring (PALM) network, an NSF-funded program that provided mentorship and training to instructors on implementing…

Formative assessment is a type of low-stakes assessment that can help reduce student anxiety and encourage students to engage in the course regularly. Formative assessment can also help instructors identify knowledge gaps. Students who had completed the first semester of a two-semester sophomore-level anatomy and physiology sequence were surveyed…

The study and analysis of enzymatic reactions are essential for characterizing various biological systems. As part of these procedures, it is important to understand how to quantify the biological activity of these proteins in terms of enzymatic activity. This work proposes a general equation for determining enzymatic activity based on…

This work presents a modernized lab module for nitrite analysis using a novel probe, AAC (4-(2-aminophenyl)-7-(diethylamino)-2H-chromen-2-one, C[subscript 19]H[subscript 20]N[subscript 2]O[subscript 2]), offering a safer and more sensitive alternative derived from recent research. The 12-h module follows a three-stage structure (Basic…

Critical thinking is one of the most important sets of cognitive abilities and dispositions required for both scientists and global citizens. In this explorative study, we examine which critical thinking aspects are perceived as relevant by biology graduate students and in what ways they found these aspects important for their scientific work.…