There is growing interest in the use of low enthalpy geothermal (LEG) energy schemes, whereby heated water is extracted from sandstone aquifers for civic heating projects. While prevalent in countries with volcanic activity, a recently proposed scheme for Manchester offered the perfect opportunity to engage students in the viability of this form…

A Web site is described that facilitates use of the free computational chemistry software: General Atomic and Molecular Electronic Structure System (GAMESS). Its goal is to provide an opportunity for undergraduate students to perform computational chemistry experiments without the need to purchase expensive software.

A multiday laboratory exercise is described that is suitable for first-year undergraduate chemistry, biochemistry, or biotechnology students. Students gain experience in performing chromatographic separations of biomolecules, in both a column and thin layer chromatography (TLC) format. Students chromatographically separate amino acids (AA) in an…

William Henry Bragg moved from Cambridge in Britain to South Australia to take up a professorship at the University of Adelaide in 1885. He brought with him a broad interest in many areas of physics, but when Wilhelm Roentgen discovered X-rays in the 1890s, Bragg's interest was stimulated. William's Australian-born son, Lawrence (WL Bragg), began…

In this paper I propose a method of calculating the time between line captures in a standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) webcam using the rolling shutter effect when filming a guitar. The exercise links the concepts of wavelength and frequency, while outlining the basic operation of a CMOS camera through vertical line capture.

The determination of the solid-liquid phase diagram of a binary system is always used as an experiment in the undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory courses. However, most phase diagrams investigated in the lab are simple eutectic ones, despite the fact that complex binary solid-liquid phase diagrams are more common. In this article, the…

The ripple tank is one of the physics education devices most appreciated by teachers and students. It allows one to visualize various phenomena related to wave physics in an effective and enthralling way. Usually this apparatus consists of a tank with a transparent bottom that is filled with a thin layer of water. A source of light illuminates the…

The leading theory for the origin of the Moon is the giant impact hypothesis, in which the Moon was formed out of the debris left over from the collision of a Mars sized body with the Earth. Soon after its formation, the orbit of the Moon may have been very different than it is today. We have simulated the phases of the Moon in a model for its…

We present a lab that enables students to test the role of genes involved in the regulation of lateral roots growth in the model plant "Arabidopsis thaliana." Here, students design an experiment that follows the effects of the hormone auxin on the stimulation of genes involved in the formation of lateral root initials. These genes, known…

Glow sticks are a popular Halloween staple familiar to most of our students. The production of light via a chemical reaction is called "chemiluminescence," and glow sticks are often used as demonstrations and experiments in the chemistry classroom to study reaction rates as a function of temperature. A black light can be used to…

In the popular press, diagrams showing the evolution of the universe begin with a great jump in size labeled "inflation." Can we explain the basic ideas behind inflation to our students who have taken our introductory physics course? Probably not. In our standard introductory physics courses, even those with special relativity, something…

Piezoelectric and pyroelectric materials are used in many current applications. The purpose of this paper is to explain the basic properties of pyroelectric and piezoelectric effects and demonstrate them in simple experiments. Pyroelectricity is presented on lead zirconium titanate (PZT) ceramics as an electric charge generated by the temperature…

Epigenetic inheritance is the inheritance of genetic information that is not based on DNA sequence alone. One type of epigenetic information that has come to the forefront in the last few years is modified DNA bases. The most common modified DNA base in nature is 5-methylcytosine. Herein, we describe a laboratory experiment that combines…

Evolution is a defining criterion of life and is central to understanding biological systems. However, the timescale of evolutionary shifts in phenotype limits most classroom evolution experiments to simple probability simulations. "In vitro" directed evolution (IVDE) frequently serves as a model system for the study of Darwinian…

In the introductory physics courses at Wartburg College, we have been working to create a lab experience focused on the scientific process itself rather than verification of physical laws presented in the classroom or textbook. To this end, we have developed a number of open-ended modeling exercises suitable for a variety of learning environments,…