The implementation of virtual microscopy in the teaching of pathology at the Bloomington, Indiana extension of the Indiana University School of Medicine permitted the assessment of student attitudes, use and academic performance with respect to this new technology. A gradual and integrated approach allowed the parallel assessment with respect to…

Semiconductor quantum dots are at the forefront of materials science chemistry with applications in biological imaging and photovoltaic technologies. We have developed a simple laboratory experiment to measure the quantum-dot size from fluorescence spectra. A major roadblock of quantum-dot based exercises is the particle synthesis and handling;…

Developments in analytical chemistry were made using acoustically levitated small volumes of liquid to study enzyme reaction kinetics and by detecting volatile organic compounds in the gas phase using single-walled carbon nanotubes. Experience gained in engineering, electronics, automation, and software development from the design and…

Throughout its history, laboratory research in the experimental analysis of behavior has been successful in elucidating and clarifying basic learning principles and processes in both humans and nonhumans. In parallel, applied behavior analysis has shown how fundamental behavior-analytic principles and procedures can be employed to promote…

This article discusses why the study of earthworms has fascinated many scientists, and why earthworms make ideal experimental animals for students to test in the laboratory. Although earthworms may appear to be primitive, they are governed by both circadian and seasonal rhythms, just as more advanced organisms are. They possess an intelligence…

Two useful observations are possible when thoroughly looking at the cathode-ray display of a computer. First, the structure of a color image is seen with a moderate magnification. Second, the decay of different phosphors corresponding to the red, green, and blue primary colors is observable with a photodiode and oscilloscope.

This paper reports on a technique the authors have developed to produce and analyze, at very low cost, good quality strobe-like photographs. While the concept is similar to the one described by Graney and DiNoto, the strategy described here benefits from recent advances in the fields of digital photography and related software to significantly…

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of brief walks completed in outdoor and laboratory environments on affective responses, enjoyment, and intention to walk for exercise. Thirty-five active young women (M age = 22.14 years, SD = 1.73) walked for 10 min at a self-selected intensity in outdoor and laboratory environments. Affective…

We propose a laboratory learning pathway, suitable for secondary school up to introductory undergraduate level, employing the VnR dynamic modelling software. It is composed of three increasingly complex activities dealing with experimental work, model design and discussion. (Contains 4 footnotes, 1 table and 5 figures.)

While electricity is central to our daily lives, it remains "black box" technology to most students. They know that electricity is produced somewhere and that it costs money, but they do not have personal experience with the operation and scale of the machines that provide it. Fortunately, electricity generation can be added to the more basic…

In a recent article Huggins outlines a very simple method of measuring the speed of sound in metal pipes by striking one end with a hammer and recording the transit time as the resultant pulse echoes back and forth. We immediately adapted this for use in an introductory laboratory where we are familiarizing students with the measurement of…

The system of anatomical nomenclature needs to be logical and consistent. However, variations in translation to English of the Latin and Greek terminology used in Nomina Anatomica and Terminologia Anatomica have led to some inconsistency in the nomenclature of cutaneous nerves in the limbs. An historical review of cutaneous nerve nomenclature…

This paper describes my attempts to look deeper into the so-called "shoot for your grade" labs, started in the '90s, when I began applying my teaching experience in Russia to introductory physics labs at the College of Charleston and other higher education institutions in South Carolina. The term "shoot for your grade" became popular among…

The wave nature of light is not part of students' common experiences, so often physics teachers and textbooks will add a historical anecdote about how scientists, too, were tricked by light. A common one is how, in the early 19th century, Poisson declared that since Fresnel's ideas on the wave nature of light implied that the shadow cast by a disk…

The use of multiple compasses to map and visualize magnetic fields is well-known. The magnetic field exerts a torque on the compasses aligning them along the lines of force. Some science museums show the field of a magnet using a table with many compasses in a closely packed arrangement. However, the very interesting interactions that occur…