While they produced a limited amount of light when first introduced, light-emitting diode (LED) lights offered the benefit of rarely burning out. As a result, they were initially used primarily as indicator lights. Advances in the technology have made available LEDs that produce far brighter light, and one application that has come to market is…

Two commercial self-heating food products have been used to apply chemical concepts such as stoichiometry, enthalpies of reactions and solutions, and heat transfer in a classroom activity. These products are the self-heating beverages sold in Europe and the Meals, Ready to Eat or MREs used primarily by the military in the United States. The main…

Hypotheses of population genetics are derived and tested by students in the introductory genetics laboratory classroom as they explore the effects of biotic variables (physical traits of fruit flies) and abiotic variables (island size and distance) on fruit fly populations. In addition to this hypothesis-driven experiment, the development of…

An activity to excite kinaesthetically inclined students about learning physics is described in this article. Using only commonly available materials, a low cost candy floss kit is fabricated by students. A number of physics concepts are embedded contextually in the activity so that students get to learn these concepts in a real world setting…

This article is an exploration of how an alternative text reflects the multiple identities of one high school Latina, focusing in particular on her religious identity. In this ethnographic case study, the author addresses three questions: 1) In what ways does literacy activity inside the school, in the form of the science scrapbook, allow for this…

A thin-layer fuel cell is described that is simple and easy to set up and is particularly useful for teaching and classroom demonstrations. The cell is both an electrolyzer and a fuel cell and operates using a thin layer of electrolyte with a thickness of approximately 127 micrometers and a volume of approximately 40 microliters. As an…

The many activities contained in this teaching guide emphasize hands-on involvement, prediction, data collection and interpretation, teamwork, and problem solving. The guide also contains background information about aeronautical research that can help students learn how airplanes fly. Following the background sections are a series of activities…

This article explores the research participants' changing attitude as early childhood teachers for attention to children, and how taking risks in science education get along with their teaching actions. Researcher views these as potentially positive aspects of attitude toward science teaching and belief on empowerment of teachers. Therefore,…

This qualitative multiple case study explored the conceptual frameworks of two congenitally blind male adolescents on the nature of matter. We examined participants' responses on four tactile investigations focused on concepts and processes associated with matter changes. The matter changes investigated were dissolution, chemical change,…

We describe a study of programs to deepen families' scientific inquiry practices in a science museum setting. The programs incorporated research-based learning principles from formal and informal educational environments. In a randomized experimental design, two versions of the programs, called "inquiry games," were compared to two control…

There is a perceived need for anatomy instruction for graduate students enrolled in a biomedical engineering program. This appeared especially important for students interested in and using medical images. These students typically did not have a strong background in biology. The authors arranged for students to dissect regions of the body that…

In this paper, we discuss a simple apparatus and accompanying class activity that we have developed to illustrate the Biot-Savart law. Since students in introductory electricity and magnetism courses often find this law a mathematical mystery, we feel that a simple experiment such as this will provide the students a better understanding of the…

I always tell my students: "Physics is all around," and "Just observe carefully to learn physics." This paper describes one of my own experiences in looking carefully at light reflection and, in particular, the difference between specular reflection and diffuse reflection. I also describe how I have adapted this experience for use with my…

Rainbow-like spectra, produced by reflexive diffraction of white light on a CD, offer a spectacular visual effect as well as an excellent classroom opportunity for students to learn how physics works. In this paper we show that building a coherent qualitative explanation can be a challenging task that requires students to combine gained knowledge…

Plants and insects share a long evolutionary history characterized by relationships that affect individual, population, and community dynamics. Plant-herbivore interactions are a prominent feature of this evolutionary history; it is by plant-herbivore interactions that energy is transferred from primary producers to the rest of the food web. Not…