We report a laboratory activity, carried out along with high- and secondary-school students, that can be done to increase the interest of the young in scientific studies. Groups of selected students "adopted" experiments at physics research laboratories, under the guidance of university researchers. Subsequently, the students…

The United Nations has proclaimed 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry and, as part of that designation, has invited teachers worldwide to participate with their students in the Global Water Experiment (IYC 2010). Students have the opportunity to take part in four different water-related investigations to assess water quality and then share…

Microfluidics, the manipulation of fluids in channels with micron dimensions, has emerged as an exciting new field that impacts the broad area of nano/microtechnology. This is an important area to train the next generation of chemical engineers. This paper describes an experiment where students are given a problem to design a microfluidic mixer…

This study examines prevention system transformation as part of a community-randomized controlled trial of Communities That Care (CTC). Using data from surveys of community leaders, we examine differences between CTC and control communities 4.5 years after CTC implementation. Significantly higher levels of adopting a science-based approach to…

Science instruction literature provides us with goals for laboratory instruction and guidelines for designing and implementing science labs in the post-secondary setting. How well are we doing in our attempt to provide a meaningful and positive learning experience for our students? This paper describes the results of a study to determine whether…

Two systems were evaluated for drawing Lewis structures of period 2 and 3 non-metallic compounds: the octet rule and minimization of formal charge. The test set of molecules consisted of the oxides, halides, oxohalides, oxoanions, and oxoacids of B, N, O, F, Al, P, S, and Cl. Bond orders were quantified using experimental data, including bond…

Bacteria are ubiquitous in our world. From our homes, to our work environment, to our own bodies, bacteria are the omnipresent although often unobserved companions to human life. Physicists are typically untroubled professionally by the presence of these bacteria, as their study usually falls safely outside the realm of our typical domain. In the…

The synthesis and analysis of a copper hydroxy nitrate provides an exposure to a simple ionic synthesis, qualitative analysis of copper and nitrate, two gravimetric analyses (copper and nitrate), one volumetric analysis (hydroxide), and a colorimetric analysis (copper). The results allow the student to determine the identity of the double salt and…

These 2 studies investigate the extent to which an Embodied Mixed Reality Learning Environment (EMRELE) can enhance science learning compared to regular classroom instruction. Mixed reality means that physical tangible and digital components were present. The content for the EMRELE required that students map abstract concepts and relations onto…

Twenty-eight freshmen majoring in biology and/or chemistry in an Arab college in Israel, were given a pre-test and a post-test in which they had to identify the control group and design a controlled experiment. During the course an intervention was used. Science was taught by inquiry while using strategies that promote higher-order thinking skills…

In order to increase scientific literacy and the knowledge of science and technology of Europe's citizens, the European Commission suggests a more student-centred implementation of natural sciences in education systems. Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is not only an accepted method to promote students' interest and motivation, it also helps students…

In the study of kinematics it is often emphasized that freefall time is independent of particular parabolic trajectory, provided that the initial velocity is parallel to the horizontal plane. There are various experiments to prove features of freefall in textbooks and other literature. Using a PC one can make precise measurements of time intervals…

In this article some basic laboratory bench experiments are described that are useful for teaching high school students some of the basic principles of stellar astrophysics. For example, in one experiment, students slam a plastic water-filled bottle down onto a bench, ejecting water towards the ceiling, illustrating the physics associated with a…

A laboratory experiment emphasizing the structural elucidation of organic compounds has been developed as a discovery exercise. The "unknown" compounds are the products of the pH-controlled oxidation of 4'-methoxyacetophenone with bleach. The chemoselectivity of this reaction is highly dependent on the pH of the reaction media: under basic…

We describe the construction and performance of an inexpensive modular Raman spectrometer that has been assembled in the framework of a fourth-year undergraduate project (costs below $5000). The spectrometer is based on a 4 mW 532 nm green laser pointer and a compact monochromator equipped with glass fiber optical connections, linear detector…