Introduces an undergraduate level problem-based analytical chemistry laboratory course integrated with an environmental law course. Aims to develop an understanding among students on the use of environmental indicators for environmental evaluation. (Contains 30 references.) (YDS)

Describes an unusual course at the University of California, Los Angeles which includes DNA sequencing experiences and exploration of the social, economic, and ethical issues resulting from advances in biotechnology. (EV)

Presents several variations on a demonstration in which alcohol vapors are combusted in large small-necked bottles, causing a blue flame to shoot from the bottle's mouth. Describes variations with different pure alcohols, temperature, alcohol/water solution concentration, oxygen concentration, type of container, and the addition of salt for color.…

Provides examples of four university science buildings whose design fosters interdisciplinary interaction among students coupled with lab flexibility. Design concepts, innovations, and building layouts are examined. (GR)

Discussion of integrating technology into elementary school classrooms focuses on teacher training that is based on a three-year plan developed at an elementary school in Marathon, New York. Describes the role of a technology teacher who facilitates technology integration by running the computer lab, offering workshops, and developing inservice…

Presents a science unit in which students design and test a sample of concrete and later redesign it to improve the strength of their sample under compression. (YDS)

Describes a project that applies problem based inquiry learning units to an introductory chemistry laboratory curriculum. Uses web technologies to support instruction. (Contains 25 references.) (YDS)

Introduces a laboratory science course addressing scientific literacy. Includes three interrelated student projects for the laboratory section of the course. (Contains 27 references.) (YDS)

Discusses an effort to design a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system flexible enough to accommodate an easy conversion of classrooms to laboratories and dry labs to wet labs. The design's energy efficiency and operations and maintenance are examined. (GR)

This study focuses on the ability of high-school chemistry students, who learn chemistry through the inquiry approach, to ask meaningful and scientifically sound questions. We investigated (a) the ability of students to ask questions related to their observations and findings in an inquiry-type experiment (a practical test) and (b) the ability of…

We report the development of a simplified procedure for restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of mushrooms. We have adapted standard molecular techniques to be amenable to an undergraduate laboratory setting in order to allow students to explore basic questions about fungal diversity and relatedness among mushroom species. The…

A two-session laboratory exercise for advanced undergraduate students in biochemistry and molecular biology is described. The first session introduces students to DNA quantification by ultraviolet absorbance and agarose gel electrophoresis followed by ethidium bromide staining. The second session involves treatment of various topological forms of…

This undergraduate laboratory experiment integrates multiple techniques ("in vitro" synthesis, enzyme assays, Western blotting) to determine the production and detection sensitivity of two common reporter proteins (beta-galactosidase and luciferase) within an "Escherichia coli" S30 transcription/translation extract. Comparison of the data suggests…

The Model Science Lab, a constructivist approach to teaching, strengthens urban science teachers' teaching practice. The retention rate of Houston science teachers who took part in the program was found to be very high and the cost of the Model Science Lab has proven less expensive per student than most other professional development options.

A laboratory exercise used in the senior biochemistry course at the University of Winnipeg for three years is discussed. It combines liquid chromatography and absorbance spectroscopy and also allows the students to produce a quantitative result within a single three-hour period.