Recounts an anecdote about a teacher's science anxiety resulting from the mysterious results of a plant growth experiment. Students found that bean plants grew taller in a dark closet because of etiolation. Points out that teachers need to deal with experimental results objectively and resist looking for "right" answers. (MDH)

Discusses difficulties of learning and teaching science at the secondary school level. Highlights include the nature of science concepts; multilevel thought; the use of scientific experiments; language problems; students' learning processes; and an information processing model that can be used to guide thinking and research in this area. (10…

Discusses how to build an inexpensive Young's modulus apparatus and also a lens with an adjustable focal length. Describes the demonstration of moving a peeled, hard-boiled egg in and out of a flask whose neck is slightly smaller than the egg. (MVL)

Describes an experiment where students test the furcula or wishbone of a bird for its springlike properties. (PR)

Presents the general theory to explain chemical movement in soil. Describes classroom demonstrations with visually stimulating results that show the effects of soil structure, soil texture, soil pH, and soluble organic matter on that movement. (MDH)

Science fair mentorship programs let students investigate a wide variety of science topics under the guidance of interested community members. These programs enhance the relationships among school, community, and home. (PR)

Describes an investigation in which students predict and verify the effect that the number of clicks of a toy copter gun has on the height that the copter will attain. Provides follow-up questions for the students. (MDH)

Describes the biochemical structure and functions of the enzyme chymosin. Presents activities to familiarize students with fundamental aspects of enzyme-substrate interaction. (WRM)

Presents a procedure for creating a colored superabsorbant polymer gel. Pieces of the gel can be used to demonstrate convection currents in heating water. (WRM)

Describes the Environmental Buddies program designed to pair fourth-grade (mentors) and kindergarten (proteges) children to work on science investigations centered around ecological themes. Details program components, including the following: investigations that interest and challenge both ages, careful student pairing, emphasis on mutual benefits…

Describes the use of two tiny light bulbs and a cloth grating to construct a semiquantitative experiment for determining the wavelength of light from an interference pattern. (WRM)

Describes an Introduction to Chemical Engineering course with particular reference to the development, use, and evaluation of four simple experiments centered around the fundamental principles of heat transfer, mass transfer, reaction kinetics, and momentum transfer. (WRM)

Describes an investigation in which radioactive by-products of radon decay are collected and measured from a charged balloon. (WRM)

Describes a virtual experiment designed to introduce students to the theory and application of the electrocardiogram (ECG) and the mean electrical axis (MEA). Students are asked to reduce and analyze data, calculate and plot the MEA, and answer questions in the inquiry-based, experimental activity. (Author/WRM)

Describes a laboratory experience for upper-level science students that provides a hands-on approach to understanding the basics of experimental physiology. Students design an experiment to determine the relative importance of dilution of plasma proteins in the overall renal excretory response following volume expansion with intravenous saline.…