Describes methods to redevelop lab activities for use in schools with limited resources for proper facilities and equipment. Discusses take-home labs, paper-and-pencil labs, and lab station activities. (JRH)

Reports the use of a heavy duty hacksaw blade and a 1000 turn pick-up coil to form the basis of a mechanical oscillator for a laboratory exercise in mechanical resonance designed for either the elementary undergraduate course or in association with an upper level mechanics course. (LZ)

Research with couples requires measurement and data analytic techniques extending beyond those typically used with individuals. Measurement issues in couples' research that influence subsequent approaches to data analysis are reviewed, with emphasis on issues of nonindependence in couples' data. Univariate and multivariate analyses of…

It is argued that reports of evaluation activities often leave much to be desired because they fail to portray the real trial-and-error processes of the research study and do not report on the logic in use at the time of the inquiry. (SLD)

Provides a method, using the Rowland ring as a specimen, to observe the phase transition process directly on the oscilloscope and even extract the critical exponent of ferromagnetic transition. Includes theory, experimental setup, and results. (MVL)

Discusses the history and current developments of the Biosphere 2 Project, a prototype for enclosed self-sustaining structures for space colonization built in the Arizona Desert. Biosphere 2 was created to educate and provide solutions to environmental problems and revenue from research. (MCO)

Author provides details about Helmont's experiment that was a milestone in the history of plant biology since it marked the start of experimental plant physiology. Concludes that Jean Baptista van Helmont's supposedly simple experiment becomes complex when trying to determine the methods he used, evaluate his sources of experimental error, and…

Describes how microscale labs can be used as a tool to transform teaching instead of simply a less expensive substitute to traditional labs. Presents an activity that introduces students to density and the advantages of multiple measurements and averaging. (ZWH)

This poem, with stanzas in limerick form, refers humorously to the many threats to validity posed by problems in research design, including problems of sample selection, data collection, and data analysis. (SLD)

The ninth installment of the Science in a Box series (self-contained, hands-on activities for students grades three and up) presents activities for learning to use the sense of touch to determine how different objects conduct heat. All projects in the series are inexpensive and easy to assemble. (SM)

Twenty-four preschool-age girls repeatedly experienced an initially novel episode in a laboratory setting. Each child's knowledge of the episode was assessed in an effort to examine the development of the children's scripts for a recurring event. (PCB)

Describes the use of the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory (SLEI) which was designed for assessing senior science students' perceptions of aspects of their laboratory learning environment. Describes ways in which SLEI has been used in research studies and outlines ways educators could use the instrument for evaluating aspects of their own…

Reviews the biological importance of the lipids categorized as waxes and describes some of the organic chemistry of these compounds. Presents a short laboratory exercise on the extraction of plant waxes and their analysis by thin layer chromatography. (Author/CCM)

The loss of carbon dioxide from carbonated beverages provides an interesting case of the combination of equilibrium and kinetic principles. Adding air with a commercial device (the Fizz Keeper) has a negligible effect on various equilibria present but will slow diffusion in the gas space of a resealed bottle, decreasing the rate at which…