Sample records for undergraduate organic laboratory
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A Multistep Synthesis for an Advanced Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chang Ji; Peters, Dennis G.
2006-01-01
Multistep syntheses are often important components of the undergraduate organic laboratory experience and a three-step synthesis of 5-(2-sulfhydrylethyl) salicylaldehyde was described. The experiment is useful as a special project for an advanced undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory course and offers opportunities for students to master a…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Morrill, Lucas A.; Kammeyer, Jacquelin K.; Garg, Neil K.
2017-01-01
An undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory that provides an introduction to various spectroscopic techniques is reported. Whereas organic spectroscopy is most often learned and practiced in the context of reaction analyses, this laboratory experiment allows students to become comfortable with [superscript 1]H NMR, [superscript 13]C NMR, and IR…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chen, Shuming
2018-01-01
An undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory experiment that provides an introduction to the concepts and practices of photoredox catalysis is reported. While undergraduate-level photochemistry experiments typically place emphasis on analytical properties of catalysts rather than synthetic applications, this experiment showcases the power and…
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Hie, Liana; Chang, Jonah J; Garg, Neil K
2015-03-10
A modern undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory experiment involving the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling is reported. Although Suzuki-Miyaura couplings typically employ palladium catalysts in environmentally harmful solvents, this experiment features the use of inexpensive nickel catalysis, in addition to a "green" alcohol solvent. The experiment employs heterocyclic substrates, which are important pharmaceutical building blocks. Thus, this laboratory procedure exposes students to a variety of contemporary topics in organic chemistry, including transition metal-catalyzed cross-couplings, green chemistry, and the importance of heterocycles in drug discovery, none of which are well represented in typical undergraduate organic chemistry curricula. The experimental protocol uses commercially available reagents and is useful in both organic and inorganic instructional laboratories.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jones-Wilson, T. Michelle; Burtch, Elizabeth A.
2005-01-01
Electrophilic aromatic substitution (EAS) experiment is designed for the second-semester and undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory. In the EAS experiment, the principles of green chemistry are discussed and illustrated in conjunction with the presentation of electrophilic aromatic substitution.
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Green Chemistry Decision-Making in an Upper-Level Undergraduate Organic Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Edgar, Landon J. G.; Koroluk, Katherine J.; Golmakani, Mehrnaz; Dicks, Andrew P.
2014-01-01
A self-directed independent synthesis experiment was developed for a third-year undergraduate organic laboratory. Students were provided with the CAS numbers of starting and target compounds and devised a synthetic plan to be executed over two 4.5 h laboratory periods. They consulted the primary literature in order to develop and carry out an…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Martin, Christopher B.; Schmidt, Monica; Soniat, Michael
2011-01-01
A survey was conducted of four-year institutions that teach undergraduate organic chemistry laboratories in the United States. The data include results from over 130 schools, describes the current practices at these institutions, and discusses the statistical results such as the scale of the laboratories performed, the chemical techniques applied,…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Baar, Marsha R.; Falcone, Danielle; Gordon, Christopher
2010-01-01
Microwave heating enhanced the rate of three reactions typically performed in our undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory: a Diels-Alder cycloaddition, a Wittig salt formation, and a Williamson ether synthesis. Ninety-minute refluxes were shortened to 10 min using a laboratory-grade microwave oven. In addition, yields improved for the Wittig…
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The Implementation of a Service-Learning Component in an Organic Chemistry Laboratory Course
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Glover, Sarah R.; Sewry, Joyce D.; Bromley, Candice L.; Davies-Coleman, Michael T.; Hlengwa, Amanda
2013-01-01
avenues for the implementation of service-learning into their curricula. A second-year undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory experiment, in which the undergraduate students make azo dyes, can provide a vehicle for a service-learning module in which university undergraduate…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kasting, Benjamin J.; Bowser, Andrew K.; Anderson-Wile, Amelia M.; Wile, Bradley M.
2015-01-01
An interdisciplinary laboratory experiment involving second-year undergraduate organic chemistry and introductory inorganic chemistry undergraduate students is described. Organic chemistry students prepare a series of amine-bis(phenols) via a Mannich reaction, and characterize their products using melting point; FTIR; and [superscript 1]H,…
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Investigation of the Regioselectivity of Alkene Hydrations for the Undergraduate Organic Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bichler, Katherine A.; Van Ornum, Scott G.; Franz, Margaret C.; Imhoff, Andrea M.
2015-01-01
Due to a lack of time and, thus, an inability to present every possibility in a chemical reaction, organic chemistry professors tend to present each reaction with a single outcome. In practice, this is clearly not the case. A first-semester, three-week laboratory experiment designed for undergraduate organic chemistry students is described in…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sichula, Vincent A.
2015-01-01
A multistep synthesis of 10-ethyl flavin was developed as an organic chemistry laboratory experiment for upper-division undergraduate students. Students synthesize 10-ethyl flavin as a bright yellow solid via a five-step sequence. The experiment introduces students to various hands-on experimental organic synthetic techniques, such as column…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dintzner, Matthew R.; Kinzie, Charles R.; Pulkrabek, Kimberly A.; Arena, Anthony F.
2011-01-01
SIPCAn, an acronym for separation, isolation, purification, characterization, and analysis, is presented as a one-term, integrated project for the first-term undergraduate organic laboratory course. Students are assigned two mixtures of unknown organic compounds--a mixture of two liquid compounds and a mixture of two solid compounds--at the…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hill, Nicholas J.; Hoover, Jessica M.; Stahl, Shannon S.
2013-01-01
Modern undergraduate organic chemistry textbooks provide detailed discussion of stoichiometric Cr- and Mn-based reagents for the oxidation of alcohols, yet the use of such oxidants in instructional and research laboratories, as well as industrial chemistry, is increasingly avoided. This work describes a laboratory exercise that uses ambient air as…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Giarikos, Dimitrios G.; Patel, Sagir; Lister, Andrew; Razeghifard, Reza
2013-01-01
Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is a powerful analytical tool for detection, identification, and quantification of many volatile organic compounds. However, many colleges and universities have not fully incorporated this technique into undergraduate teaching laboratories despite its wide application and ease of use in organic…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Aditya, Animesh; Nichols, David E.; Loudon, G. Marc
2008-01-01
This experiment presents a guided-inquiry approach to the demonstration of diastereoselectivity in an undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory. Chiral hindered ketones such as estrone, undergo facile reduction with sodium borohydride in a highly diastereoselective manner. The diastereomeric estradiols produced in the reaction can be analyzed and…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lee, Shan-Hu; Mukherjee, Souptik; Brewer, Brittany; Ryan, Raphael; Yu, Huan; Gangoda, Mahinda
2013-01-01
An undergraduate laboratory experiment is described to measure Henry's law constants of organic compounds using a bubble column and gas chromatography flame ionization detector (GC-FID). This experiment is designed for upper-division undergraduate laboratory courses and can be implemented in conjunction with physical chemistry, analytical…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Galloway, Kelli R.; Bretz, Stacey Lowery
2015-01-01
Understanding how students learn in the undergraduate chemistry teaching laboratory is an essential component to developing evidence-based laboratory curricula. The Meaningful Learning in the Laboratory Instrument (MLLI) was developed to measure students' cognitive and affective expectations and experiences for learning in the chemistry…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hie, Liana; Chang, Jonah J.; Garg, Neil K.
2015-01-01
A modern undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory experiment involving the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling is reported. Although Suzuki-Miyaura couplings typically employ palladium catalysts in environmentally harmful solvents, this experiment features the use of inexpensive nickel catalysis, in addition to a "green" alcohol solvent. The…
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A Green Polymerization of Aspartic Acid for the Undergraduate Organic Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bennett, George D.
2005-01-01
The green polymerization of aspartic acid carried out during an organic-inorganic synthesis laboratory course for undergraduate students is described. The procedure is based on work by Donlar Corporation, a Peru, Illinois-based company that won a Green Chemistry Challenge Award in 1996 in the Small Business category for preparing thermal…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bussey, Katherine A.; Cavalier, Annie R.; Connell, Jennifer R.; Mraz, Margaret E.; Holderread, Ashley S.; Oshin, Kayode D.; Pintauer, Tomislav
2015-01-01
An integrated laboratory experiment applying concepts and techniques developed in organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and instrumental analysis is presented for use by students interested in undergraduate research. The experiment incorporates some advanced laboratory practices such as multistep organic synthesis and purification, detailed…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dintzner, Matthew R.; Kinzie, Charles R.; Pulkrabek, Kimberly; Arena, Anthony F.
2012-01-01
A one-term synthesis project that incorporates many of the principles of green chemistry is presented for the undergraduate organic laboratory. In this multistep scheme of reactions, students react, recycle, and ultimately convert cyclohexanol to nylon 6,6. The individual reactions in the project employ environmentally friendly methodologies, and…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Galloway, Kelli R.; Bretz, Stacey Lowery
2015-01-01
Research on laboratory learning points to the need to better understand what and how students learn in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. The Meaningful Learning in the Laboratory Instrument (MLLI) was administered to general and organic chemistry students from 15 colleges and universities across the United States in order to measure the…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cleland, George H.
1978-01-01
The Meerwein reaction is often omitted from undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory books. This experiment, the preparation of "o"-chlorocinnamic acid from "o"-chloroanaline, illustrates this section. (BB)
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lang, Patrick T.; Harned, Andrew M.; Wissinger, Jane E.
2011-01-01
A new green oxidation procedure was developed for the undergraduate organic teaching laboratories using Oxone and a catalytic quantity of sodium chloride for the conversion of borneol to camphor. This simple 1 h, room temperature reaction afforded high quality and yield of product, was environmentally friendly, and produced negligible quantities…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Letcher, R. M.; Sammes, M. P.
1985-01-01
Describes an undergraduate organic chemistry experiment (requiring three/four 3-hour laboratory sessions) involving a four-stage synthesis of 1-phenyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines via the Pictet-Spengler route. In addition, the experiment allows students to study the spectra and properties of aklaloid-like materials while completing several…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Esteb, John J.; Hohman, Nathan J.; Schlamandinger, Diana E.; Wilson, Anne M.
2005-01-01
The solvent-free or solid-state reaction systems like the Baeyer-Villiger rearrangement have become popular in the synthetic organic community and viable option for undergraduate laboratory series to reduce waste and cost and simplify reaction process. The reaction is an efficient method to transform ketones to esters and lactones.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hill, Nicholas J.; Bowman, Matthew D.; Esselman, Brian J.; Byron, Stephen D.; Kreitinger, Jordan; Leadbeater, Nicholas E.
2014-01-01
An inexpensive procedure for introducing the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction into a high-enrollment undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory course is described. The procedure employs an aqueous palladium solution as the catalyst and a range of para-substituted aryl bromides and arylboronic acids as substrates. The coupling reactions proceed…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Maloney, Vincent; Szczepanski, Zach
2017-01-01
A simple, inexpensive, discovery-based experiment for undergraduate organic laboratories has been developed that demonstrates the Lewis acid and shape-selective properties of zeolites. Calcined zeolite Na-Y promotes the electrophilic aromatic bromination of toluene with a significantly higher para/ortho ratio than observed under conventional…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dintzner, Matthew R.; Maresh, Justin J.; Kinzie, Charles R.; Arena, Anthony F.; Speltz, Thomas
2012-01-01
Students in the undergraduate organic laboratory synthesize tetrahydro-2-(4-nitrophenyl)-4-phenyl-2"H"-pyran via the Montmorillonite K10 clay-catalyzed reaction of p-nitrobenzaldehye with methanol, 3-buten-1-ol, and benzene. The synthesis comprises an environmentally friendly tandem Prins-Friedel-Crafts-type multicomponent reaction (MCR) and sets…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bladt, Don; Murray, Steve; Gitch, Brittany; Trout, Haylee; Liberko, Charles
2011-01-01
This undergraduate organic laboratory exercise involves the sulfuric acid-catalyzed conversion of waste vegetable oil into biodiesel. The acid-catalyzed method, although inherently slower than the base-catalyzed methods, does not suffer from the loss of product or the creation of emulsion producing soap that plagues the base-catalyzed methods when…
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An Operationally Simple Sonogashira Reaction for an Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory Class
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cranwell, Philippa B.; Peterson, Alexander M.; Littlefield, Benjamin T. R.; Russell, Andrew T.
2015-01-01
An operationally simple, reliable, and cheap Sonogashira reaction suitable for an undergraduate laboratory class that can be completed within a day-long (8 h) laboratory session has been developed. Cross-coupling is carried out between 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol and various aryl iodides using catalytic amounts of bis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(II)…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Silverberg, Lee J.; Coyle, David J.; Cannon, Kevin C.; Mathers, Robert T.; Richards, Jeffrey A.; Tierney, John
2016-01-01
Imines are important in biological chemistry and as intermediates in organic synthesis. An experiment for introductory undergraduate organic chemistry is presented in which benzaldehyde was condensed with "p"-methoxyaniline in toluene to give 4-methoxy-"N"-(phenylmethylene)benzenamine. Water was removed by azeotropic…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pohl, Nicola; Clague, Allen; Schwarz, Kimberly
2002-06-01
We describe an integrated set of experiments for the undergraduate organic laboratory that allows students to compare and contrast biological and chemical means of introducing chirality into a molecule. The racemic reduction of ethyl acetoacetate with sodium borohydride and the same reduction in the presence of a tartaric acid ligand are described, and a capillary gas chromatography column packed with a chiral material for product analysis is introduced. The results of these two hydride reactions are compared with the results of a common undergraduate experiment, the baker's yeast reduction of ethyl acetoacetate.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schuttlefield, Jennifer D.; Larsen, Sarah C.; Grassian, Vicki H.
2008-01-01
Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy is a useful technique for measuring the infrared spectra of solids and liquids as well as probing adsorption on particle surfaces. The use of FTIR-ATR spectroscopy in organic and inorganic chemistry laboratory courses as well as in undergraduate research was presented…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fennie, Michael W.; Roth, Jessica M.
2016-01-01
In this laboratory experiment, upper-division undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry majors investigate amide-bond-forming reactions from a green chemistry perspective. Using hydrocinnamic acid and benzylamine as reactants, students perform three types of amide-forming reactions: an acid chloride derivative route; a coupling reagent promoted…
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Physiology undergraduate degree requirements in the U.S.
VanRyn, Valerie S; Poteracki, James M; Wehrwein, Erica A
2017-12-01
Course-level learning objectives and core concepts for undergraduate physiology teaching exist. The next step is to consider how these resources fit into generalizable program-level guidelines for Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees in Physiology. In the absence of program-level guidelines for Physiology degree programs, we compiled a selective internal report to review degree requirements from 18 peer BS programs entitled "Physiology" in the United States (U.S.). There was a range of zero to three required semesters of math, physics, physics laboratory, general biology, biology laboratory, general chemistry, chemistry laboratory, organic chemistry, organic chemistry laboratory, biochemistry, biochemistry laboratory, anatomy, anatomy laboratory, core systems physiology, and physiology laboratory. Required upper division credits ranged from 11 to 31 and included system-specific, exercise and environmental, clinically relevant, pathology/disease-related, and basic science options. We hope that this information will be useful for all programs that consider themselves to be physiology, regardless of name. Reports such as this can serve as a starting point for collaboration among BS programs to improve physiology undergraduate education and best serve our students. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Arrington, Caleb A.; Hill, Jameica B.; Radfar, Ramin; Whisnant, David M.; Bass, Charles G.
2008-01-01
This article describes a discovery experiment for general chemistry and organic chemistry labs. Although the pinacol rearrangement has been employed in undergraduate organic laboratories before, in this application organic chemistry students act as mentors to students of general chemistry. Students work together using distillation--a new technique…
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Field Research Studying Whales in an Undergraduate Animal Behavior Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
MacLaren, R. David; Schulte, Dianna; Kennedy, Jen
2012-01-01
This work describes a new field research laboratory in an undergraduate animal behavior course involving the study of whale behavior, ecology and conservation in partnership with a non-profit research organization--the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation (BOS). The project involves two weeks of training and five weekend trips on whale watch…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ison, A.; Ison, E. A.; Perry, C. M.
2017-01-01
An effective way of teaching undergraduates a full complement of research skills is through a multiweek advanced laboratory experiment. Here we outline a comprehensive set of experiments adapted from current primary literature focusing on organic and inorganic synthesis, catalysis, reactivity, and reaction kinetics. The catalyst,…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pappenfus, Ted M.; Schliep, Karl B.; Dissanayake, Anudaththa; Ludden, Trevor; Nieto-Ortega, Belen; Lopez Navarrete, Juan T.; Ruiz Delgado, M. Carmen; Casado, Juan
2012-01-01
A series of experiments for undergraduate courses (e.g., organic, physical) have been developed in the area of small molecule organic materials. These experiments focus on understanding the electronic and redox properties of a donor-acceptor molecule that is prepared in a convenient one-step microscale reaction. The resulting intensely colored…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Parnis, J. Mark; Thompson, Matthew G. K.
2004-01-01
An introductory undergraduate physical organic chemistry exercise that introduces the harmonic oscillator's use in vibrational spectroscopy is developed. The analysis and modeling exercise begins with the students calculating the stretching modes of common organic molecules with the help of the quantum mechanical harmonic oscillator (QMHO) model.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Alaimo, Peter J.; Langenhan, Joseph M.; Suydam, Ian T.
2014-01-01
Many traditional organic chemistry lab courses do not adequately help students to develop the professional skills required for creative, independent work. The overarching goal of the new organic chemistry lab series at Seattle University is to teach undergraduates to think, perform, and behave more like professional scientists. The conversion of…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Burrows, Nikita L.; Nowak, Montana K.; Mooring, Suazette R.
2017-01-01
Students can perceive the laboratory environment in a variety of ways that can affect what they take away from the laboratory course. This qualitative study characterizes undergraduate students' perspectives of a project-based Organic Chemistry laboratory using the theoretical framework of phenomenography. Eighteen participants were interviewed in…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pappenfus, Ted M.; Hermanson, David L.; Ekerholm, Daniel P.; Lilliquist, Stacie L.; Mekoli, Megan L.
2007-01-01
A series of experiments for undergraduate laboratory courses (e.g., inorganic, organometallic or advanced organic) have been developed. These experiments focus on understanding the design and catalytic activity of ruthenium-indenylidene complexes for olefin metathesis. Included in the experiments are the syntheses of two ruthenium-indenylidene…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Berger, Michael; Goldfarb, Jillian L.
2017-01-01
Engaging undergraduates in the environmental consequences of fossil fuel usage primes them to consider their own anthropogenic impact, and the benefits and trade-offs of converting to renewable fuel strategies. This laboratory activity explores the potential contaminants (both inorganic and organic) present in the raw fuel and solid waste…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lawton, Jeffrey A.; Prescott, Noelle A.; Lawton, Ping X.
2018-01-01
We have developed an integrated, project-oriented curriculum for undergraduate molecular biology and biochemistry laboratory courses spanning two semesters that is organized around the "ldhA" gene from the yogurt-fermenting bacterium "Lactobacillus bulgaricus," which encodes the enzyme d-lactate dehydrogenase. The molecular…
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A Guided Inquiry Liquid/Liquid Extractions Laboratory for Introductory Organic Chemistry
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Raydo, Margaret L.; Church, Megan S.; Taylor, Zane W.; Taylor, Christopher E.; Danowitz, Amy M.
2015-01-01
A guided inquiry laboratory experiment for teaching liquid/liquid extractions to first semester undergraduate organic chemistry students is described. This laboratory is particularly useful for introductory students as the analytes that are separated are highly colored dye molecules. This allows students to track into which phase each analyte…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hutt, Johnathon T.; Aron, Zachary D.
2014-01-01
An upper-division organic chemistry laboratory experiment exploring fluorescent sensing over two laboratory periods and part of a third is described. Two functionally distinct pH-responsive sensors are prepared through a dehydrative three-component coupling reaction. During the abbreviated (<1 h) first laboratory period, students set up…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Daniels, David; Berkes, Charlotte; Nekoie, Arjan; Franco, Jimmy
2015-01-01
A drug discovery project has been successfully implemented in a first-year general, organic, and biochemistry (GOB) health science course and second-year organic undergraduate chemistry course. This project allows students to apply the fundamental principles of chemistry and biology to a problem of medical significance, practice basic laboratory…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Debbert, Stefan L.; Hoh, Bradley D.; Dulak, David J.
2016-01-01
In this experiment for an introductory undergraduate organic chemistry lab, students tetraalkylate tertbutylcalix[4]arene, a bowl-shaped macrocyclic oligophenol, and examine the supramolecular chemistry of the tetraether product by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Complexation with a sodium ion reduces the conformational…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bazley, Isabel J.; Erie, Ellen A.; Feiereisel, Garrett M.; LeWarne, Christopher J.; Peterson, Jack M.; Sandquist, Katherine L.; Oshin, Kayode D.; Zeller, Matthias
2018-01-01
An integrated laboratory experiment applying concepts and techniques from organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and instrumental analysis is presented for use in the undergraduate curriculum. This experiment highlights the synthesis, characterization, and use of tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (TPMA) to make complexes with different metal salts. It…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Boyle, Jeff; Otty, Sandra; Sarojini, Vijayalekshmi
2012-01-01
A safer method for the synthesis of the sulfonamide drug sulfathiazole, for undergraduate classes, is described. This method improves upon procedures currently followed in several undergraduate teaching laboratories for the synthesis of sulfathiazole. Key features of this procedure include the total exclusion of pyridine, which has potential…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bell, Peter T.; Whaley, W. Lance; Tochterman, Alyssa D.; Mueller, Karl S.; Schultz, Linda D.
2017-01-01
NMR spectroscopy is currently a premier technique for structural elucidation of organic molecules. Quantitative NMR (qNMR) methodology has developed more slowly but is now widely accepted, especially in the areas of natural product and medicinal chemistry. However, many undergraduate students are not routinely exposed to this important concept.…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
DeFrancesco, Heather; Dudley, Joshua; Coca, Adiel
2018-01-01
An undergraduate experiment for the organic laboratory is described that utilizes microwave heating to prepare 5- substituted 1H-tetrazole derivatives through a (3 + 2) cycloaddition between aryl nitriles and sodium azide. The reaction mixture is analyzed by thin layer chromatography. The products are purified through an acid-base extraction and…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nam, Sang-Chul
2018-01-01
Traditional developmental biology laboratory classes have utilized a number of different model organisms to allow students to be exposed to diverse biological phenomena in developing organisms. This traditional approach has mainly focused on the diverse morphological and anatomical descriptions of the developing organisms. However, modern…
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Microscale Experiments in the Organic Chemistry Laboratory.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Williamson, Kenneth L.
1991-01-01
Discusses the advent of microscale experiments within undergraduate organic chemistry laboratories mainly resulting from environmental safety concerns involving waste disposal. Considers the cost savings in purchasing less reagents and chemicals, the typical glassware and apparatus, the reduced hazards from elimination of open flames, and other…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wade, Edmir O.; Walsh, Kenneth E.
2011-01-01
In recent years, there has been an explosion of research concerning the area of organocatalysis. A multistep capstone laboratory project that combines traditional reactions frequently found in organic laboratory curriculums with this new field of research is described. In this experiment, the students synthesize a prolinamide-based organocatalyst…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dintzner, Matthew R.; Wucka, Paul R.; Lyons, Thomas W.
2006-01-01
A detailed investigation of the clay-catalyzed condensation of sesamol and other phenols with 3-methyl-2-butenal to give methylenedioxyprecocene (MDP) and other chromenes is presented. The clay-catalyzed microwave-assisted condensation of sesamol with 3-methyl-2-butenal is appropriate for incorporation into undergraduate organic laboratory…
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Creatine Synthesis: An Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory Experiment
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Smith, Andri L.; Tan, Paula
2006-01-01
Students in introductory chemistry classes typically appreciate seeing the connection between course content and the "real world". For this reason, we have developed a synthesis of creatine monohydrate--a popular supplement used in sports requiring short bursts of energy--for introductory organic chemistry laboratory courses. Creatine monohydrate…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kelly, Michael J. B.; Fallot, Lucas B.; Gustafson, Jeffrey L.; Bergdahl, B. Mikael
2016-01-01
The synthesis of alkenes using the Wittig reaction is a traditional part of many undergraduate organic chemistry teaching laboratory curricula. The aqueous medium version of the Wittig reaction presented is a reliable adaptation of this alkene formation reaction as a very safe alternative in the introductory organic chemistry laboratory. The…
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A Green Enantioselective Aldol Condensation for the Undergraduate Organic Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bennett, George D.
2006-01-01
A number of laboratory exercises for the organic chemistry curriculum that emphasize enantioselective synthesis of the aldol condensation which involves the proline-catalyzed condensation between acetone and isobutyraldehyde are explored. The experiment illustrates some of the trade-offs involved in green chemistry like the use of acetone in large…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
McClure, Cynthia K.; Chenault, H. Keith
1996-05-01
A three-step laboratory sequence for the undergraduate organic laboratory is described. This series of experiments requires a student to use the product from one reaction as the starting material for a subsequent reaction, and thus the affords the student a "real world" experience of multistep synthesis. Thermal extrusion of sulfur dioxide from sulfolene is used to generate 1,3-butadiene in situ for a Diels-Alder cyclization with maleic anhydride. The anhydride is then reduced to the diol with lithium aluminum hydride. Oxidation of the diol to the chiral lactone is catalyzed by horse-liver alcohol dehydrogenase. This enzymatic oxidation illustrates in situ cofactor regeneration and allows students to measure simple enzyme kinetics.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hof, Fraser; Palmer, Liam C.; Rebek, Julius, Jr.
2001-11-01
While important to the biological and materials sciences, noncovalent interactions, self-folding, and self-assembly often receive little discussion in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. The synthesis and NMR characterization of a molecular "tennis ball" in an advanced undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory is a simple and effective way to introduce the relevance of these concepts. In appropriate solvents, the monomer dimerizes through a seam of eight hydrogen bonds with encapsulation of a guest molecule and symmetry reminiscent of a tennis ball. The entire experiment can be completed in three lab periods, however large-scale synthetic preparation of the starting monomer by a teaching assistant would reduce the laboratory to a single lab period for NMR studies.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Friesen, J. Brent; Schretzman, Robert
2011-01-01
The mineral acid-catalyzed dehydration of 2-methyl-1-cyclohexanol has been a popular laboratory exercise in second-year organic chemistry for several decades. The dehydration experiment is often performed by organic chemistry students to illustrate Zaitsev's rule. However, sensitive analytical techniques reveal that the results do not entirely…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Popova, Maia; Bretz, Stacey Lowery; Hartley, C. Scott
2016-01-01
Although stereochemistry is an important topic in second-year undergraduate organic chemistry, there are limited options for laboratory activities that allow direct visualization of macroscopic chiral phenomena. A novel, guided-inquiry experiment was developed that allows students to explore chirality in the context of cholesteric liquid crystals.…
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Formalizing the First Day in an Organic Chemistry Laboratory Using a Studio-Based Approach
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Collison, Christina G.; Cody, Jeremy; Smith, Darren; Swartzenberg, Jennifer
2015-01-01
A novel studio-based lab module that incorporates student-centered activities was designed and implemented to introduce second-year undergraduate students to the first-semester organic chemistry laboratory. The "First Day" studio module incorporates learning objectives for the course, lab safety, and keeping a professional lab notebook.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johnston, Meghan R.; Makriyannis, Alexandros; Whitten, Kyle M.; Drew, Olivia C.; Best, Fiona A.
2016-01-01
In order to introduce the concepts of biocatalysis and its utility in synthesis to organic chemistry students, a multistep synthesis of endogenous cannabinergic ligand 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) was tailored for use as a laboratory exercise. Over four weeks, students successfully produced 2-AG, purifying and characterizing products at each…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rood, Jeffrey A.; Henderson, Kenneth W.
2013-01-01
concepts of host-guest chemistry and size exclusion in porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The experiment has been successfully carried out in both introductory and advanced-level inorganic chemistry laboratories. Students synthesized the porous MOF, alpha-Mg[subscript…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Box, Melinda C.; Dunnagan, Cathi L.; Hirsh, Lauren A. S.; Cherry, Clinton R.; Christianson, Kayla A.; Gibson, Radiance J.; Wolfe, Michael I.; Gallardo-Williams, Maria T.
2017-01-01
This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of student-generated videos as a supplement to teaching assistant (TA) instruction in an undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory. Three videos covering different aspects of lab instruction (experimental technique, use of instrumentation, and calculations) were produced using…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lipkowitz, K. B.; Mooney, J. L.
1987-01-01
Described is a laboratory exercise that uses nuclear magnetic resonance to monitor enantiomeric excess in asymmetric reductions. The laboratory exercise has been used successfully with undergraduate organic chemistry students. (RH)
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Laboratory techniques in plant molecular biology taught with UniformMu insertion alleles of maize
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
An undergraduate course - Laboratory Techniques in Plant Molecular Biology - was organized around our research application of UniformMu insertion alleles to investigate mitochondrial functions in plant reproduction. The course objectives were to develop students’ laboratory, record keeping, bioinfor...
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Enhancing Undergraduate Agro-Ecological Laboratory Employment through Experiential Learning
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Grossman, J. M.; Patel, M.; Drinkwater, L. E.
2010-01-01
We piloted an educational model, the Sustainable Agriculture Scholars Program, linking research in organic agriculture to experiential learning activities for summer undergraduate employees in 2007 and 2008. Our objectives were to: (1) further student understanding of sustainable agriculture research, (2) increase student interest in sustainable…
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Wang, Jack T H
2017-08-15
Inquiry-driven learning, research internships and course-based undergraduate research experiences all represent mechanisms through which educators can engage undergraduate students in scientific research. In life sciences education, the benefits of undergraduate research have been thoroughly evaluated, but limitations in infrastructure and training can prevent widespread uptake of these practices. It is not clear how faculty members can integrate complex laboratory techniques and equipment into their unique context, while finding the time and resources to implement undergraduate research according to best practice guidelines. This review will go through the trends and patterns in inquiry-based undergraduate life science projects with particular emphasis on molecular biosciences-the research-aligned disciplines of biochemistry, molecular cell biology, microbiology, and genomics and bioinformatics. This will provide instructors with an overview of the model organisms, laboratory techniques and research questions that are adaptable for semester-long projects, and serve as starting guidelines for course-based undergraduate research. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
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Opposites Attract: Organic Charge Transfer Salts
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
van de Wouw, Heidi L.; Chamorro, Juan; Quintero, Michael; Klausen, Rebekka S.
2015-01-01
A laboratory experiment is described that introduces second-year undergraduate organic chemistry students to organic electronic materials. The discovery of metallic conductivity in the charge transfer salt tetrathiafulvalene tetracyanoquinodimethane (TTF-TCNQ) is a landmark result in the history of organic electronics. The charge transfer…
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Color Coding Organic Chemicals for Inventory Control.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wystrach, V. P.; George, Babu
1985-01-01
Describes a system in which organic chemicals are recoded for inventory control and reshelving purposes. The system works well in undergraduate organic chemistry or biology laboratories but can be expanded to handle a larger and more complicated inventory. (JN)
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Undergraduate Professional Education in Chemistry: Guidelines and Evaluation Procedures.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
American Chemical Society, Washington, DC.
Provided are guidelines for evaluating undergraduate professional education in chemistry. The guidelines summarize an approved program as including: 400 hours of classroom work; 500 hours of laboratory work; a core curriculum covering principles of analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry; 1 year of advanced work in chemistry or…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Esselman, Brian J.; Hill, Nicholas J.
2016-01-01
Advances in software and hardware have promoted the use of computational chemistry in all branches of chemical research to probe important chemical concepts and to support experimentation. Consequently, it has become imperative that students in the modern undergraduate curriculum become adept at performing simple calculations using computational…
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Integrated Laboratories: Laying the Foundation for Undergraduate Research Experiences
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dillner, Debra K.; Ferrante, Robert F.; Fitzgerald, Jeffrey P.; Schroeder, Maria J.
2011-01-01
Interest in undergraduate student research has grown in response to initiatives from various professional societies and educational organizations. Participation in research changes student attitudes towards courses as they realize the utility and relevance of what they are learning. At the U.S. Naval Academy, the chemistry majors' curriculum was…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fuller, Amelia A.
2016-01-01
A five-week, research-based experiment suitable for second-semester introductory organic laboratory students is described. Each student designs, prepares, and analyzes a combinatorial array of six aromatic oligoamides. Molecules are prepared on solid phase via a six-step synthetic sequence, and purities and identities are determined by analysis of…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Peters, Brenda J.; Blair, Amy C.
2013-01-01
Many biology educators at the undergraduate level are revamping their laboratory curricula to incorporate inquiry-based research experiences so that students can directly participate in the process of science and improve their scientific reasoning skills. Slugs are an ideal organism for use in such a student-directed, hypothesis-driven experience.…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Demare, Patricia; Regla, Ignacio
2012-01-01
This article describes one of the projects in the advanced undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory course concerning the synthesis of two local anesthetic drugs, prilocaine and benzocaine, with a common three-step sequence starting from toluene. Students undertake, in a several-week independent project, the multistep synthesis of a…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Christensen, James E.; Huddle, Matthew G.; Rogers, Jamie L.; Yung, Herbie; Mohan, Ram S.
2008-01-01
Although green chemistry principles are increasingly stressed in the undergraduate curriculum, there are only a few lab experiments wherein the toxicity of reagents is taken into consideration in the design of the experiment. We report a microscale green organic chemistry laboratory experiment that illustrates the utility of metal triflates,…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Smellie, Iain A.; Forgan, Ross S.; Brodie, Claire; Gavine, Jack S.; Harris, Leanne; Houston, Daniel; Hoyland, Andrew D.; McCaughan, Rory P.; Miller, Andrew J.; Wilson, Liam; Woodhall, Fiona M.
2016-01-01
A multidisciplinary experiment for advanced undergraduate students has been developed in the context of extractive metallurgy. The experiment serves as a model of an important modern industrial process that combines aspects of organic/inorganic synthesis and analysis. Students are tasked to prepare a salicylaldoxime ligand and samples of the…
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Aza-Michael Reaction for an Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nigam, Manisha; Rush, Brittney; Patel, Jay; Castillo, Raul; Dhar, Preeti
2016-01-01
A green, aza-Michael reaction is described that can be used to teach undergraduate students conjugate addition of nitrogen nucleophile to an a,ß-unsaturated ester. Students analyze spectral data of the product obtained from the assigned reaction to determine product structure and propose the mechanism of its formation. The experiment requires…
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The Gabriel Synthesis of Benzylamine
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nigh, W. G.
1975-01-01
Describes an undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory experiment which utilizes the Gabriel Synthesis to demonstrate the acidity of imides and to provide an example of nucleophilic substitution reactions. The experiment also demonstrates the laboratory techniques involved in simple and steam distillation, filtration, extraction, and…
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An Enzyme Kinetics Experiment for the Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Olsen, Robert J.; Olsen, Julie A.; Giles, Greta A.
2010-01-01
An experiment using [superscript 1]H NMR spectroscopy to observe the kinetics of the acylase 1-catalyzed hydrolysis of "N"-acetyl-DL-methionine has been developed for the organic laboratory. The L-enantiomer of the reactant is hydrolyzed completely in less than 2 h, and [superscript 1]H NMR spectroscopic data from a single sample can be worked up…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hartel, Aaron M.; Moore, Amy C.
2014-01-01
The extraction and analysis of fats from convenience foods (crackers, cookies, chips, candies) has been developed as an experiment for a second-year undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory course. Students gravimetrically determine the fat content per serving and then perform a [superscript 1]H NMR analysis of the recovered fat to determine the…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Albin, Tyler J.; Fry, Melany M.; Murphy, Amanda R.
2014-01-01
This laboratory experiment gives upper-division organic or biochemistry undergraduate students a comprehensive look at the synthesis, chemical characterization, self-assembly, and secondary structure determination of small, N-acylated peptides inspired by the protein structure of silkworm silk. All experiments can be completed in one 4 h lab…
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Creative Report Writing in Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory Inspires Nonmajors
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Henary, Maged; Owens, Eric A.; Tawney, Joseph G.
2015-01-01
Laboratory-based courses require students to compose reports based on the performed experiments to assess their overall understanding of the presented material; unfortunately, the sterile and formulated nature of the laboratory report disinterests most students. As a result, the outcome is a lower-quality product that does not reveal full…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jacobs-McDaniels, Nicole L.; Maine, Eleanor M.; Albertson, R. Craig; Wiles, Jason R.
2013-01-01
We developed laboratory exercises using zebrafish ("Danio rerio") and nematodes ("Caenorhabditis elegans") for a sophomore-level Integrative Biology Laboratory course. Students examined live wildtype zebrafish at different stages of development and noted shifts occurring in response to "fgf8a" deficiency. Students were introduced to development in…
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Using "Fremyella Diplosiphon" as a Model Organism for Genetics-Based Laboratory Exercises
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Montgomery, Beronda L.
2011-01-01
In this pilot study, a genetics-based laboratory exercise using the cyanobacterium Fremyella diplosiphon was developed and trialled with thirteen Natural Sciences undergraduates. Despite most students only having limited prior exposure to molecular genetics laboratory methods, this cohort confirmed that they were able to follow the protocol and…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Whitaker, Ragnhild D.; Truhlar, Laura M.; Yksel, Deniz; Walt, David R.; Williams, Mark D.
2010-01-01
The development and implementation of a research-based organic chemistry laboratory experiment is presented. The experiment was designed to simulate a scientific research environment, involve students in critical thinking, and develop the student's ability to analyze and present research-based data. In this experiment, a laboratory class…
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Catalytic Hydrogenation of Organic Compounds without H2 Supply: An Electrochemical System
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Navarro, Daniela Maria do Amaral Ferraz; Navarro, Marcelo
2004-01-01
An experiment developed for an undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory course that can be used to introduce the catalytic hydrogenation reaction, catalysis electrochemical principles and gas chromatography is presented. The organic compounds hydrogenated by the electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) process were styrene, benzaldehyde and…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Isaac-Lam, Meden F.
2014-01-01
A 45 MHz benchtop NMR spectrometer is used to identify the structures and determine the amount of 1-bromoethylbenzene and 1,1-dibromoethylbenzene produced from free-radical bromination of ethylbenzene. The experiment is designed for nonchemistry majors, specifically B.S. Biology students, in a predominantly undergraduate institution with…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kjonaas, Richard A.; Fitch, Richard W.; Noll, Robert J.
2017-01-01
A microscale isotopic labeling experiment is described for the introductory organic chemistry laboratory course wherein half of the students use sodium borohydride (NaBH[subscript 4]) and the other half use sodium borodeuteride (NaBD[subscript 4]) to reduce acetophenone to 1-phenylethanol and then compare spectral data. The cost is reasonable, and…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cesare, Victor; Sadarangani, Ishwar; Rollins, Janet; Costello, Dennis
2004-01-01
The facile, high yielding synthesis of phenylsuccinamic acids is described and one of these syntheses, the reaction of phenylsuccinic anhydride with tert-butylamine, is successfully modified and adapted for use in the second-semester organic chemistry laboratory at St. John's University. Succinamic acids are compounds that contain both the amide…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Muthyala, Rajeev S.; Butani, Deepali; Nelson, Michelle; Tran, Kiet
2017-01-01
Sense of smell is one of the important senses that enables us to interact with our environment. The molecular basis of olfactory signal transduction is a fascinating area for organic chemistry educators to explore in terms of developing undergraduate laboratory activities at the interface of chemistry and biology. In this paper, a guided-inquiry…
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Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy for the Physical Chemistry Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kinnun, Jacob J.; Leftin, Avigdor; Brown, Michael F.
2013-01-01
Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy finds growing application to inorganic and organic materials, biological samples, polymers, proteins, and cellular membranes. However, this technique is often neither included in laboratory curricula nor typically covered in undergraduate courses. On the other hand, spectroscopy and…
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Measuring meaningful learning in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Galloway, Kelli R.
The undergraduate chemistry laboratory has been an essential component in chemistry education for over a century. The literature includes reports on investigations of singular aspects laboratory learning and attempts to measure the efficacy of reformed laboratory curriculum as well as faculty goals for laboratory learning which found common goals among instructors for students to learn laboratory skills, techniques, experimental design, and to develop critical thinking skills. These findings are important for improving teaching and learning in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory, but research is needed to connect the faculty goals to student perceptions. This study was designed to explore students' ideas about learning in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Novak's Theory of Meaningful Learning was used as a guide for the data collection and analysis choices for this research. Novak's theory states that in order for meaningful learning to occur the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains must be integrated. The psychomotor domain is inherent in the chemistry laboratory, but the extent to which the cognitive and affective domains are integrated is unknown. For meaningful learning to occur in the laboratory, students must actively integrate both the cognitive domain and the affective domains into the "doing" of their laboratory work. The Meaningful Learning in the Laboratory Instrument (MLLI) was designed to measure students' cognitive and affective expectations and experiences within the context of conducting experiments in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Evidence for the validity and reliability of the data generated by the MLLI were collected from multiple quantitative studies: a one semester study at one university, a one semester study at 15 colleges and universities across the United States, and a longitudinal study where the MLLI was administered 6 times during two years of general and organic chemistry laboratory courses. Results from these studies revealed students' narrow cognitive expectations for learning that go largely unmet by their experiences and diverse affective expectations and experiences. Concurrently, a qualitative study was carried out to describe and characterize students' cognitive and affective experiences in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Students were video recorded while performing one of their regular laboratory experiments and then interviewed about their experiences. The students' descriptions of their learning experiences were characterized by their overreliance on following the experimental procedure correctly rather than developing process-oriented problem solving skills. Future research could use the MLLI to intentionally compare different types of laboratory curricula or environments.
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Microwave-Assisted Esterification: A Discovery-Based Microscale Laboratory Experiment
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Reilly, Maureen K.; King, Ryan P.; Wagner, Alexander J.; King, Susan M.
2014-01-01
An undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory experiment has been developed that features a discovery-based microscale Fischer esterification utilizing a microwave reactor. Students individually synthesize a unique ester from known sets of alcohols and carboxylic acids. Each student identifies the best reaction conditions given their particular…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Saloranta, Tiina; Lo¨nnqvist, Jan-Erik; Eklund, Patrik C.
2016-01-01
In our upper-level undergraduate laboratory course in organic chemistry we focus on a research-oriented task in a context-based and problem-based learning approach. The course starts with a preliminary training period where the students learn how to safely and independently perform synthesis and purification procedures and to operate the most…
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Laboratory Experiment on Electrokinetic Remediation of Soil
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Elsayed-Ali, Alya H.; Abdel-Fattah, Tarek; Elsayed-Ali, Hani E.
2011-01-01
Electrokinetic remediation is a method of decontaminating soil containing heavy metals and polar organic contaminants by passing a direct current through the soil. An undergraduate chemistry laboratory is described to demonstrate electrokinetic remediation of soil contaminated with copper. A 30 cm electrokinetic cell with an applied voltage of 30…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Boltax, Ariana L.; Armanious, Stephanie; Kosinski-Collins, Melissa S.; Pontrello, Jason K.
2015-01-01
Modern research often requires collaboration of experts in fields, such as math, chemistry, biology, physics, and computer science to develop unique solutions to common problems. Traditional introductory undergraduate laboratory curricula in the sciences often do not emphasize connections possible between the various disciplines. We designed an…
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Two Crystallographic Laboratory and Computational Exercises for Undergraduates.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lessinger, Leslie
1988-01-01
Describes two introductory exercises designed to teach the fundamental ideas and methods of crystallography, and to convey some important features of inorganic and organic crystal structures to students in an advanced laboratory course. Exercises include "The Crystal Structure of NiO" and "The Crystal Structure of Beta-Fumaric Acid." (CW)
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Streu, Craig N.; Reif, Randall D.; Neiles, Kelly Y.; Schech, Amanda J.; Mertz, Pamela S.
2016-01-01
Integrative, research-based experiences have shown tremendous potential as effective pedagogical approaches. Pharmaceutical development is an exciting field that draws heavily on organic chemistry and biochemistry techniques. A capstone drug synthesis/analysis laboratory is described where biochemistry students synthesize azo-stilbenoid compounds…
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An Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory: The Facile Hydrogenation of Methyl Trans-Cinnamate
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
O'Connor, Kenneth J.; Zuspan, Kimberly; Berry, Lonnie
2011-01-01
Hydrogenation of alkenes is an important reaction in the synthesis of organic molecules. In this experiment, students conduct a high-yield microscale hydrogenation reaction of methyl "trans"-cinnamate using a readily available, safe, and convenient hydrogen source. The conditions are similar to those seen in an organic chemistry textbook for an…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lu, Guo-ping; Chen, Fei; Cai, Chun
2017-01-01
The nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction and thia-Michael addition using thiourea as an odorless, cheap, and easy-to-handle sulfur source in water are described, which can be used to teach upper-division undergraduates the role of thiourea in the formation of C-S bonds and the principles of green chemistry. The use of a cheap, nontoxic…
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2014-01-01
A multi-session research-like module has been developed for use in the undergraduate organic teaching laboratory curriculum. Students are tasked with planning and executing the synthesis of a novel fluorous dye molecule and using it to explore a fluorous affinity chromatography separation technique, which is the first implementation of this technique in a teaching laboratory. Key elements of the project include gradually introducing students to the use of the chemical literature to facilitate their searching, as well as deliberate constraints designed to force them to think critically about reaction design and optimization in organic chemistry. The project also introduces students to some advanced laboratory practices such as Schlenk techniques, degassing of reaction mixtures, affinity chromatography, and microwave-assisted chemistry. This provides students a teaching laboratory experience that closely mirrors authentic synthetic organic chemistry practice in laboratories throughout the world. PMID:24501431
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Slade, Michael C; Raker, Jeffrey R; Kobilka, Brandon; Pohl, Nicola L B
2014-01-14
A multi-session research-like module has been developed for use in the undergraduate organic teaching laboratory curriculum. Students are tasked with planning and executing the synthesis of a novel fluorous dye molecule and using it to explore a fluorous affinity chromatography separation technique, which is the first implementation of this technique in a teaching laboratory. Key elements of the project include gradually introducing students to the use of the chemical literature to facilitate their searching, as well as deliberate constraints designed to force them to think critically about reaction design and optimization in organic chemistry. The project also introduces students to some advanced laboratory practices such as Schlenk techniques, degassing of reaction mixtures, affinity chromatography, and microwave-assisted chemistry. This provides students a teaching laboratory experience that closely mirrors authentic synthetic organic chemistry practice in laboratories throughout the world.
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Biodiesel from Seeds: An Experiment for Organic Chemistry
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Goldstein, Steven W.
2014-01-01
Plants can store the chemical energy required by their developing offspring in the form of triglycerides. These lipids can be isolated from seeds and then converted into biodiesel through a transesterification reaction. This second-year undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory experiment exemplifies the conversion of an agricultural energy…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Belanger, Rachelle M.; Conant, Stephanie B.; Grabowski, Gregory M.
2013-01-01
Rats can be used as a model organism to teach physiological concepts in a laboratory setting. This article describes a two-part laboratory that introduces students to hypothesis testing, experimental design, the appropriate use of controls and surgical techniques. Students perform both a castration and sham-control surgery on male rats and test…
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Student-Fabricated Microfluidic Devices as Flow Reactors for Organic and Inorganic Synthesis
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Feng, Z. Vivian; Edelman, Kate R.; Swanson, Benjamin P.
2015-01-01
Flow synthesis in microfluidic devices has been rapidly adapted in the pharmaceutical industry and in many research laboratories. Yet, the cost of commercial flow reactors is a major factor limiting the dissemination of this technology in the undergraduate curriculum. Here, we present a laboratory activity where students design and fabricate…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Clausen, Thomas P.
2011-01-01
The Fisher esterification reaction is ideally suited for the undergraduate organic laboratory because it is easy to carry out and often involves a suitable introduction to basic laboratory techniques including extraction, distillation, and simple spectroscopic (IR and NMR) analyses. Here, a Fisher esterification reaction is described in which the…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sales, Eric S.; Silveira, Gustavo P.
2015-01-01
Lactone-size identification of [subscript D]-ribonolactone derivatives has been debated for four decades due to complex lactone-ring rearrangements and acetal migration. This laboratory experiment for an upper-division undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory course describes a fast and reliable assignment of lactone-size derivatives from…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Goodrich, Samuel; Patel, Miloni; Woydziak, Zachary R.
2015-01-01
A three-pot synthesis oriented for an undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory was developed to construct a fluorescent acridone molecule. This laboratory experiment utilizes Grignard addition to an aldehyde, alcohol oxidation, and iterative nucleophilic aromatic substitution steps to produce the final product. Each of the intermediates and the…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Springer, Michael T.
2014-01-01
Several articles suggest how to incorporate computer models into the organic chemistry laboratory, but relatively few papers discuss how to incorporate these models broadly into the organic chemistry lecture. Previous research has suggested that "manipulating" physical or computer models enhances student understanding; this study…
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Synthesis of NMP, a Fluoxetine (Prozac) Precursor, in the Introductory Organic Laboratory
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Perrine, Daniel M.; Sabanayagam, Nathan R.; Reynolds, Kristy J.
1998-10-01
A synthesis of the immediate precursor of the widely used antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) is described. The procedure is short, safe, and simple enough to serve as a laboratory exercise for undergraduate students in the second semester of introductory organic chemistry and is one which will be particularly interesting to those planning a career in the health sciences. The compound synthesized is (°)-N,N-dimethyl-3-(p-trifluoromethylphenoxy)-3-phenylpropylamine, or "N-methyl Prozac" (NMP). The synthesis of NMP requires one two-hour period and a second three-hour period. In the first period, a common Mannich base, 3-dimethylaminopropiophenone, is reduced with sodium borohydride to form (°)-3-dimethylamino-1-phenylpropanol. In the second period, potassium t-butoxide is used to couple (°)-3-dimethylamino-1-phenylpropanol with p-chlorotrifluoromethylbenzene to form NMP, which is isolated as its oxalate salt. All processes use equipment and materials that are inexpensive and readily available in most undergraduate laboratories. Detailed physical data are given on NMP, including high-field DEPT 13C NMR.
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Brown, Treva T.; LeJeune, Zorabel M.; Liu, Kai; Hardin, Sean; Li, Jie-Ren; Rupnik, Kresimir; Garno, Jayne C.
2010-01-01
Controllers for scanning probe instruments can be programmed for automated lithography to generate desired surface arrangements of nanopatterns of organic thin films, such as n-alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). In this report, atomic force microscopy (AFM) methods of lithography known as nanoshaving and nanografting are used to write nanopatterns within organic thin films. Commercial instruments provide software to control the length, direction, speed, and applied force of the scanning motion of the tip. For nanoshaving, higher forces are applied to an AFM tip to selectively remove regions of the matrix monolayer, exposing bare areas of the gold substrate. Nanografting is accomplished by force-induced displacement of molecules of a matrix SAM, followed immediately by the surface self-assembly of n-alkanethiol molecules from solution. Advancements in AFM automation enable rapid protocols for nanolithography, which can be accomplished within the tight time restraints of undergraduate laboratories. Example experiments with scanning probe lithography (SPL) will be described in this report that were accomplished by undergraduate students during laboratory course activities and research internships in the chemistry department of Louisiana State University. Students were introduced to principles of surface analysis and gained “hands-on” experience with nanoscale chemistry. PMID:21483651
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Blackledge, Robert D.
1974-01-01
Describes an experiment which can be used to test for the use of accelerants in the origin of a fire. Involves distillation and gas liquid chromatography to identify the accelerants, thus combining two experiments ordinarily included in the beginning organic laboratory. (SLH)
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Searching for Synthetic Antimicrobial Peptides: An Experiment for Organic Chemistry Students
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Vasquez, Thomas E., Jr.; Saldan~a, Cristina; Muzikar, Katy A.; Mashek, Debra; Liu, Jane M.
2016-01-01
This laboratory experiment provides undergraduate students enrolled in organic chemistry the opportunity to design and synthesize their own peptide, which is then tested for antimicrobial activity. After reading a primary scientific paper on antimicrobial peptides, students design and synthesize their own hexapeptide that they hypothesize will…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Greco, George E.
2007-01-01
An experiment for the upper-level undergraduate laboratory is described in which students synthesize a ruthenium olefin metathesis catalyst, then use the catalyst to carry out the ring-closing metathesis of diethyl diallylmalonate. The olefin metathesis reaction was the subject of the 2005 Nobel Prize in chemistry. The catalyst chosen for this…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Guner, Gul Akdogan; Cavdar, Zahide; Yener, Nilgun; Kume, Tuncay; Egrilmez, Mehtap Yuksel; Resmi, Halil
2011-01-01
We describe the organization of wet-lab special-study modules (SSMs) in the Central Research Laboratory of Dokuz Eylul Medical School, Izmir, Turkey with the aim of discussing the scientific, laboratory, and pedagogical aspects of this educational activity. A general introduction to the planning and functioning of these SSMs is given, along with…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dvonch, Curt; Smith, Christopher; Bourne, Stefanie; Blandino, Joseph R.; Miles, Jonathan J.
2006-04-01
The Infrared Development and Thermal Structures Laboratory (IDTSL) is an undergraduate research laboratory in the College of Integrated Science and Technology (CISAT) at James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia. During the 1997-98 academic year, Dr. Jonathan Miles established the IDTSL at JMU with the support of a collaborative research grant from the NASA Langley Research Center and with additional support from the College of Integrated Science and Technology at JMU. The IDTSL supports research and development efforts that feature non-contact thermal and mechanical measurements and advance the state of the art. These efforts all entail undergraduate participation intended to significantly enrich their technical education. The IDTSL is funded by major government organizations and the private sector and provides a unique opportunity to undergraduates who wish to participate in projects that push the boundaries of non-contact measurement technologies, and provides a model for effective hands-on, project oriented, student-centered learning that reinforces concepts and skills introduced within the Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) curriculum. The lab also provides access to advanced topics and emerging measurement technologies; fosters development of teaming and communication skills in an interdisciplinary environment; and avails undergraduates of professional activities including writing papers, presentation at conferences, and participation in summer internships. This paper provides an overview of the Infrared Development and Thermal Structures Laboratory, its functionality, its record of achievements, and the important contribution it has made to the field of non-contact measurement and undergraduate education.
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Computer-Aided Drug Discovery: Molecular Docking of Diminazene Ligands to DNA Minor Groove
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kholod, Yana; Hoag, Erin; Muratore, Katlynn; Kosenkov, Dmytro
2018-01-01
The reported project-based laboratory unit introduces upper-division undergraduate students to the basics of computer-aided drug discovery as a part of a computational chemistry laboratory course. The students learn to perform model binding of organic molecules (ligands) to the DNA minor groove with computer-aided drug discovery (CADD) tools. The…
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Dipeptide Structural Analysis Using Two-Dimensional NMR for the Undergraduate Advanced Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gonzalez, Elizabeth; Dolino, Drew; Schwartzenburg, Danielle; Steiger, Michelle A.
2015-01-01
A laboratory experiment was developed to introduce students in either an organic chemistry or biochemistry lab course to two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D NMR) spectroscopy using simple biomolecules. The goal of this experiment is for students to understand and interpret the information provided by a 2D NMR spectrum. Students are…
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Rapid and simple method for binder oxidation aging
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1999-08-01
The last 10 years have seen an ever-increasing use of microwave radiation (dielectric heating, in-situ heating) especially in organic synthetic research, the undergraduate laboratory, and industrial production. Scientific microwave instruments are no...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Yearty, Kasey L.; Sharp, Joseph T.; Meehan, Emma K.; Wallace, Doyle R.; Jackson, Douglas M.; Morrison, Richard W.
2017-01-01
[Superscript 1]H NMR analysis is an important analytical technique presented in introductory organic chemistry courses. NMR instrument access is limited for undergraduate organic chemistry students due to the size of the instrument, price of NMR solvents, and the maintenance level required for instrument upkeep. The University of Georgia Chemistry…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sumida, Kenji; Arnold, John
2011-01-01
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline materials that are composed of an infinite array of metal nodes (single ions or clusters) linked to one another by polyfunctional organic compounds. Because of their extraordinary surface areas and high degree of control over the physical and chemical properties, these materials have received much…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Berger, John M.; Rana, Roshniben J.; Javeed, Hira; Javeed, Iqra; Schulien, Sandi L.
2008-01-01
Radical chemistry is a fundamental subject of undergraduate organic chemistry. While well described in organic textbooks, laboratory manuals rarely address this topic, focusing instead on syntheses using polar reactions. Herein, we describe a colorimetric assay using the persistent radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) to measure the…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Collison, Christina G.; Kim, Thomas; Cody, Jeremy; Anderson, Jason; Edelbach, Brian; Marmor, William; Kipsang, Rodgers; Ayotte, Charles; Saviola, Daniel; Niziol, Justin
2018-01-01
Reformed experimental activities (REActivities) are an innovative approach to the delivery of the traditional material in an undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory. A description of the design and implementation of REActivities at both a four- and two-year institution is discussed. The results obtained using a reformed teaching observational…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kittredge, Kevin W.; Marine, Susan S.; Taylor, Richard T.
2004-01-01
A molecule possessing other functional groups that could be hydrogenerated is examined, where a variety of metal catalysts are evaluated under similar reaction conditions. Optimizing organic reactions is both time and labor intensive, and the use of a combinatorial parallel synthesis reactor was great time saving device, as per summary.
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Synthesis of a Near-Infrared Emitting Squaraine Dye in an Undergraduate Organic Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Marks, Patrick; Levine, Mindy
2012-01-01
Squaraines are a class of organic fluorophores that possess unique photophysical properties, including strong near-infrared absorption and emission. The synthesis of many squaraines involves the condensation of an electron-rich aromatic ring with squaric acid. These reactions are generally refluxed overnight in a benzene-butanol solvent mixture.…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Andraos, John; Sayed, Murtuzaali
2007-01-01
A general analysis of reaction mass efficiency and raw material cost is developed using an Excel spread sheet format which can be applied to any chemical transformation. These new methods can be easily incorporated into standard laboratory exercises.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wriedt, Mario; Sculley, Julian P.; Aulakh, Darpandeep; Zhou, Hong-Cai
2016-01-01
A simple and straightforward synthesis of an ultrastable porous metal-organic framework (MOF) based on copper(II) and a mixed N donor ligand system is described as a laboratory experiment for chemistry undergraduate students. These experiments and the resulting analysis are designed to teach students basic research tools and procedures while…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fonseca, Custódia S. C.
2016-01-01
Saccharin (1,2-benzisothiazole-3-one 1,1-dioxide) is an artificial sweetener used in the food industry. It is a cheap and easily available organic compound that may be used in organic chemistry laboratory classes for the synthesis of related heterocyclic compounds and as a derivatizing agent. In this work, saccharin is used as a starting material…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Aguilar, Noberto; Garcia, Billy; Cunningham, Mark; David, Samuel
2016-01-01
A synthesis of the "R,R"-tartrate salt of the popular anti-Parkinson's drug "R"-rasagiline (Azilect) was adapted to introduce the organic laboratory student to a medically relevant synthesis. It makes use of concepts found in the undergraduate organic chemistry curriculum, appropriately fits into three approximately 4 h lab…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Richardson, Jeffrey J.; Adamo-Villani, Nicoletta
2010-01-01
Laboratory instruction is a major component of the engineering and technology undergraduate curricula. Traditional laboratory instruction is hampered by several factors including limited access to resources by students and high laboratory maintenance cost. A photorealistic 3D computer-simulated laboratory for undergraduate instruction in…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cunningham, Anna D.; Ham, Eun Y.; Vosburg, David A.
2011-01-01
Chemoselectivity is a central concept in organic synthesis and may be readily appreciated in the context of the fragrant, polyfunctional natural product citral. We describe three single-step reactions students may perform on citral to synthesize other natural perfumes: citronellal, geraniol, nerol, or epoxycitral. Each of the reactions uses a…
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Computational Chemistry in the Undergraduate Laboratory: A Mechanistic Study of the Wittig Reaction
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Albrecht, Birgit
2014-01-01
The Wittig reaction is one of the most useful reactions in organic chemistry. Despite its prominence early in the organic chemistry curriculum, the exact mechanism of this reaction is still under debate, and this controversy is often neglected in the classroom. Introducing a simple computational study of the Wittig reaction illustrates the…
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Synthesis of Methyl Diantilis, a Commercially Important Fragrance
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Miles, William H.; Connell, Katelyn B.
2006-01-01
Synthetic sequences in the undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory illustrate important synthetic strategies, reagents, or experimental techniques, oftentimes resulting in the synthesis of commercially important compounds. A fragrance with a 'spicy, carnation, sweet, vanilla', named after carnations (Dianthus caryophllus), Methyl Diantillis is…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ibarguren, Izaskun; Villamarín, Antonio
2017-01-01
All the cells of higher organisms have the same DNA but not the same proteins. Each type of specialised cell that forms a tissue has its own pattern of gene expression and, consequently, it contains a particular set of proteins that determine its function. Here, we describe a laboratory exercise addressed to undergraduate students that aims to…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ji, Chang; Boisvert, Susanne M.; Arida, Ann-Marie C.; Day, Shannon E.
2008-01-01
An internal standard method applicable to undergraduate instrumental analysis or environmental chemistry laboratory has been designed and tested to determine the Henry's law constants for a series of alkyl nitriles. In this method, a mixture of the analytes and an internal standard is prepared and used to make a standard solution (organic solvent)…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Galloway, Kelli R.; Bretz, Stacey Lowery
2016-01-01
A series of quantitative studies investigated undergraduate students' perceptions of their cognitive and affective learning in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. To explore these quantitative findings, a qualitative research protocol was developed to characterize student learning in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Students (N = 13)…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Shaver, Lee Alan; Leung, Sam H.; Puderbaugh, Amy; Angel, Stephen A.
2011-01-01
The determination of total phenolics in foods and fruit juices was used successfully as a laboratory experiment in our undergraduate general, organic, and biological (GOB) chemistry course. Two different colorimetric methods were used over three years and comparative student results indicate that a ferrous ammonium sulfate (FAS) indicator…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Smith, Merry K.; Angle, Samantha R.; Northrop, Brian H.
2015-01-01
?-Cyclodextrin can assemble in the presence of KOH or RbOH into metal-organic frameworks (CD-MOFs) with applications in gas adsorption and environmental remediation. Crystalline CD-MOFs are grown by vapor diffusion and their reversible adsorption of CO[subscript 2](g) is analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The experiment can be…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sobral, Abilio J. F. N.
2005-01-01
The synthesis of meso-octamethylporphyrinogen that involves a mini-scale preparation and uses acetone as reactant and also as solvent is presented. It results in a product of almost analytical grade directly from the reaction medium.
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Edwards, Thea M; Morgan, Howard E; Balasca, Coralia; Chalasani, Naveen K; Yam, Lauren; Roark, Alison M
2018-01-01
The Yeast Estrogen Screen (YES) is used to detect estrogenic ligands in environmental samples and has been broadly applied in studies of endocrine disruption. Estrogenic ligands include both natural and manmade "Environmental Estrogens" (EEs) found in many consumer goods including Personal Care Products (PCPs), plastics, pesticides, and foods. EEs disrupt hormone signaling in humans and other animals, potentially reducing fertility and increasing disease risk. Despite the importance of EEs and other Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) to public health, endocrine disruption is not typically included in undergraduate curricula. This shortcoming is partly due to a lack of relevant laboratory activities that illustrate the principles involved while also being accessible to undergraduate students. This article presents an optimized YES for quantifying ligands in personal care products that bind estrogen receptors alpha (ERα) and/or beta (ERβ). The method incorporates one of the two colorimetric substrates (ortho-nitrophenyl-β-D-galactopyranoside (ONPG) or chlorophenol red-β-D-galactopyranoside (CPRG)) that are cleaved by β-galactosidase, a 6-day refrigerated incubation step to facilitate use in undergraduate laboratory courses, an automated application for LacZ calculations, and R code for the associated 4-parameter logistic regression analysis. The protocol has been designed to allow undergraduate students to develop and conduct experiments in which they screen products of their choosing for estrogen mimics. In the process, they learn about endocrine disruption, cell culture, receptor binding, enzyme activity, genetic engineering, statistics, and experimental design. Simultaneously, they also practice fundamental and broadly applicable laboratory skills, such as: calculating concentrations; making solutions; demonstrating sterile technique; serially diluting standards; constructing and interpolating standard curves; identifying variables and controls; collecting, organizing, and analyzing data; constructing and interpreting graphs; and using common laboratory equipment such as micropipettors and spectrophotometers. Thus, implementing this assay encourages students to engage in inquiry-based learning while exploring emerging issues in environmental science and health.
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Edwards, Thea M.; Morgan, Howard E.; Balasca, Coralia; Chalasani, Naveen K.; Yam, Lauren; Roark, Alison M.
2018-01-01
The Yeast Estrogen Screen (YES) is used to detect estrogenic ligands in environmental samples and has been broadly applied in studies of endocrine disruption. Estrogenic ligands include both natural and manmade "Environmental Estrogens" (EEs) found in many consumer goods including Personal Care Products (PCPs), plastics, pesticides, and foods. EEs disrupt hormone signaling in humans and other animals, potentially reducing fertility and increasing disease risk. Despite the importance of EEs and other Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) to public health, endocrine disruption is not typically included in undergraduate curricula. This shortcoming is partly due to a lack of relevant laboratory activities that illustrate the principles involved while also being accessible to undergraduate students. This article presents an optimized YES for quantifying ligands in personal care products that bind estrogen receptors alpha (ERα) and/or beta (ERβ). The method incorporates one of the two colorimetric substrates (ortho-nitrophenyl-β-D-galactopyranoside (ONPG) or chlorophenol red-β-D-galactopyranoside (CPRG)) that are cleaved by β-galactosidase, a 6-day refrigerated incubation step to facilitate use in undergraduate laboratory courses, an automated application for LacZ calculations, and R code for the associated 4-parameter logistic regression analysis. The protocol has been designed to allow undergraduate students to develop and conduct experiments in which they screen products of their choosing for estrogen mimics. In the process, they learn about endocrine disruption, cell culture, receptor binding, enzyme activity, genetic engineering, statistics, and experimental design. Simultaneously, they also practice fundamental and broadly applicable laboratory skills, such as: calculating concentrations; making solutions; demonstrating sterile technique; serially diluting standards; constructing and interpolating standard curves; identifying variables and controls; collecting, organizing, and analyzing data; constructing and interpreting graphs; and using common laboratory equipment such as micropipettors and spectrophotometers. Thus, implementing this assay encourages students to engage in inquiry-based learning while exploring emerging issues in environmental science and health. PMID:29364271
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Buranasiri, Prathan
2014-09-01
A physics undergraduate degree major in optics and communication technology has been offered at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), Bangkok, Thailand. There are nine required three credit hour courses including two laboratory courses plus a number of selections in optics and communication based technology courses. For independent thinking and industrial working skills, nine credit hours of research project, practical training or overseas studies are included for selection in the final semester. Students are encouraged to participate in international conferences and professional organizations. Recently the program, with support from SPIE and OSA, has organized its first international conference on photonic solutions 2013 (ICPS 2013).
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Weizman, Haim; Nielsen, Christian; Weizman, Or S.; Nemat-Nasser, Sia
2011-01-01
This laboratory experiment exposes students to the chemistry of self-healing polymers based on a Diels-Alder reaction. Students accomplish a multistep synthesis of a monomer building block and then polymerize it to form a cross-linked polymer. The healing capability of the polymer is verified by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments.…
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Synthesis of the Commercial Antidepressant Moclobemide
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
More, Jesse D.
2008-01-01
An experiment for the undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory is described in which students synthesize the commercial antidepressant drug moclobemide, marketed under the trade name Manerix. This one-step synthesis starts from commercially available material and produces moclobemide in high yield. The product is initially isolated as its…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pohl, Nicola; Schwarz, Kimberly
2008-01-01
We describe an experiment for the undergraduate organic laboratory curriculum in which 2-bromoacetophenone is converted to 2-fluoroacetophenone using a solid-phase nucleophilic fluorine source. The experiment introduces students to the utility of solid-phase reagents in organic synthesis, to NMR-active nuclei other than [to the first power]H…
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Status of Undergraduate Pharmacology Laboratories in Colleges of Pharmacy in the United States
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Katz, Norman L.; And Others
1978-01-01
U.S. colleges of pharmacy were surveyed in 1976 to determine whether a trend exists in continuing, discontinuing, or restructuring laboratory time in pharmaceutical education. Data regarding core undergraduate pharmacology courses, undergraduate pharmacology laboratory status, and pharmacology faculty are presented. (LBH)
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A Green, Enantioselective Synthesis of Warfarin for the Undergraduate Organic Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wong, Terence C.; Sultana, Camille M.; Vosburg, David A.
2010-01-01
The enantioselective synthesis of drugs is of fundamental importance in the pharmaceutical industry. In this experiment, students synthesize either enantiomer of warfarin, a widely used anticoagulant, in a single step from inexpensive starting materials. Stereoselectivity is induced by a commercial organocatalyst, ("R","R")- or…
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Synthesis and Characterization of Self-Assembled Liquid Crystals: "p"-Alkoxybenzoic Acids
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jensen, Jana; Grundy, Stephan C.; Bretz, Stacey Lowery; Hartley, C. Scott
2011-01-01
Thermotropic liquid crystal phases are ordered fluids found, for some molecules, at intermediate temperatures between the crystal and liquid states. Although technologically important, these materials typically receive little attention in the undergraduate curriculum. Here, we describe a laboratory activity for introductory organic chemistry…
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Extraction, Purification, and Spectroscopic Characterization of a Mixture of Capsaicinoids
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wagner, Carl E.; Cahill, Thomas M.; Marshall, Pamela A.
2011-01-01
This laboratory experiment provides a safe and effective way to instruct undergraduate organic chemistry students about natural-product extraction, purification, and NMR spectroscopic characterization. On the first day, students extract dried habanero peppers with toluene, perform a pipet silica gel column to separate carotenoids from…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Thomas, Gregory P; Meldrum, Al; Beamish, John
2013-01-01
First-year undergraduate physics laboratories are important physics learning environments. However, there is a lack of empirically informed literature regarding how students perceive their overall laboratory learning experiences. Recipe formats persist as the dominant form of instructional design in these sites, and these formats do not adequately…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fuson, Michael M.
2017-01-01
Laboratories studying the anisotropic rotational diffusion of bromobenzene using nuclear spin relaxation and molecular dynamics simulations are described. For many undergraduates, visualizing molecular motion is challenging. Undergraduates rarely encounter laboratories that directly assess molecular motion, and so the concept remains an…
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N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Catalyzed Alcohol Acetylation: An Organic Experiment Using Organocatalysis
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Morgan, John P.; Shrimp, Jonathan H.
2014-01-01
Undergraduate students in the teaching laboratory have successfully used N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) as organocatalysts for the acetylation of primary alcohols, despite the high water sensitivity of uncomplexed ("free") NHCs. The free NHC readily reacted with chloroform, resulting in an air- and moisture-stable adduct that liberates…
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Radial Chromatography for the Separation of Nitroaniline Isomers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Miller, Robert B.; Case, William S.
2011-01-01
Separation techniques are usually presented in the undergraduate organic laboratory to teach students how to purify and isolate compounds. Often the concept of liquid chromatography is introduced by having students create "silica gel columns" to separate components of a reaction mixture. Although useful, column chromatography can be a laborious…
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SELECTED PAPERS FROM REGIONAL CONFERENCES 1966-67.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
MARQUARDT, D.N.
REPORTED ARE 15 SELECTED PAPERS ON VARIOUS TOPICS OF CURRENT INTEREST WHICH WERE PRESENTED AT THE VARIOUS REGIONAL CONFERENCES DURING 1966 AND 1967. THE VARIOUS CONFERENCES HAVE AS THEIR MAJOR CONCERNS (1) RECENT TRENDS IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY, (2) CHEMISTRY FOR GENERAL EDUCATION, (3) TEACHING UNDERGRADUATE ORGANIC LABORATORIES, (4) THE INTEGRATED…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chen, Xiao-Yang; Sun, Li-Sen; Gao, Xiang; Sun, Xing-Wen
2015-01-01
An asymmetric synthetic experiment that encompasses both diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity is described. In this experiment, Zn-mediated allylation of an ("R")-"N"-"tert"-butanesulfinyl imine is first performed to obtain either diastereomer using two different solvent systems, followed by oxidation of the…
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Making Molecular Borromean Rings
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pentecost, Cari D.; Tangchaivang, Nichol; Cantrill, Stuart J.; Chichak, Kelly S.; Peters, Andrea J.; Stoddart, Fraser J.
2007-01-01
A procedure that requires seven 4-hour blocks of time to allow undergraduate students to prepare the molecular Borromean rings (BRs) on a gram-scale in 90% yield is described. The experiment would serve as a nice capstone project to culminate any comprehensive organic laboratory course and expose students to fundamental concepts, symmetry point…
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Using NMR to Probe the Regio- and Stereochemistry of the Hydration of 1-Hexene
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Saba, Shahrokh; Clarke, Donald D.; Iwanoski, Christa; Lobasso, Thomas
2010-01-01
This undergraduate organic laboratory experiment complements previously described and popular experiments on hydration of 1-hexene where students experimentally establish the Markovnikov regioselectivity of alkene hydration. In this experiment, students explore not only the regiochemistry but also the stereochemistry of 1-hexene hydration and…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Crane, Johanna L.; Anderson, Kelly E.; Conway, Samantha G.
2015-01-01
This advanced undergraduate laboratory experiment involves the synthesis and characterization of a metal-organic framework with microporous channels that are held intact via hydrogen bonding of the coordinated water molecules. The hydrothermal synthesis of Co[subscript 3](BTC)[subscript 2]·12H[subscript 2]O (BTC = 1,3,5-benzene tricarboxylic acid)…
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Design and Implementation of an Undergraduate Laboratory Course in Psychophysiology
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Thibodeau, Ryan
2011-01-01
Most psychology curricula require the completion of coursework on the physiological bases of behavior. However, delivery of this critical content in a laboratory format is somewhat rare at the undergraduate level. To fill this gap, this article describes the design and implementation of an undergraduate laboratory course in psychophysiology at a…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Van Dyke, Aaron R.; Smith-Carpenter, Jillian
2017-01-01
The majority of undergraduates own a smartphone, yet fewer than half view it as a valuable learning technology. Consequently, a digital laboratory notebook (DLN) was developed for an upper-division undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course using the free mobile application Evernote. The cloud-based DLN capitalized on the unique features of…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
1996-06-01
Organic Chemistry--New Challenges Perhaps more than any other of the chemical subdisciplines, the scope and focus of organic chemistry has been changed by modern technology and theoretical advances, and these changes have had an equally striking effect on the undergraduate curriculum. The main challenge in organic chemistry classes has shifted, in less than a generation, from memorizing all the groups, naming conventions, and classes of reactions to understanding complex interactions at the structural and electronic orbital level. As biochemistry and polymer chemistry have grown from being the purview of a few specialists to full-blown disciplines of their own, they have also migrated from interesting, but optional, chapters at the back of the book to separate courses in the curriculum. The availability of inexpensive instrumentation means undergraduates routinely use NMR and mass spec instead of melting points to identify their products. And the changes are continuing: segments of biochemistry are metamorphizing into molecular biology and polymer chemistry is finding interconnections with materials science. In fact, as our understanding of chemical reactions at molecular and electronic levels expands, it becomes more and more difficult to decide on demarcations between the subdisciplines. Organic chemistry is an organizational construct that once was useful for segregating certain topics into a coherent two-semester introductory course. Today, it covers so much territory that no one who is an "organic chemist" can know even a small fraction of the territory and faces unique challenges when designing and teaching undergraduate courses. In a wide spectrum of articles in this issue that fall under the "organic" umbrella--from environmental chemistry to new polymer products--teachers share their specific experiences and creative solutions to these challenges, providing their colleagues with new ideas, processes, and pedagogic approaches. To start off, we can examine where it all started: benzene. Warnhoff (page 494) shows how the 19th century investigations of benzene and cyclohexane were intertwined. An article such as this gives a unique perspective on the development of organic chemistry and reveals how far it has come--some of the most famous chemists of that time spent a significant portion of their careers in settling issues that are now covered in a few brief paragraphs of an introductory text but which establish the foundations for all subsequent work. In the organic laboratory, the first revolution was Wohler's synthesis of a natural compound--urea--from inorganic compounds. Toth (page 539) has turned this famous reaction into a demonstration that will bring this seminal experiment off the history pages and into the classroom. Another demonstration, useful in either the general or organic class, has been designed by Pravia and Maynard (page 497) to illustrate why water and oil don't mix. Thall (page 481) gives his teaching colleagues some fascinating examples to use when teaching stereochemical concepts; "When Drug Molecules Look in the Mirror" they often see a stereoisomer with very different and interesting properties. Topics relating to polymer and biochemistry are being integrated into beginning courses, even at the secondary level, because of their importance in everyday life as well as being at the cutting edge of research. "Superabsorbent Polymers: An Idea Whose Time Has Come" by Buchholz (page 512) provides information about polymers with interesting properties that are finally finding a commercial application. Those teaching biochemistry will find Barmettler's summary of "Biochemical Data on the Web" (page 520) useful as well as experiments such as "Research in Undergraduate Instruction: A Biotech Lab Project for Recombinant DNA Protein Expression in Bacteria" by Brockman, Ordman, and Campbell (page 542); "A Simple Method for Isolation of Caffeine from Black Tea Leaves: Use of a Dichloromethane-Alkaline Water Mixture as an Extractant" by Onami and Kanazawa (page 556); and "The Analysis of Riboflavin in Urine Using Fluorescence" by Henderleiter and Hyslop (page 563). For the general undergraduate organic laboratory a wide range of topics and techniques are represented by "Epoxidation of Alpha-Methylstyrene and Its Lewis Acid Rearrangement to 2-Phenylpropanal" by Garin, Gamber, and Rowe (page 555); "Use of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) in Nonscience Major Course Laboratory Experiments" by Kostecka, Lerman, and Angelos (page 565); "Examination of a Reaction Mechanism by Polarimetry" by Mosher, Kelly, and Mosher (page 567); and "GS-MS and GC-FTIR Characterization of Products" by Amenta, DeVore, Gallaher, Zook, and Mosbo. Undergraduate laboratories are using more and more microscale experiments. The Microscale Laboratory feature brings new ideas regularly; this month features "Preparation and Properties of a Stable Organic Cation" by Manfredi and McGrew (page A124). Another microscale experiment "1H NMR Analysis of R/S Ibuprofen by the Formation of Diastereomeric Pairs" is provided by Sen and Aniker (page 569).
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Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bretz, Stacey Lowery; Fay, Michael; Bruck, Laura B.; Towns, Marcy H.
2013-01-01
Forty chemistry faculty from American Chemical Society-approved departments were interviewed to determine their goals for undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Faculty were stratified by type of institution, departmental success with regard to National Science Foundation funding for laboratory reform, and level of laboratory course. Interview…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brownell, Sara E.; Kloser, Matthew J.; Fukami, Tadishi; Shavelson, Rich
2012-01-01
Over the past decade, several reports have recommended a shift in undergraduate biology laboratory courses from traditionally structured, often described as "cookbook," to authentic research-based experiences. This study compares a cookbook-type laboratory course to a research-based undergraduate biology laboratory course at a Research 1…
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Rapid and Convenient Synthesis of the 1,4-Dihydropyridine Privileged Structure
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cheung, Lawrence L. W.; Styler, Sarah A.; Dicks, Andrew P.
2010-01-01
A short, semi-microscale synthesis of two 1,4-dihydropyridine drug analogues via a Hantzsch reaction is described, which is appropriate for a second-year undergraduate organic laboratory. Products are specifically chosen to highlight the biological relevance of this compound type while introducing the notion of a privileged structure.…
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Regiochemistry of Poly(3-Hexylthiophene): Synthesis and Investigation of a Conducting Polymer
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pappenfus, Ted M.; Hermanson, David L.; Kohl, Stuart G.; Melby, Jacob H.; Thoma, Laura M.; Carpenter, Nancy E.; Filho, Demetrio A. da Silva; Bredas, Jean-Luc
2010-01-01
A series of experiments for undergraduate laboratory courses (e.g., organic, polymer, inorganic) have been developed. These experiments focus on understanding the regiochemistry of the conducting polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). The substitution patterns in P3HTs control their conformational features, which, in turn, dictates the [pi]…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Quin~ones, Rosalynn; Bayline, Jennifer Logan; Polvani, Deborah A.; Neff, David; Westfall, Tamara D.; Hijazi, Abdullah
2016-01-01
A series of undergraduate laboratory experiments that utilize reversed-phase HPLC separation, inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (ICP), and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) are described for the analysis of commercial sunscreens. The active ingredients of many sunscreen brands include zinc or titanium…
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GC-MS Quantitation and Identification of Bisphenol-A Isolated from Water
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mead, Ralph N.; Seaton, Pamela J.
2011-01-01
Isolation and identification of organic compounds is a necessary skill chemistry students must be able to do with proficiency. In this upper-level undergraduate laboratory, students isolate bisphenol-A (BPA; 4-4'-isopropylidenediphenol) from water using solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by derivatization with analysis by GC-MS. The students…
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Genome Island: A Virtual Science Environment in Second Life
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Clark, Mary Anne
2009-01-01
Mary Anne CLark describes the organization and uses of Genome Island, a virtual laboratory complex constructed in Second Life. Genome Island was created for teaching genetics to university undergraduates but also provides a public space where anyone interested in genetics can spend a few minutes, or a few hours, interacting with genetic…
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The Petasis Reaction: Microscale Synthesis of a Tertiary Amine Antifungal Analog
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Koroluk, Katherine J.; Jackson, Derek A.; Dicks, Andrew P.
2012-01-01
Students prepare a tertiary amine antifungal analog in an upper-level undergraduate organic laboratory. A microscale Petasis reaction is performed to generate a liquid compound readily characterized via IR and proton NMR spectroscopy. The biological relevance of the product is highlighted, with the tertiary amine scaffold being an important…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bain, Ryan M.; Pulliam, Christopher J.; Yan, Xin; Moore, Kassandra F.; Mu¨ller, Thomas; Cooks, R. Graham
2014-01-01
Undergraduate laboratories generally teach an understanding of chemical reactivity using bulk or semimicroscale experiments with product isolation and subsequent chemical and spectroscopic analysis. In this study students were exposed to mass spectrometry as a means of chemical synthesis as well as analysis. The ionization method used, paper…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brown, Keith C.; And Others
1982-01-01
Use of phase transfer agents to facilitate/accelerate chemical reactions has become an established practice, particularly in organic chemistry. Describes an undergraduate laboratory procedure demonstrating the principles involved in the use of said agents. Includes student results from phase transfer assisted permanganate oxidations. (Author/JN)
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The Self-Assembly Properties of a Benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide Derivative
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Stals, Patrick J. M.; Haveman, Jan F.; Palmans, Anja R. A.; Schenning, Albertus P. H. J.
2009-01-01
A series of experiments involving the synthesis and characterization of a benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide derivative and its self-assembly properties are reported. These laboratory experiments combine organic synthesis, self-assembly, and physical characterization and are designed for upper-level undergraduate students to introduce the topic of…
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Evaluating Sustainability: Soap versus Biodiesel Production from Plant Oils
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pohl, Nicola L. B.; Streff, Jennifer M.; Brokman, Steve
2012-01-01
Herein we describe a series of experiments for the undergraduate organic laboratory curriculum in which various plant oils (soybean, rapeseed, and olive) are subjected to saponification and transesterification reactions to create a set of compounds that can function as soaps or as fuels. The experiments introduce students to and asks them to…
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Student-Driven Design of Peptide Mimetics: Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Peptoid Oligomers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pohl, Nicola L. B.; Kirshenbaum, Kent; Yoo, Barney; Schulz, Nathan; Zea, Corbin J.; Streff, Jennifer M.; Schwarz, Kimberly L.
2011-01-01
An experiment for the undergraduate organic laboratory is described in which peptide mimetic oligomers called "peptoids" are built stepwise on a solid-phase resin. Students employ two modern strategies to facilitate rapid multistep syntheses: solid-phase techniques to obviate the need for intermediate purifications and microwave irradiation to…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mendes, Desiree E.; Schoffstall, Allen M.
2011-01-01
This undergraduate organic laboratory experiment consists of three different reactions occurring in the same flask: a cycloaddition reaction, preceded by decarboxylation and nucleophilic substitution reactions. The decarboxylation and cycloaddition reactions occur using identical Cu(I) catalyst and conditions. Orange, lemon, and other citrus fruit…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lisovskiy, V.; Yegorenkov, V.
2009-01-01
In this paper, we propose a simple method of observing the collision-dominated Child-Langmuir law in the course of an undergraduate laboratory work devoted to studying the properties of gas discharges. To this end we employ the dc gas discharge whose properties are studied in sufficient detail. The undergraduate laboratory work itself is reduced…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ozog, J. Z.; Morrison, J. A.
1983-01-01
Presents information, laboratory procedures, and results of an undergraduate experiment in which activity coefficients for a two-component liquid-vapor system are determined. Working in pairs, students can perform the experiment with 10 solutions in a given three-hour laboratory period. (Author/JN)
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The Performance Effects of an Ability-Based Approach to Goal Assignment
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jeffrey, Scott A.; Schulz, Axel; Webb, Alan
2012-01-01
Some organizations have begun to target their goal-setting method more closely to the ability levels of their employees. In this article, we report the results of a laboratory study of 138 undergraduate students, which shows that these "ability-based" goals are more effective at improving performance than a "one goal for all"…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bartlett, Paul A.; And Others
1984-01-01
Background information and experimental procedures are provided for the multistep synthesis of frontalin. The experiment exposes students to a range of practical laboratory problems and important synthetic reactions and provides experiences in working on a medium-size, as well as a relatively small-size scale. (JN)
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Stereospecific Synthesis of the Geometrical Isomers of a Natural Product
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Grove, T.; DiLella, D.; Volker, E.
2006-01-01
Stereospecific synthesis of a geometrical isomer is not a common topic for the introductory organic chemistry laboratory. We have developed and tested an experiment for the synthesis of (Z) and (E) isomers that has been performed successfully by undergraduate students. The experiment is presented to the students as a puzzle in which they must…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Costa, Nancy E.; Pelotte, Andrea L.; Simard, Joseph M.; Syvinski, Christopher A.; Deveau, Amy M.
2012-01-01
Suzuki couplings are powerful chemical reactions commonly employed in academic and industrial research settings to generate functionalized biaryls. We have developed and implemented a discovery-based, microscale experiment for the undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory that explores green Suzuki coupling using water as the primary solvent.…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
D'Amelia, Ronald; Franks, Thomas; Nirode, William F.
2007-01-01
In first-year general chemistry undergraduate courses, thermodynamics and thermal properties such as melting points and changes in enthalpy ([Delta]H) and entropy ([Delta]S) of phase changes are frequently discussed. Typically, classical calorimetric methods of analysis are used to determine [Delta]H of reactions. Differential scanning calorimetry…
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Known Structure, Unknown Function: An Inquiry-Based Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory Course
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gray, Cynthia; Price, Carol W.; Lee, Christopher T.; Dewald, Alison H.; Cline, Matthew A.; McAnany, Charles E.; Columbus, Linda; Mura, Cameron
2015-01-01
Undergraduate biochemistry laboratory courses often do not provide students with an authentic research experience, particularly when the express purpose of the laboratory is purely instructional. However, an instructional laboratory course that is inquiry- and research-based could simultaneously impart scientific knowledge and foster a student's…
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Measuring Dynamic Kidney Function in an Undergraduate Physiology Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Medler, Scott; Harrington, Frederick
2013-01-01
Most undergraduate physiology laboratories are very limited in how they treat renal physiology. It is common to find teaching laboratories equipped with the capability for high-resolution digital recordings of physiological functions (muscle twitches, ECG, action potentials, respiratory responses, etc.), but most urinary laboratories still rely on…
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Undergraduate Laboratory Exercises Specific to Food Spoilage Microbiology
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Snyder, Abigail B.; Worobo, Randy W.; Orta-Ramirez, Alicia
2016-01-01
Food spoilage has an enormous economic impact, and microbial food spoilage plays a significant role in food waste and loss; subsequently, an equally significant portion of undergraduate food microbiology instruction should be dedicated to spoilage microbiology. Here, we describe a set of undergraduate microbiology laboratory exercises that focus…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johnson, R. Jeremy; Savas, Christopher J.; Kartje, Zachary; Hoops, Geoffrey C.
2014-01-01
Measurement of protein denaturation and protein folding is a common laboratory technique used in undergraduate biochemistry laboratories. Differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF) provides a rapid, sensitive, and general method for measuring protein thermal stability in an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory. In this method, the thermal…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Velasco, Jonathan B.; Knedeisen, Adam; Xue, Dihua; Vickrey, Trisha L.; Abebe, Marytza; Stains, Marilyne
2016-01-01
Chemistry laboratories play an essential role in the education of undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM students. The extent of student learning in any educational environment depends largely on the effectiveness of the instructors. In chemistry laboratories at large universities, the instructors of…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wheeler, Lindsay B.; Maeng, Jennifer L.; Chiu, Jennie L.; Bell, Randy L.
2017-01-01
This study explores the relationship between teaching assistants (TAs) and student learning in undergraduate science laboratory classes. TAs typically instruct laboratory courses, yet little, if any, research examines professional development (PD) for TAs or relationships between instructors and students in laboratory settings. The use of…
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Integrated Circuits in the Introductory Electronics Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
English, Thomas C.; Lind, David A.
1973-01-01
Discusses the use of an integrated circuit operational amplifier in an introductory electronics laboratory course for undergraduate science majors. The advantages of this approach and the implications for scientific instrumentation are identified. Describes a number of experiments suitable for the undergraduate laboratory. (Author/DF)
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Information Management Systems in the Undergraduate Instrumental Analysis Laboratory.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Merrer, Robert J.
1985-01-01
Discusses two applications of Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) in the undergraduate laboratory. They are the coulometric titration of thiosulfate with electrogenerated triiodide ion and the atomic absorption determination of calcium using both analytical calibration curve and standard addition methods. (JN)
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Medical Biochemistry as Subdiscipline of Laboratory Medicine in Serbia.
Jovičić, Snežana; Majkić-Singh, Nada
2017-04-01
Medical biochemistry is the usual name for clinical biochemistry or clinical chemistry in Serbia, and medical biochemist is the official name for the clinical chemist (or clinical biochemist). This is the largest sub-discipline of the laboratory medicine in Serbia. It includes all aspects of clinical chemistry, and also laboratory hematology with coagulation, immunology, etc. Medical biochemistry laboratories in Serbia and medical biochemists as a profession are part of Health Care System and their activities are regulated through: the Health Care Law and rules issued by the Chamber of Medical Biochemists of Serbia. The first continuous and organized education for Medical Biochemists (Clinical Chemists) in Serbia dates from 1945, when the Department of Medical Biochemistry was established at the Pharmaceutical Faculty in Belgrade. In 1987 at the same Faculty a five years undergraduate study program was established, educating Medical Biochemists under a special program. Since the academic year 2006/2007 the new five year undergraduate (according to Bologna Declaration) and four-year postgraduate program according to EC4 European Syllabus for Postgraduate Training in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine has been established. The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Health accredited these programs. There are four requirements for practicing medical biochemistry in the Health Care System: University Diploma of the Faculty of Pharmacy (Study of Medical Biochemistry), successful completion of the professional exam at the Ministry of Health after completion of one additional year of obligatory practical training in the medical biochemistry laboratories, membership in the Serbian Chamber of Medical Biochemists and licence for skilled work issued by the Serbian Chamber of Medical Biochemists. In order to present laboratory medical biochemistry practice in Serbia this paper will be focused on the following: Serbian national legislation, healthcare services organization, sub-disciplines of laboratory medicine and medical biochemistry as the most significant, education in medical biochemistry, conditions for professional practice in medical biochemistry, continuous quality improvement, and accreditation. Serbian healthcare is based on fundamental principles of universal health coverage and solidarity between all citizens.
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A Microcosm of the Biomedical Research Experience for Upper-level Undergraduates
2008-01-01
The skill set required of biomedical researchers continues to grow and evolve as biology matures as a natural science. Science necessitates creative yet critical thinking, persuasive communication skills, purposeful use of time, and adeptness at the laboratory bench. Teaching these skills can be effectively accomplished in an inquiry-based, active-learning environment at a primarily undergraduate institution. Cell Biology Techniques, an upper-level cell biology laboratory course at St. John Fisher College, features two independent projects that take advantage of the biology of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a premier yet simple model organism. First, students perform a miniature epigenetic screen for novel phenotypes using RNA interference. The results of this screen combined with literature research direct students toward a singe gene that they attempt to subclone in the second project. The biology of the chosen gene/protein also becomes an individualized focal point with respect to the content of the laboratory. Progress toward course goals is evaluated using written, oral, and group-produced assignments, including a concept map. Pre- and postassessment indicates a significant increase in the understanding of broad concepts in cell biological research. PMID:18519612
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Harmon, Jennifer; Coffman, Cierra; Villarrial, Spring; Chabolla, Steven; Heisel, Kurt A.; Krishnan, Viswanathan V.
2012-01-01
NMR spectroscopy has become one of the primary tools that chemists utilize to characterize a range of chemical species in the solution phase, from small organic molecules to medium-sized proteins. A discussion of NMR spectroscopy is an essential component of physical and biophysical chemistry lecture courses, and a number of instructional…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rodrigues, Catarina A. B.; Neto, Iris; Rijo, Patricia; Afonso, Carlos A. M.
2018-01-01
The convenient synthesis of dihydroberberine by the reduction of berberine is described as an experiment for an upper-division undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory course. Students obtained up to 74% yield of the desired pure product without the use of chromatographic techniques. The antimicrobial activities of both compounds against…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brown, David P.; Durutlic, Haris; Juste, Didier
2004-01-01
Experiments are conducted for spectroscopic analysis of the allyl esters of some aromatic carboxylic acids. It is understood that these experiments allow the students to monitor the effect of hydrogen bonding on the IR stretching frequencies for the hydroxyl and carbonyl groups and also provide them with an excellent opportunity to examine the…
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Low-Cost Undergraduate Control Systems Experiments Using Microcontroller-Based Control of a DC Motor
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gunasekaran, M.; Potluri, R.
2012-01-01
This paper presents low-cost experiments for a control systems laboratory module that is worth one and a third credits. The experiments are organized around the microcontroller-based control of a permanent magnet dc motor. The experimental setups were built in-house. Except for the operating system, the software used is primarily freeware or free…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Adesoye, Olumuyiwa G.; Mills, Isaac N.; Temelkoff, David P.; Jackson, John A.; Norris, Peter
2012-01-01
Stereospecific S[subscript N]2 conversion of configurationally pure acetobromoglucose (2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl bromide) to the corresponding beta-D-glucopyranosyl azide is a useful exercise in the advanced organic undergraduate teaching laboratory. The procedure is safe and suitable for small-scale implementation, and firm…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Thompson, Matthew P.; Agger, Jonathan; Wong, Lu Shin
2015-01-01
The Paterno`-Bu¨chi photocycloaddition reaction is used as the basis for physical-organic final-year undergraduate laboratory experiments designed to emphasize the multidisciplinary approach to modern-day chemical practice. These reactions are performed using commercially available LED-based light sources, which offer a convenient and safe tool…
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Synthesis of a Biologically Active Oxazol-5-(4H)-One via an Erlenmeyer-Plo¨chl Reaction
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rodrigues, Catarina A. B.; Martinho, Jose´ M. G.; Afonso, Carlos A. M.
2015-01-01
The synthesis of (Z)-4-(4-nitrobenzylidene)-2- phenyloxazol-5(4"H")-one, which is a potent immunomodulator and tyrosinase inhibitor, is described as an experiment for an upper-division undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory course. This compound is produced via an Erlenmeyer-Plo¨chl reaction in the absence of any additional solvents…
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Improving undergraduate biology education in a large research university.
Bender, C; Ward, S; Wells, M A
1994-01-01
The campus-wide Undergraduate Biology Research Program (UBRP) at the University of Arizona improves undergraduate science education by expanding student opportunities for independent research in faculty laboratories. Within the supportive community of a research laboratory, underclassmen, nonscience majors, and those aspiring to scientific careers all learn to appreciate the process of science. The Program impacts more than the students, promoting departmental cooperation, interdisciplinary collaborations, and improvements in undergraduate science education throughout a Research I University. PMID:8018999
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Caldwell, Benjamin; Rohlman, Christopher; Benore-Parsons, Marilee
2004-01-01
We have designed a skills matrix to be used for developing and assessing undergraduate biochemistry and molecular biology laboratory curricula. We prepared the skills matrix for the Project Kaleidoscope Summer Institute workshop in Snowbird, Utah (July 2001) to help current and developing undergraduate biochemistry and molecular biology program…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bellin, Robert M.; Bruno, Mary K.; Farrow, Melissa A.
2010-01-01
We have developed a 9-week undergraduate laboratory series focused on the purification and characterization of "Thermus aquaticus" DNA polymerase (Taq). Our aim was to provide undergraduate biochemistry students with a full-semester continuing project simulating a research-like experience, while having each week's procedure focus on a single…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Matheny, W. G.; And Others
The document presents a summary description of the Air Force Human Resource Laboratory's Flying Training Division (AFHRL/FT) research capabilities for undergraduate pilot training. One of the research devices investigated is the Advanced Simulator for Undergraduate Pilot Training (ASUPT). The equipment includes the ASUPT, the instrumented T-37…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hollenbeck, Jessica J.; Wixson, Emily N.; Geske, Grant D.; Dodge, Matthew W.; Tseng, T. Andrew; Clauss, Allen D.; Blackwell, Helen E.
2006-01-01
The transformation of 346 chemistry courses into a training experience that could provide undergraduate students with a skill set essential for a research-based chemistry career is presented. The course has an innovative structure that connects undergraduate students with graduate research labs at the semester midpoint and also includes new,…
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Dymond, Jessica S.; Scheifele, Lisa Z.; Richardson, Sarah; Lee, Pablo; Chandrasegaran, Srinivasan; Bader, Joel S.; Boeke, Jef D.
2009-01-01
A major challenge in undergraduate life science curricula is the continual evaluation and development of courses that reflect the constantly shifting face of contemporary biological research. Synthetic biology offers an excellent framework within which students may participate in cutting-edge interdisciplinary research and is therefore an attractive addition to the undergraduate biology curriculum. This new discipline offers the promise of a deeper understanding of gene function, gene order, and chromosome structure through the de novo synthesis of genetic information, much as synthetic approaches informed organic chemistry. While considerable progress has been achieved in the synthesis of entire viral and prokaryotic genomes, fabrication of eukaryotic genomes requires synthesis on a scale that is orders of magnitude higher. These high-throughput but labor-intensive projects serve as an ideal way to introduce undergraduates to hands-on synthetic biology research. We are pursuing synthesis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosomes in an undergraduate laboratory setting, the Build-a-Genome course, thereby exposing students to the engineering of biology on a genomewide scale while focusing on a limited region of the genome. A synthetic chromosome III sequence was designed, ordered from commercial suppliers in the form of oligonucleotides, and subsequently assembled by students into ∼750-bp fragments. Once trained in assembly of such DNA “building blocks” by PCR, the students accomplish high-yield gene synthesis, becoming not only technically proficient but also constructively critical and capable of adapting their protocols as independent researchers. Regular “lab meeting” sessions help prepare them for future roles in laboratory science. PMID:19015540
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Dymond, Jessica S; Scheifele, Lisa Z; Richardson, Sarah; Lee, Pablo; Chandrasegaran, Srinivasan; Bader, Joel S; Boeke, Jef D
2009-01-01
A major challenge in undergraduate life science curricula is the continual evaluation and development of courses that reflect the constantly shifting face of contemporary biological research. Synthetic biology offers an excellent framework within which students may participate in cutting-edge interdisciplinary research and is therefore an attractive addition to the undergraduate biology curriculum. This new discipline offers the promise of a deeper understanding of gene function, gene order, and chromosome structure through the de novo synthesis of genetic information, much as synthetic approaches informed organic chemistry. While considerable progress has been achieved in the synthesis of entire viral and prokaryotic genomes, fabrication of eukaryotic genomes requires synthesis on a scale that is orders of magnitude higher. These high-throughput but labor-intensive projects serve as an ideal way to introduce undergraduates to hands-on synthetic biology research. We are pursuing synthesis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosomes in an undergraduate laboratory setting, the Build-a-Genome course, thereby exposing students to the engineering of biology on a genomewide scale while focusing on a limited region of the genome. A synthetic chromosome III sequence was designed, ordered from commercial suppliers in the form of oligonucleotides, and subsequently assembled by students into approximately 750-bp fragments. Once trained in assembly of such DNA "building blocks" by PCR, the students accomplish high-yield gene synthesis, becoming not only technically proficient but also constructively critical and capable of adapting their protocols as independent researchers. Regular "lab meeting" sessions help prepare them for future roles in laboratory science.
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An Undergraduate Nanotechnology Engineering Laboratory Course on Atomic Force Microscopy
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Russo, D.; Fagan, R. D.; Hesjedal, T.
2011-01-01
The University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, is home to North America's first undergraduate program in nanotechnology. As part of the Nanotechnology Engineering degree program, a scanning probe microscopy (SPM)-based laboratory has been developed for students in their fourth year. The one-term laboratory course "Nanoprobing and…
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A Two-Week Guided Inquiry Protein Separation and Detection Experiment for Undergraduate Biochemistry
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Carolan, James P.; Nolta, Kathleen V.
2016-01-01
A laboratory experiment for teaching protein separation and detection in an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course is described. This experiment, performed in two, 4 h laboratory periods, incorporates guided inquiry principles to introduce students to the concepts behind and difficulties of protein purification. After using size-exclusion…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lawrie, Gwendolyn Angela; Grøndahl, Lisbeth; Boman, Simon; Andrews, Trish
2016-01-01
Recent examples of high-impact teaching practices in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory that include course-based undergraduate research experiences and inquiry-based experiments require new approaches to assessing individual student learning outcomes. Instructors require tools and strategies that can provide them with insight into individual…
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A Research-Based Laboratory Course Designed to Strengthen the Research-Teaching Nexus
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Parra, Karlett J.; Osgood, Marcy P.; Pappas, Donald L., Jr.
2010-01-01
We describe a 10-week laboratory course of guided research experiments thematically linked by topic, which had an ultimate goal of strengthening the undergraduate research-teaching nexus. This undergraduate laboratory course is a direct extension of faculty research interests. From DNA isolation, characterization, and mutagenesis, to protein…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rowe, Laura
2017-01-01
An introductory bioinformatics laboratory experiment focused on protein analysis has been developed that is suitable for undergraduate students in introductory biochemistry courses. The laboratory experiment is designed to be potentially used as a "stand-alone" activity in which students are introduced to basic bioinformatics tools and…
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A Microcomputer-Based Data Acquisition System for Use in Undergraduate Laboratories.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johnson, Ray L.
1982-01-01
A laboratory computer system based on the Commodore PET 2001 is described including three applications for the undergraduate analytical chemistry laboratory: (1) recording a UV-visible absorption spectrum; (2) recording and use of calibration curves; and (3) recording potentiometric data. Lists of data acquisition programs described are available…
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An Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment in Bioinorganic Chemistry: Ligation States of Myoglobin
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bailey, James A.
2011-01-01
Although there are numerous inorganic model systems that are readily presented as undergraduate laboratory experiments in bioinorganic chemistry, there are few examples that explore the inorganic chemistry of actual biological molecules. We present a laboratory experiment using the oxygen-binding protein myoglobin that can be easily incorporated…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lee, H. H.; and others
1970-01-01
Describes two laboratory exercises adopted from current research papers for use in an undergraduate developmental biology course. Gives methods, summary of student results, and student comments. Lists lecture topics, text and reprint assignments, and laboratory exercises for course. (EB)
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Kinetics of Carbaryl Hydrolysis: An Undergraduate Environmental Chemistry Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hawker, Darryl
2015-01-01
Kinetics is an important part of undergraduate environmental chemistry curricula and relevant laboratory exercises are helpful in assisting students to grasp concepts. Such exercises are also useful in general chemistry courses because students can see relevance to real-world issues. The laboratory exercise described here involves determination of…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gliddon, C. M.; Rosengren, R. J.
2012-01-01
This article describes a 13-week laboratory course called Human Toxicology taught at the University of Otago, New Zealand. This course used a guided inquiry based laboratory coupled with formative assessment and collaborative learning to develop in undergraduate students the skills of problem solving/critical thinking, data interpretation and…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Richter-Egger, Dana L.; Tesfai, Aaron; Flamm, Spencer J.; Tucker, Sheryl A.
2001-10-01
The synthesis and analysis of the title dye is described so as to make it easy for instructors to select exercises that best fit their curricular needs (organic synthesis, instrumental analysis, and comparative analysis of other materials). The relatively simple (Henry reaction) synthesis produces attractive, flaky, glistening, brick-red crystals that can be studied a number of ways including absorbance, fluorescence, and NMR spectroscopies. Direct observation of the interesting and unique effects of solvatochromism will benefit students' understanding of the causes of solvatochromism and of the general theories governing the electronic processes involved in absorption and fluorescence. The dye is also useful for studying the polarity of macromolecular media like detergents, surfactants, micelles, and cyclodextrins in aqueous solution. This can be a particularly interesting way of comparing types of organized media such as consumer soaps and detergents and is best suited for the advanced undergraduate.
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Introducing Proper Chemical Hygiene and Safety in the General Chemistry Curriculum
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Miller, Gordon J.; Heideman, Stephen A.; Greenbowe, Thomas J.
2000-09-01
Chemical safety is an important component of science education for everyone, not just for chemistry majors. Developing a responsible and knowledgeable attitude towards chemical safety best starts at the early stages of a student's career. In many colleges and universities, safety education in undergraduate chemistry has been relegated primarily to a few regulatory documents at the beginning of a laboratory course, or an occasional warning in the description of a specific experiment in a prelaboratory lecture. Safety issues are seldom raised in general chemistry or organic chemistry lecture-based chemistry courses. At Iowa State University we have begun to implement a program, Chemical Hygiene and Safety in the Laboratory, into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. This program is designed to increase the awareness and knowledge of proper chemical hygiene and laboratory safety issues among all students taking general chemistry and organic chemistry courses. Laboratory protocol, use of safety equipment, familiarity with MSD sheets, basics of first aid, some specific terminology surrounding chemical hygiene, EPA and OSHA requirements, and the use of the World Wide Web to search and locate chemical safety information are topics that are applied throughout the chemistry curriculum. The novelty of this approach is to incorporate MSD sheets and safety information that can be located on the World Wide Web in a series of safety problems and assignments, all related to the chemistry experiments students are about to perform. The fundamental idea of our approach is not only to teach students what is required for appropriate safety measures, but also to involve them in the enforcement of basic prudent practices.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kondratowicz, Izabela; Z?elechowska, Kamila
2017-01-01
The aim of this laboratory experiment is to utilize graphene oxide (GO) material to introduce undergraduate students to many well-known concepts of general chemistry. GO is a new nanomaterial that has generated worldwide interest and can be easily produced in every well-equipped undergraduate chemical laboratory. An in-depth examination of GO…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Swope, Nicole K.; Fryfogle, Patrick J.; Sivy, Tami L.
2015-01-01
A flexible, rigorous laboratory experiment for upper-level biochemistry undergraduates is described that focuses on the Roundup Ready maize line. The work is appropriate for undergraduate laboratory courses that integrate biochemistry, molecular biology, or bioinformatics. In this experiment, DNA is extracted and purified from maize kernel and…
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A Combustion Laboratory for Undergraduates.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Peters, James E.
1985-01-01
Describes a combustion laboratory facility and experiments for a senior-level (undergraduate) course in mechanical engineering. The experiment reinforces basic thermodynamic concepts and provides many students with their first opportunity to work with a combustion system. (DH)
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Fluid Flow Experiment for Undergraduate Laboratory.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Vilimpochapornkul, Viroj; Obot, Nsima T.
1986-01-01
The undergraduate fluid mechanics laboratory at Clarkson University consists of three experiments: mixing; drag measurements; and fluid flow and pressure drop measurements. The latter experiment is described, considering equipment needed, procedures used, and typical results obtained. (JN)
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Clennan, Malgorzata M.; Clennan, Edward L.
2011-01-01
Dehydrations of "cis"- and "trans"-2-methylcyclohexanol mixtures were carried out with 60% sulfuric acid at 78-80 [degrees]C as a function of time and the products were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis. The compounds identified in the reaction mixtures include alkenes, 1-, 3-, and 4-methylcyclohexenes and…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Liu, Hanlin; Zaplishnyy, Vladimir; Mikhaylichenko, Lana
2016-01-01
A multistep synthesis of thieno[2,3-"b"]pyridine derivatives is described that is suitable for the upper-level undergraduate organic laboratory. This experiment exposes students to various hands-on experimental techniques as well as methods of product characterization such as IR and [superscript 1]H NMR spectroscopy, and…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Faraldos, Juan A.; Giner, Jos-Luis; Smith, David H.; Wilson, Mark; Ronhovde, Kyla; Wilson, Erin; Clevette, David; Holmes, Andrea E.; Rouhier, Kerry
2011-01-01
This organic laboratory experiment introduces students to stereoselective enzyme reactions, resolution of enantiomers, and NMR analysis of diastereomers. The reaction between racemic 1-phenylethanol and vinyl acetate in hexane to form an ester is catalyzed by acylase I. The unreacted alcohol is then treated with a chiral acid and the resulting…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rowland-Goldsmith, Melissa
2009-01-01
DNA microarray is an ordered grid containing known sequences of DNA, which represent many of the genes in a particular organism. Each DNA sequence is unique to a specific gene. This technology enables the researcher to screen many genes from cells or tissue grown in different conditions. We developed an undergraduate lecture and laboratory…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lewis, Russell L.; Seal, Erin L.; Lorts, Aimee R.; Stewart, Amanda L.
2017-01-01
The undergraduate biochemistry laboratory curriculum is designed to provide students with experience in protein isolation and purification protocols as well as various data analysis techniques, which enhance the biochemistry lecture course and give students a broad range of tools upon which to build in graduate level laboratories or once they…
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A Coastal Environment Field and Laboratory Activity for an Undergraduate Geomorphology Course
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ellis, Jean T.; Rindfleisch, Paul R.
2006-01-01
A field and laboratory exercise for an undergraduate geomorphology class is described that focuses on the beach. The project requires one day of fieldwork and two laboratory sessions. In the field, students measure water surface fluctuations (waves) with a pressure sensor, survey beach profiles, collect sediment samples, and observe the beach…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rasche, Madeline E.
2004-01-01
This work describes outcomes of a research-driven advanced microbiology laboratory and literature research course intended to enhance undergraduate preparation for and contributions to original research. The laboratory section was designed to teach fundamental biochemistry and molecular biology techniques in the context of an original research…
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Hairy Root as a Model System for Undergraduate Laboratory Curriculum and Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Keyes, Carol A.; Subramanian, Senthil; Yu, Oliver
2009-01-01
Hairy root transformation has been widely adapted in plant laboratories to rapidly generate transgenic roots for biochemical and molecular analysis. We present hairy root transformations as a versatile and adaptable model system for a wide variety of undergraduate laboratory courses and research. This technique is easy, efficient, and fast making…
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Measuring Stellar Temperatures: An Astrophysical Laboratory for Undergraduate Students
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cenadelli, D.; Zeni, M.
2008-01-01
While astrophysics is a fascinating subject, it hardly lends itself to laboratory experiences accessible to undergraduate students. In this paper, we describe a feasible astrophysical laboratory experience in which the students are guided to take several stellar spectra, using a telescope, a spectrograph and a CCD camera, and perform a full data…
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Upper-Level Undergraduate Chemistry Students' Goals for Their Laboratory Coursework
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
DeKorver, Brittland K.; Towns, Marcy H.
2016-01-01
Efforts to reform undergraduate chemistry laboratory coursework typically focus on the curricula of introductory-level courses, while upper-level courses are bypassed. This study used video-stimulated recall to interview 17 junior- and senior- level chemistry majors after they carried out an experiment as part of a laboratory course. It is assumed…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Grannas, Amanda M.; Lagalante, Anthony F.
2010-01-01
A new curricular approach in our undergraduate second-year instrumental analysis laboratory was implemented. Students work collaboratively on scenarios in diverse fields including pharmaceuticals, forensics, gemology, art conservation, and environmental chemistry. Each laboratory section (approximately 12 students) is divided into three groups…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Galloway, Kelli R.; Malakpa, Zoebedeh; Bretz, Stacey Lowery
2016-01-01
Meaningful learning requires the integration of cognitive and affective learning with the psychomotor, i.e., hands-on learning. The undergraduate chemistry laboratory is an ideal place for meaningful learning to occur. However, accurately characterizing students' affective experiences in the chemistry laboratory can be a very difficult task. While…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Owens, David
2017-01-01
An introductory undergraduate biology laboratory session about vertebrate tissues was gamified to elucidate the effects of gameful learning on students' perceptions of their own learning and motivation. Student groups were randomly assigned a vertebrate tissue, including corresponding slides and content from the laboratory manual, and tasked with…
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Using Microcomputers in the Undergraduate Laboratory.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hovancik, John R.
1986-01-01
A computer-controlled experimental psychology investigation suitable for use in an undergraduate laboratory is described. The investigation examines the relationship between aesthetic preference and speed of reaction in making choices between colors generated on a video monitor. (Author)
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Chemical Analysis of Soils: An Environmental Chemistry Laboratory for Undergraduate Science Majors.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Willey, Joan D.; Avery, G. Brooks, Jr.; Manock, John J.; Skrabal, Stephen A.; Stehman, Charles F.
1999-01-01
Describes a laboratory exercise for undergraduate science students in which they evaluate soil samples for various parameters related to suitability for crop production and capability for retention of contaminants. (Contains 18 references.) (WRM)
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Research Opportunities for Undergraduate Students at Storm Peak Laboratory
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vargas, W.; Hallar, G.
2009-12-01
GRASP (Geoscience Research at Storm Peak) is a program providing field research experiences for a diverse group of undergraduate students. GRASP is funded by the National Science Foundation. Its mission is to recruit students from underrepresented groups within the geoscience community allowing students to work and live at the Storm Peak Laboratory (SPL). Data previously collected at the facility forms the basis for continuing research projects that addresses climate change, atmospheric pollution, and cloud formation. Prior to arriving at SPL, students travel to the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to learn about supercomputing, mathematical modeling, and scientific visualization. GRASP participants met at the campus of Howard University for a reunion workshop and presented their results in November 2008. This poster illustrates the given task and methods used to analyze an increased concentration of organic carbon detected between April 4 and 5, 2008 at SPL located at the summit of Mt. Warner in Steamboat Springs, Colorado at an elevation of 3,202 meters.
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Can Random Mutation Mimic Design?: A Guided Inquiry Laboratory for Undergraduate Students
Kalinowski, Steven T.; Taper, Mark L.; Metz, Anneke M.
2006-01-01
Complex biological structures, such as the human eye, have been interpreted as evidence for a creator for over three centuries. This raises the question of whether random mutation can create such adaptations. In this article, we present an inquiry-based laboratory experiment that explores this question using paper airplanes as a model organism. The main task for students in this investigation is to figure out how to simulate paper airplane evolution (including reproduction, inheritance, mutation, and selection). In addition, the lab requires students to practice analytic thinking and to carefully delineate the implications of their results. PMID:16951065
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Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory Safety
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Luckenbaugh, Raymond W.
1996-11-01
Each organic chemistry student should become familiar with the educational and governmental laboratory safety requirements. One method for teaching laboratory safety is to assign each student to locate safety resources for a specific class laboratory experiment. The student should obtain toxicity and hazardous information for all chemicals used or produced during the assigned experiment. For example, what is the LD50 or LC50 for each chemical? Are there any specific hazards for these chemicals, carcinogen, mutagen, teratogen, neurotixin, chronic toxin, corrosive, flammable, or explosive agent? The school's "Chemical Hygiene Plan", "Prudent Practices for Handling Hazardous Chemicals in the Laboratory" (National Academy Press), and "Laboratory Standards, Part 1910 - Occupational Safety and Health Standards" (Fed. Register 1/31/90, 55, 3227-3335) should be reviewed for laboratory safety requirements for the assigned experiment. For example, what are the procedures for safe handling of vacuum systems, if a vacuum distillation is used in the assigned experiment? The literature survey must be submitted to the laboratory instructor one week prior to the laboratory session for review and approval. The student should then give a short presentation to the class on the chemicals' toxicity and hazards and describe the safety precautions that must be followed. This procedure gives the student first-hand knowledge on how to find and evaluate information to meet laboartory safety requirements.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ryan, Barry J.
2014-01-01
Laboratory training is key to many science subjects and those that teach the practical laboratory skills maintain a pivotal role in undergraduate science training. Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) are regularly used in higher education institutes to teach these practical lab skills. The GTA can be involved in both laboratory teaching and…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sall, Eri; And Others
1978-01-01
Describes an undergraduate biological chemistry laboratory experiment which provides students with an example of pseudo-first-order kinetics with the cardiac glycoside inhibition of mammalism sodium and potassium transport. (SL)
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Whitman, David L.; Terry, Ronald E.
1985-01-01
Demonstrating petroleum engineering concepts in undergraduate laboratories often requires expensive and time-consuming experiments. To eliminate these problems, a graphical simulation technique was developed for junior-level laboratories which illustrate vapor-liquid equilibrium and the use of mathematical modeling. A description of this…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Melaku, Samuel; Dabke, Rajeev B.
2014-01-01
A guide for instructors and laboratory assistants to prepare some common aqueous reagents used in an undergraduate laboratory is presented. Dilute reagents consisting of H[superscript +](aq), I[subscript 3][superscript-](aq), Ce[superscript 4+](aq), and Ag[superscript+](aq) were prepared by electrolytic oxidation of respective precursors.…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Piunno, Paul A. E.; Zetina, Adrian; Chu, Norman; Tavares, Anthony J.; Noor, M. Omair; Petryayeva, Eleonora; Uddayasankar, Uvaraj; Veglio, Andrew
2014-01-01
An advanced analytical chemistry undergraduate laboratory module on microfluidics that spans 4 weeks (4 h per week) is presented. The laboratory module focuses on comprehensive experiential learning of microfluidic device fabrication and the core characteristics of microfluidic devices as they pertain to fluid flow and the manipulation of samples.…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bruck, Aaron D.; Towns, Marcy
2013-01-01
This work reports the development of a survey for laboratory goals in undergraduate chemistry, the analysis of reliable and valid data collected from a national survey of college chemistry faculty, and a synthesis of the findings. The study used a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design. Faculty goals for laboratory emerged across seven…
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A Simple Laboratory Scale Model of Iceberg Dynamics and its Role in Undergraduate Education
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Burton, J. C.; MacAyeal, D. R.; Nakamura, N.
2011-12-01
Lab-scale models of geophysical phenomena have a long history in research and education. For example, at the University of Chicago, Dave Fultz developed laboratory-scale models of atmospheric flows. The results from his laboratory were so stimulating that similar laboratories were subsequently established at a number of other institutions. Today, the Dave Fultz Memorial Laboratory for Hydrodynamics (http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~nnn/LAB/) teaches general circulation of the atmosphere and oceans to hundreds of students each year. Following this tradition, we have constructed a lab model of iceberg-capsize dynamics for use in the Fultz Laboratory, which focuses on the interface between glaciology and physical oceanography. The experiment consists of a 2.5 meter long wave tank containing water and plastic "icebergs". The motion of the icebergs is tracked using digital video. Movies can be found at: http://geosci.uchicago.edu/research/glaciology_files/tsunamigenesis_research.shtml. We have had 3 successful undergraduate interns with backgrounds in mathematics, engineering, and geosciences perform experiments, analyze data, and interpret results. In addition to iceberg dynamics, the wave-tank has served as a teaching tool in undergraduate classes studying dam-breaking and tsunami run-up. Motivated by the relatively inexpensive cost of our apparatus (~1K-2K dollars) and positive experiences of undergraduate students, we hope to serve as a model for undergraduate research and education that other universities may follow.
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Education in Medical Biochemistry in Serbia.
Majkic-Sing, Nada
2010-06-01
Medical biochemistry is the usual name for clinical biochemistry or clinical chemistry in Serbia. Medical biochemistry laboratories and medical biochemists as a profession are part of Health Care System and are regulated through: the Health Care Law and rules issued by the Chamber of Medical Biochemists of Serbia. The first continuous and organized education for Medical Biochemists in Serbia dates from 1945, when Department of Medical Biochemistry was established at Pharmaceutical Faculty in Belgrade. In 1987 at the same Faculty a five years undergraduate branch was established, educating Medical Biochemists under a special program. Since 2006 the new five year undergraduate (according to Bologna Declaration) and postgraduate program of four-year specialization according to EC4 European Syllabus for Post-Graduate Training in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine has been established. The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Health accredits the programs. There are four requirements for practicing medical biochemistry in the Health Care System: University Diploma of the Faculty of Pharmacy (Medical Biochemistry), successful completion of the profession exam at the Ministry of Health after completion of one additional year of obligatory practical training in medical laboratories, membership in the Serbian Chamber of Medical Biochemists and licence for skilled work issued by Serbian Chamber of Medical Biochemists.
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Including Non-Traditional Instrumentation in Undergraduate Environmental Chemistry Courses
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jenkins, J. David; Orvis, Jessica N.; Smith, C. Jimmy; Manley, Citabria; Rice, Jeanette K. 2
2004-01-01
Non-traditional instrumentation was obtained for Georgia Southern undergraduates to attain fundamental environmental education through unique laboratory experiences. In this context, the method for including a direct mercury analyzer into both major and non-major environmental laboratories is reported.
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Screening for Saponins Using the Blood Hemolysis Test. An Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sotheeswaran, Subramaniam
1988-01-01
Describes an experiment for undergraduate chemistry laboratories involving a chemical found in plants and some sea animals. Discusses collection and identification of material, a hemolysis test, preparation of blood-coated agar plates, and application of samples. (CW)
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Santandrea, Jeffrey; Kairouz, Vanessa; Collins, Shawn K.
2018-01-01
An undergraduate teaching laboratory experiment involving a continuous flow, photocatalytic thiol-ene reaction using visible-light irradiation is described that allows students to explore concepts of green chemistry, photochemistry, photocatalysis, and continuous flow chemistry.
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Open Innovation Labs for Physics Undergraduate Independent Research
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Carlsmith, Duncan
2014-03-01
The open undergraduate laboratory Garage Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is home to a variety of independent physics and multidisciplinary research projects. Its maker-style environment encourages innovation and entrepreneurship. Experience establishing and staffing the laboratory will be described.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Raftery, C. L.; Davis, H. B.; Peticolas, L. M.; Paglierani, R.
2015-12-01
The Space Sciences Laboratory at UC Berkeley launched an NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in the summer of 2015. The "Advancing Space Sciences through Undergraduate Research Experiences" (ASSURE) program recruited heavily from local community colleges and universities, and provided a multi-tiered mentorship program for students in the fields of space science and engineering. The program was focussed on providing a supportive environment for 2nd and 3rd year undergraduates, many of whom were first generation and underrepresented students. This model provides three levels of mentorship support for the participating interns: 1) the primary research advisor provides academic and professional support. 2) The program coordinator, who meets with the interns multiple times per week, provides personal support and helps the interns to assimilate into the highly competitive environment of the research laboratory. 3) Returning undergraduate interns provided peer support and guidance to the new cohort of students. The impacts of this program on the first generation students and the research mentors, as well as the lessons learned will be discussed.
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The performance assessment of undergraduate students in physics laboratory by using guided inquiry
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mubarok, H.; Lutfiyah, A.; Kholiq, A.; Suprapto, N.; Putri, N. P.
2018-03-01
The performance assessment of basic physics experiment among undergraduate physics students which includes three stages: pre-laboratory, conducting experiment and final report was explored in this study. The research used a descriptive quantitative approach by utilizing guidebook of basic physics experiment. The findings showed that (1) the performance of pre-laboratory rate among undergraduate physics students in good category (average score = 77.55), which includes the ability of undergraduate physics students’ theory before they were doing the experiment. (2) The performance of conducting experiment was in good category (average score = 78.33). (3) While the performance of final report was in moderate category (average score = 73.73), with the biggest weakness at how to analyse and to discuss the data and writing the abstract.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Coombs, I.; Tatner, M.; Paterson, V.
2013-01-01
Practical laboratory work in parasitology can be very limited, due to the difficulty in maintaining multi-host parasite life cycles, especially for a large, once-yearly undergraduate laboratory class for life science students. The use of mackerel, "Scomber scombrus," bought from a local fishmonger, is an ideal model to investigate important…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johnston, Jill; Kant, Sashi; Gysbers, Vanessa; Hancock, Dale; Denyer, Gareth
2014-01-01
Despite many apparent advantages, including security, back-up, remote access, workflow, and data management, the use of electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs) in the modern research laboratory is still developing. This presents a challenge to instructors who want to give undergraduate students an introduction to the kinds of data curation and…
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An Experiment Using Sucrose Density Gradients in the Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Turchi, Sandra L.; Weiss, Monica
1988-01-01
Describes an experiment to be performed in an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory that is based on a gradient centrifugation system employing a simple bench top centrifuge, a freezer, and frozen surcose gradient solution to separate macromolecules and subcellular components. (CW)
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Medical Biochemistry as Subdiscipline of Laboratory Medicine in Serbia
Jovičić, Snežana
2017-01-01
Summary Medical biochemistry is the usual name for clinical biochemistry or clinical chemistry in Serbia, and medical biochemist is the official name for the clinical chemist (or clinical biochemist). This is the largest sub-discipline of the laboratory medicine in Serbia. It includes all aspects of clinical chemistry, and also laboratory hematology with coagulation, immunology, etc. Medical biochemistry laboratories in Serbia and medical biochemists as a profession are part of Health Care System and their activities are regulated through: the Health Care Law and rules issued by the Chamber of Medical Biochemists of Serbia. The first continuous and organized education for Medical Biochemists (Clinical Chemists) in Serbia dates from 1945, when the Department of Medical Biochemistry was established at the Pharmaceutical Faculty in Belgrade. In 1987 at the same Faculty a five years undergraduate study program was established, educating Medical Biochemists under a special program. Since the academic year 2006/2007 the new five year undergraduate (according to Bologna Declaration) and four-year postgraduate program according to EC4 European Syllabus for Postgraduate Training in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine has been established. The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Health accredited these programs. There are four requirements for practicing medical biochemistry in the Health Care System: University Diploma of the Faculty of Pharmacy (Study of Medical Biochemistry), successful completion of the professional exam at the Ministry of Health after completion of one additional year of obligatory practical training in the medical biochemistry laboratories, membership in the Serbian Chamber of Medical Biochemists and licence for skilled work issued by the Serbian Chamber of Medical Biochemists. In order to present laboratory medical biochemistry practice in Serbia this paper will be focused on the following: Serbian national legislation, healthcare services organization, sub-disciplines of laboratory medicine and medical biochemistry as the most significant, education in medical biochemistry, conditions for professional practice in medical biochemistry, continuous quality improvement, and accreditation. Serbian healthcare is based on fundamental principles of universal health coverage and solidarity between all citizens. PMID:28680362
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tsionsky, Vladimir
2007-01-01
The fundamentals, as well as the instrumentation of the quartz-crystal microbalance (QCM) technique that is used in an undergraduate laboratory experiment are being described. The QCM response can be easily used to change the properties of any system.
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A computer-managed undergraduate physics laboratory
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kalman, C. S.
1987-01-01
Seventeen one-semester undergraduate laboratory courses are managed by a microcomputer system at Concordia University. Students may perform experiments at any time during operating hours. The computer administers pre- and post-tests. Considerable savings in manpower costs is achieved. The system also provides many pedagogical advantages.
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Magnetic Braking Revisited: Activities for the Undergraduate Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ireson, Gren; Twidle, John
2008-01-01
This paper revisits the demonstration of Lenz by dropping magnets down a non-magnetic tube. Recent publications are reviewed and ideas for undergraduate laboratory investigations are suggested. Finally, an example of matching theory to observation is presented. (Contains 4 tables, 5 figures and 3 footnotes.)
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wanke, Randall; Stauffer, Jennifer
2007-01-01
An advanced undergraduate chemistry laboratory experiment to study the advantages and hazards of the coupling of NIR spectroscopy and chemometrics is described. The combination is commonly used for analysis and process control of various ingredients used in agriculture, petroleum and food products.
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Environmental Chemistry in the Undergraduate Laboratory.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wenzel, Thomas J.; Austin, Rachel N.
2001-01-01
Discusses the importance of environmental chemistry and the use of laboratory exercises in analytical and general chemistry courses. Notes the importance of lab work in heightening student interest in coursework including problem-based learning in undergraduate curricula, ready adaptability of environmental coursework to existing curricula, and…
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An Undergraduate Laboratory Exercise for Studying Kinetics of Batch Crystallization
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Louhi-Kultanen, Marjatta; Han, Bing; Nurkka, Annikka; Hatakka, Henry
2015-01-01
The present work describes an undergraduate laboratory exercise for improving understanding of fundamental phenomena in cooling crystallization. The exercise of nucleation and crystal growth kinetics supports learning of theories and models presented in lectures and calculation exercises. The teaching methodology incorporates precepts the…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Craig, Paul A.
2017-01-01
It will always remain a goal of an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course to engage students hands-on in a wide range of biochemistry laboratory experiences. In 2006, our research group initiated a project for "in silico" prediction of enzyme function based only on the 3D coordinates of the more than 3800 proteins "of unknown…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dabke, Rajeev B.; Gebeyehu, Zewdu; Padelford, Jonathan
2012-01-01
A directed study for the undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory for determining the transference number of H[superscript +](aq) using a modified moving boundary method is presented. The laboratory study combines Faraday's laws of electrolysis with mole ratios and the perfect gas equation. The volume of hydrogen gas produced at the cathode is…
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Training graduate students to be teachers.
de-Macedo, D V; de-Paula, E; Torres, B B
1999-12-01
Pedagogic education of graduate students, when and where it exists, is restricted to theoretical courses or to the participation of the students as teachers' assistants. This model is essentially reproductive and offers few opportunities for any significant curriculum innovation. To open an opportunity for novelty we have introduced a new approach in "Biochemistry Teaching", a course included in the Biochemistry Graduate Program of the Biochemistry Department (Universidade Estadual de Campinas and Universidade de São Paulo). The content of the course consists of a) choosing the theme, b) selecting and organizing the topics, c) preparing written material, d) establishing the methodological strategies, e) planning the evaluation tools and, finally, f) as teachers, conducting the course as an optional summer course for undergraduate students. During the first semester the graduate students establish general and specific educational objectives, select and organize contents, decide on the instructional strategies and plan evaluation tools. The contents are explored using a wide range of strategies, which include computer-aided instruction, laboratory classes, small group teaching, a few lectures and round table discussions. The graduate students also organize printed class notes to be used by the undergraduate students. Finally, as a group, they teach the summer course. In the three versions already developed, the themes chosen were Biochemistry of Exercise (UNICAMP), Biochemistry of Nutrition (UNICAMP) and Molecular Biology of Plants (USP). In all cases the number of registrations greatly exceeded the number of places and a selection had to be made. The evaluation of the experience by both graduate and undergraduate students was very positive. Graduate students considered this experience to be unique and recommended it to their schoolmates; the undergraduate students benefited from a more flexible curriculum (more options) and gave very high scores to both the courses and the teachers.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cook, Ryan; Hannon, Drew; Southard, Jonathan N.; Majumdar, Sudipta
2018-01-01
A one semester undergraduate biochemistry laboratory experience is described for an understanding of recombinant technology from gene cloning to protein characterization. An integrated experimental design includes three sequential modules: molecular cloning, protein expression and purification, and protein analysis and characterization. Students…
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The Quartz-Crystal Microbalance in an Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment: Measuring Mass
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tsionsky, Vladimir
2007-01-01
The study explains the quartz-crystal microbalance (QCM) technique, which is often used as an undergraduate laboratory experiment for measuring the mass of a system. QCM can be used as a mass sensor only when the measured mass is rigidly attached to the surface.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brownell, Sara E.; Kloser, Matthew J.
2015-01-01
Recent calls for reform have advocated for extensive changes to undergraduate science lab experiences, namely providing more authentic research experiences for students. Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) have attempted to eschew the limitations of traditional "cookbook" laboratory exercises and have received…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sampson, Victor; Phelps Walker, Joi
2012-07-01
This exploratory study examined how undergraduate students' ability to write in science changed over time as they completed a series of laboratory activities designed using a new instructional model called argument-driven inquiry. The study was conducted in a single section of an undergraduate general chemistry lab course offered at a large two-year community college located in the southeast USA. The intervention took place over a 15-week semester and consisted of six laboratory activities. During each laboratory activity, the undergraduates wrote investigation reports, participated in a double-blind group peer review of the reports, and revised their reports based on the reviews. The reports written during each laboratory activity were used to examine changes in the students' writing skills over time and to identify aspects of scientific writing that were the most difficult for the undergraduates in this context. The reviews produced by the students during each report were used to evaluate how well undergraduates engage in the peer-review process. The results of a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the reports and reviews indicate that the participants made significant improvements in their ability to write in science and were able to evaluate the quality of their peers' writing with a relatively high degree of accuracy, but they also struggled with several aspects of scientific writing. The conclusions and implications of the study include recommendations for helping undergraduate students learn to write by writing to learn in science and new directions for future research.
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Bacterial Production of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate): An Undergraduate Student Laboratory Experiment
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Burns, Kristi L.; Oldham, Charlie D.; May, Sheldon W.
2009-01-01
As part of a multidisciplinary course that is cross-listed between five departments, we developed an undergraduate student laboratory experiment for culturing, isolating, and purifying the biopolymer, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), PHB. This biopolyester accumulates in the cytoplasm of bacterial cells under specific growth conditions, and it has…
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Heteronuclear Multidimensional Protein NMR in a Teaching Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wright, Nathan T.
2016-01-01
Heteronuclear multidimensional NMR techniques are commonly used to study protein structure, function, and dynamics, yet they are rarely taught at the undergraduate level. Here, we describe a senior undergraduate laboratory where students collect, process, and analyze heteronuclear multidimensional NMR experiments using an unstudied Ig domain (Ig2…
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3D Printing of Protein Models in an Undergraduate Laboratory: Leucine Zippers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Meyer, Scott C.
2015-01-01
An upper-division undergraduate laboratory experiment is described that explores the structure/function relationship of protein domains, namely leucine zippers, through a molecular graphics computer program and physical models fabricated by 3D printing. By generating solvent accessible surfaces and color-coding hydrophobic, basic, and acidic amino…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Berkes, Charlotte; Chan, Leo Li-Ying
2015-01-01
We have developed a semester-long laboratory project for an undergraduate immunology course in which students study multiple aspects of macrophage biology including differentiation from progenitors in the bone marrow, activation upon stimulation with microbial ligands, expression of cell surface markers, and modulation of cytokine production. In…
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Simple & Rapid Generation of Complex DNA Profiles for the Undergraduate Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kass, David H.
2007-01-01
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) profiles can be generated by a variety of techniques incorporating different types of DNA markers. Simple methods are commonly utilized in the undergraduate laboratory, but with certain drawbacks. In this article, the author presents an advancement of the "Alu" dimorphism technique involving two tetraplex polymerase…
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An Accessible Two-Dimensional Solution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Experiment on Human Ubiquitin
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rovnyak, David; Thompson, Laura E.
2005-01-01
Solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is an invaluable tool in structural and molecular biology research, but may be underutilized in undergraduate laboratories because instrumentation for performing structural studies of macromolecules in aqueous solutions is not yet widely available for use in undergraduate laboratories. We have…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Esche, Sven K.
2006-01-01
This article presents how Stevens Institute of Technology (SIT) has adopted an Internet-based approach to implement its undergraduate student laboratories. The approach allowed student interaction with the experimental devices from remote locations at any time. Furthermore, it enabled instructors to include demonstrations of sophisticated…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Van Engelen, Debra L.; Suljak, Steven W.; Hall, J. Patrick; Holmes, Bert E.
2007-01-01
The laboratory course around the phytoremediation is designed to develop both individual skills and promote cooperative learning while starting students work on projects in a specific area of environmental chemistry and analysis. Many research-active undergraduate institutions have developed courses, which are interdisciplinary in nature that…
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High-Performance Liquid Chromatography in the Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Frey, Douglas D.; Guo, Hui; Karnik, Nikhila
2013-01-01
This article describes the assembly of a simple, low-cost, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system and its use in the undergraduate chemical engineering laboratory course to perform simple experiments. By interpreting the results from these experiments students are able to gain significant experience in the general method of…
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Guaiacol Peroxidase Zymography for the Undergraduate Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wilkesman, Jeff; Castro, Diana; Contreras, Lellys M.; Kurz, Liliana
2014-01-01
This laboratory exercise presents a novel way to introduce undergraduate students to the specific detection of enzymatic activity by electrophoresis. First, students prepare a crude peroxidase extract and then analyze the homogenate via electrophoresis. Zymography, that is, a SDS-PAGE method to detect enzyme activity, is used to specifically…
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A Sensitive and Robust Enzyme Kinetic Experiment Using Microplates and Fluorogenic Ester Substrates
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johnson, R. Jeremy; Hoops, Geoffrey C.; Savas, Christopher J.; Kartje, Zachary; Lavis, Luke D.
2015-01-01
Enzyme kinetics measurements are a standard component of undergraduate biochemistry laboratories. The combination of serine hydrolases and fluorogenic enzyme substrates provides a rapid, sensitive, and general method for measuring enzyme kinetics in an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory. In this method, the kinetic activity of multiple protein…
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Digital Storage Oscilloscopes in the Undergraduate Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kraftmakher, Yaakov
2012-01-01
Digital storage oscilloscopes (DSOs) are now easily available to undergraduate laboratories. In many cases, a DSO can replace a data-acquisition system. Seven such experiments/demonstrations are considered: (i) families of "I-V" characteristics of electronic devices (bipolar junction transistor), (ii) the "V-I" curve of a high-temperature…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lessard, George M.
1980-01-01
Described is an experiment used in an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory involving inducing rickets in chicks and correlating the disease to a reduction in vitamin D-dependent calcium binding protein. Techniques involved are hormone induction, protein isolation, and radioisotope methodology. (Author/DS)
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Advanced Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment in Inelastic Electron Tunneling Spectroscopy.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
White, H. W.; Graves, R. J.
1982-01-01
An advanced undergraduate laboratory experiment in inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy is described. Tunnel junctions were fabricated, the tunneling spectra of several molecules absorbed on the surface of aluminum oxide measured, and mode assignments made for several of the prominent peaks in spectra using results obtained from optical…
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Thermodynamics of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) Micellization: An Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Marcolongo, Juan P.; Mirenda, Martin
2011-01-01
An undergraduate laboratory experiment is presented that allows a thermodynamic characterization of micelle formation of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in aqueous solutions. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) and the degree of micelle ionization (alpha) are obtained at different temperatures by conductimetry. The molar standard free energy…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Clark, Ted M.; Ricciardo, Rebecca; Weaver, Tyler
2016-01-01
General chemistry courses predominantly use expository experiments that shape student expectations of what a laboratory activity entails. Shifting within a semester to course-based undergraduate research activities that include greater decision-making, collaborative work, and "messy" real-world data necessitates a change in student…
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An Introductory Undergraduate Course Covering Animal Cell Culture Techniques
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mozdziak, Paul E.; Petitte, James N.; Carson, Susan D.
2004-01-01
Animal cell culture is a core laboratory technique in many molecular biology, developmental biology, and biotechnology laboratories. Cell culture is a relatively old technique that has been sparingly taught at the undergraduate level. The traditional methodology for acquiring cell culture training has been through trial and error, instruction when…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kairouz, Vanessa; Collins, Shawn K.
2018-01-01
An undergraduate teaching laboratory experiment involving a continuous flow, bleach-mediated oxidation of aldehydes under biphasic conditions was developed that allowed students to explore concepts of mixing or mass transport, solvent sustainability, biphasic reactions, phase transfer catalysis, and continuous flow chemistry.
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Using Crickets to Introduce Neurophysiology to Early Undergraduate Students
Dagda, Ruben K.; Thalhauser, Rachael M.; Dagda, Raul; Marzullo, Timothy C.; Gage, Gregory J.
2013-01-01
Anatomy and physiology instructors often face the daunting task of teaching the principles of neurophysiology as part of a laboratory course with very limited resources. Teaching neurophysiology can be a difficult undertaking as sophisticated electrophysiology and data acquisition equipment is often financially out-of-reach for two-year institutions, and for many preparations, instructors need to be highly skilled in electrophysiology techniques when teaching hands-on laboratories. In the absence of appropriate laboratory tools, many undergraduate students have difficulty understanding concepts related to neurophysiology. The cricket can serve as a reliable invertebrate model to teach the basic concepts of neurophysiology in the educational laboratory. In this manuscript, we describe a series of hands-on, demonstrative, technologically simple, and affordable laboratory activities that will help undergraduate students gain an understanding of the principles of neurophysiology. By using the cerci ganglion and leg preparation, students can quantify extracellular neural activity in response to sensory stimulation, understand the principles of rate coding and somatotopy, perform electrical microstimulation to understand the threshold of sensory stimulation, and do pharmacological manipulation of neuronal activity. We describe the utility of these laboratory activities, provide a convenient protocol for quantifying extracellular recordings, and discuss feedback provided by undergraduate students with regards to the quality of the educational experience after performing the lab activities. PMID:24319394
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Mickley, G Andrew; Kenmuir, Cynthia; Remmers-Roeber, Dawn
2003-01-01
As neuroscience research and discovery undergoes phenomenal growth worldwide, undergraduate students are seeking complete laboratory experiences that go beyond the classic classroom curriculum and provide mentoring in all aspects of science. Stock, in-class, laboratory experiences with known outcomes are less desirable than discovery-based projects in which students become full partners with faculty in the design, conduct and documentation of experiments that find their way into the peer-reviewed literature. The challenges of providing such experiences in the context of a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI) can be daunting. Faculty teaching loads are high, and student time is spread over a variety of courses and co-curricular activities. In this context, undergraduates are often reluctant, or ill equipped, to take individual initiative to generate and perform empirical studies. They are more likely to become involved in a sustained, faculty-initiated research program. This paper describes such a program at Baldwin-Wallace College. Students frequently start their laboratory activities in the freshman or sophomore year and enter into a system of faculty and peer mentoring that leads them to experience all aspects of the research enterprise. Students begin with learning basic laboratory tasks and may eventually achieve the status of "Senior Laboratory Associate" (SLA). SLAs become involved in laboratory management, training of less-experienced students, manuscript preparation, and grant proposal writing. The system described here provides a structured, but encouraging, community in which talented undergraduates can develop and mature as they are mentored in the context of a modern neuroscience laboratory. Retention is very good - as most students continue their work in the laboratory for 2-3 years. Student self-reports regarding their growth and satisfaction with the experiences in the laboratory have been excellent and our neuroscience students' acceptance rate in graduate, medical and veterinary schools has been well above the College average. The system also fosters faculty productivity and satisfaction in the context of the typical challenges of conducting research at a PUI.
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Accelerator-based techniques for the support of senior-level undergraduate physics laboratories
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Williams, J. R.; Clark, J. C.; Isaacs-Smith, T.
2001-07-01
Approximately three years ago, Auburn University replaced its aging Dynamitron accelerator with a new 2MV tandem machine (Pelletron) manufactured by the National Electrostatics Corporation (NEC). This new machine is maintained and operated for the University by Physics Department personnel, and the accelerator supports a wide variety of materials modification/analysis studies. Computer software is available that allows the NEC Pelletron to be operated from a remote location, and an Internet link has been established between the Accelerator Laboratory and the Upper-Level Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory in the Physics Department. Additional software supplied by Canberra Industries has also been used to create a second Internet link that allows live-time data acquisition in the Teaching Laboratory. Our senior-level undergraduates and first-year graduate students perform a number of experiments related to radiation detection and measurement as well as several standard accelerator-based experiments that have been added recently. These laboratory exercises will be described, and the procedures used to establish the Internet links between our Teaching Laboratory and the Accelerator Laboratory will be discussed.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McKenzie, Nancy; McNulty, James; McLeod, David; McFadden, Meghan; Balachandran, Naresh
2012-01-01
A new undergraduate program in chemical biology was launched in 2008 to provide a unique learning experience for those students interested in this interdisciplinary science. An innovative undergraduate chemical biology laboratory course at the third-year level was developed as a key component of the curriculum. The laboratory course introduces…
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Synthesis and Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles for an Undergraduate Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Orbaek, Alvin W.; McHale, Mary M.; Barron, Andrew R.
2015-01-01
The aim of this simple, quick, and safe laboratory exercise is to provide undergraduate students an introduction to nanotechnology using nanoparticle (NP) synthesis. Students are provided two procedures that allow for the synthesis of different yet controlled sizes of silver NPs. After preparing the NPs, the students perform UV-visible…
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Forensic Analysis of Canine DNA Samples in the Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Carson, Tobin M.; Bradley, Sharonda Q.; Fekete, Brenda L.; Millard, Julie T.; LaRiviere, Frederick J.
2009-01-01
Recent advances in canine genomics have allowed the development of highly distinguishing methods of analysis for both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. We describe a laboratory exercise suitable for an undergraduate biochemistry course in which the polymerase chain reaction is used to amplify hypervariable regions of DNA from dog hair and saliva…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chen, Shuming
2018-01-01
An iridium(III)-mediated C-H functionalization sequence involving a concerted cyclometalation-deprotonation/migratory insertion pathway is reported for the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. The air- and water-stable iridacycle intermediates are readily isolated and characterized by NMR spectroscopy. Both steps of the experiment are performed at…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pritchard, Benjamin P.; Simpson, Scott; Zurek, Eva; Autschbach, Jochen
2014-01-01
A computational experiment investigating the [superscript 1]H and [superscript 13]C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shifts of molecules with unpaired electrons has been developed and implemented. This experiment is appropriate for an upper-level undergraduate laboratory course in computational, physical, or inorganic chemistry. The…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kerr, Melissa A.; Yan, Fei
2016-01-01
A continuous effort within an undergraduate university setting is to improve students' learning outcomes and thus improve students' attitudes about a particular field of study. This is undoubtedly relevant within a chemistry laboratory. This paper reports the results of an effort to introduce a problem-based learning strategy into the analytical…
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The PASCO Wireless Smart Cart: A Game Changer in the Undergraduate Physics Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Shakur, Asif; Connor, Rainor
2018-01-01
With the introduction of the Wireless Smart Cart by PASCO scientific in April 2016, we expect a paradigm shift in undergraduate physics laboratory instruction. We have evaluated the feasibility of using the smart cart by carrying out experiments that are usually performed using traditional PASCO equipment. The simplicity, convenience, and…
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ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy in the Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory: Part I--Fundamentals and Examples
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schuttlefield, Jennifer D.; Grassian, Vicki H.
2008-01-01
Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy is a useful technique for measuring the infrared spectra of solids and liquids as well as probing adsorption on particle surfaces. Several examples of the use of FTIR-ATR spectroscopy in different undergraduate chemistry laboratory courses are presented here. These…
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Ribose 5-Phosphate Isomerase Investigations for the Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jewett, Kathy; Sandwick, Roger K.
2011-01-01
The enzyme ribose 5-phosphate isomerase (RpiA) has many features that make it attractive as a focal point of a semester-long, advanced biochemistry laboratory for undergraduate students. The protein can easily and inexpensively be isolated from spinach using traditional purification techniques. Characterization of RpiA enzyme activity can be…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jittam, Piyachat; Boonsiri, Patcharee; Promptmas, Chamras; Sriwattanarothai, Namkang; Archavarungson, Nattinee; Ruenwongsa, Pintip; Panijpan, Bhinyo
2009-01-01
Haloperoxidase enzymes are of interest for basic and applied bioscientists because of their increasing importance in pharmaceutical industry and environmental cleanups. In a guided inquiry-based laboratory experiment for life-science, agricultural science, and health science undergraduates, the bromoperoxidase from a red seaweed was used to…
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Greenbeards in Yeast: An Undergraduate Laboratory Exercise to Teach the Genetics of Cooperation
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ågren, J. Arvid; Williamson, Robert J.; Campitelli, Brandon E.; Wheeler, Jill
2017-01-01
Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in our understanding of the social behaviour of microbes. Here, we take advantage of these developments to present an undergraduate laboratory exercise that uses the cooperative flocculating behaviour of yeast ("Saccharomyces sp.") to introduce the concept of inclusive fitness and teach the…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mulligan, Gregory; Taylor, Nichole; Glen, Mary; Tomlin, Dona; Gaul, Catherine A.
2011-01-01
Cross-disciplinary (CD) learning experiences benefit student understanding of concepts and curriculum by offering opportunities to explore topics from the perspectives of alternate fields of study. This report involves a qualitative evaluation of CD health sciences undergraduate laboratory experiences in which concepts and students from two…
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Microfluidic Gel Electrophoresis in the Undergraduate Laboratory Applied to Food Analysis
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chao, Tzu-Chiao; Bhattacharya, Sanchari; Ros, Alexandra
2012-01-01
A microfluidics-based laboratory experiment for the analysis of DNA fragments in an analytical undergraduate course is presented. The experiment is set within the context of food species identification via amplified DNA fragments. The students are provided with berry samples from which they extract DNA and perform polymerase chain reaction (PCR)…
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Comparing Online to Face-To-Face Delivery of Undergraduate Digital Circuits Content
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
LaMeres, Brock J.; Plumb, Carolyn
2014-01-01
This paper presents a comparison of online to traditional face-to-face delivery of undergraduate digital systems material. Two specific components of digital content were compared and evaluated: a sophomore logic circuits course with no laboratory, and a microprocessor laboratory component of a junior-level computer systems course. For each of…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Corwin, Lisa A.; Runyon, Christopher; Robinson, Aspen; Dolan, Erin L.
2015-01-01
Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are increasingly being offered as scalable ways to involve undergraduates in research. Yet few if any design features that make CUREs effective have been identified. We developed a 17-item survey instrument, the Laboratory Course Assessment Survey (LCAS), that measures students' perceptions…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Galloway, Kelli R.; Bretz, Stacey Lowery
2015-01-01
Research on learning in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory necessitates an understanding of students' perspectives of learning. Novak's Theory of Meaningful Learning states that the cognitive (thinking), affective (feeling), and psychomotor (doing) domains must be integrated for meaningful learning to occur. The psychomotor domain is the…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Richardson, W. S., III; Burns, L.
1988-01-01
Describes a simple high-performance liquid chromatography experiment for undergraduate biochemistry laboratories. The experiment illustrates the separation of polypeptides by a step gradient elution using a single pump instrument with no gradient attachments. Discusses instrumentation, analysis, a sample preparation, and results. (CW)
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Gas Clathrate Hydrates Experiment for High School Projects and Undergraduate Laboratories
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Prado, Melissa P.; Pham, Annie; Ferazzi, Robert E.; Edwards, Kimberly; Janda, Kenneth C.
2007-01-01
We present a laboratory procedure, suitable for high school and undergraduate students, for preparing and studying propane clathrate hydrate. Because of their gas storage potential and large natural deposits, gas clathrate hydrates may have economic importance both as an energy source and a transportation medium. Similar to pure ice, the gas…
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From Organelle to Protein Gel: A 6-Wk Laboratory Project on Flagellar Proteins
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mitchell, Beth Ferro; Graziano, Mary R.
2006-01-01
Research suggests that undergraduate students learn more from lab experiences that involve longer-term projects. We have developed a one-semester laboratory sequence aimed at sophomore-level undergraduates. In designing this curriculum, we focused on several educational objectives: 1) giving students a feel for the scientific research process, 2)…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Weeks, Andrea; Bachman. Beverly; Josway, Sarah; North, Brittany; Tsuchiya, Mirian T.N.
2013-01-01
Microscopy and precise observation are essential skills that are challenging to teach effectively to large numbers of undergraduate biology students. We implemented student-driven digital imaging assignments for microscopy in a large enrollment laboratory for organismal biology. We detail how we promoted student engagement with the material and…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ledbetter, Mary Lee S.; Lippert, Malcolm J.
2002-01-01
Membrane transport is a fundamental concept that undergraduate students of cell biology understand better with laboratory experience. Formal teaching exercises commonly used to illustrate this concept are unbiological, qualitative, or intricate and time consuming to prepare. We have developed an exercise that uses uptake of radiolabeled nutrient…
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Education in Medical Biochemistry in Serbia
2010-01-01
Medical biochemistry is the usual name for clinical biochemistry or clinical chemistry in Serbia. Medical biochemistry laboratories and medical biochemists as a profession are part of Health Care System and are regulated through: the Health Care Law and rules issued by the Chamber of Medical Biochemists of Serbia. The first continuous and organized education for Medical Biochemists in Serbia dates from 1945, when Department of Medical Biochemistry was established at Pharmaceutical Faculty in Belgrade. In 1987 at the same Faculty a five years undergraduate branch was established, educating Medical Biochemists under a special program. Since 2006 the new five year undergraduate (according to Bologna Declaration) and postgraduate program of four-year specialization according to EC4 European Syllabus for Post-Graduate Training in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine has been established. The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Health accredits the programs. There are four requirements for practicing medical biochemistry in the Health Care System: University Diploma of the Faculty of Pharmacy (Medical Biochemistry), successful completion of the profession exam at the Ministry of Health after completion of one additional year of obligatory practical training in medical laboratories, membership in the Serbian Chamber of Medical Biochemists and licence for skilled work issued by Serbian Chamber of Medical Biochemists. PMID:27683360
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ryan, J. G.
2003-12-01
Faculty at state research universities can find the paired requirements of establishing research programs and developing a "pipeline" of graduate students to be the most challenging aspects of their jobs, especially with shrinking pools of graduate applicants. These problems may be more acute for laboratory-based geochemists, as few graduate candidates possess the requisite quantitative and chemical backgrounds. The need to "get my research going" at the University of South Florida led me to work primarily with undergraduates, as a) they were available and interested, b) they required no more laboratory training than M.S. students; and c) small-dollar funds were available to support them, both in-house and via NSF REU Supplements. Some senior colleagues argued that this approach would hinder my developing a graduate program as is necessary for tenure. This contention turned out to be untrue. My success in undergraduate research draws funding (in NSF REU Site and disciplinary research grants), has attracted outside MS and Ph.D. candidates, and has retained quality in-house students seeking MS degrees. Students working with me join a laboratory community in which undergraduate and graduate researchers are on equal footing in terms of access to instrumentation and other facilities. I work with all my students, irrespective of rank, as members of a cooperative research group. I encourage and expect that technical instruction I provide to any individual will be passed on to their colleagues, which helps develop a "lab culture" of best practices, and ingrains new knowledge and skills through the act of teaching them to others. Maintaining this research environment requires active recruitment of capable graduate AND undergraduate students, regular monitoring of laboratory practices, and ready availability for consultation and mentoring. One must be cognizant of the differing time commitment issues of undergraduates and graduates, and set research goals appropriately. Undergraduate research projects in which 3-4 students work together to collect necessary data can get around the class vs. research scheduling issues they face as they can share the laboratory workload through the week. Group projects can thus collect larger bodies of data, allowing students to address more substantive problems.
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A biosafety level 2 virology lab for biotechnology undergraduates
Matza‐Porges, Sigal
2017-01-01
Abstract Medical, industrial, and basic research relies heavily on the use of viruses and vectors. Therefore, it is important that bioscience undergraduates learn the practicalities of handling viruses. Teaching practical virology in a student laboratory setup presents safety challenges, however. The aim of this article is to describe the design and implementation of a virology laboratory, with emphasis on student safety, for biotechnology undergraduates. Cell culture techniques, animal virus infection, quantification, and identification are taught at a biosafety level 2 for a diverse group of undergraduates ranging from 20 to 50 students per group. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(6):537–543, 2017. PMID:28758332
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sibbernsen, Kendra J.
One of the long-standing general undergraduate education requirements common to many colleges and universities is a science course with a laboratory experience component. One of the objectives frequently included in the description of most of these courses is that a student will understand the nature and processes of scientific inquiry. However, recent research has shown that learners in traditional undergraduate science laboratory environments are not developing a sufficiently meaningful understanding of scientific inquiry. Recently, astronomy laboratory activities have been developed that intentionally scaffold a student from guided activities to open inquiry ones and preliminary results show that these laboratories are successful for supporting students to understand the nature of scientific inquiry (Slater, S., Slater, T. F., & Shaner, 2008). This mixed-method quasi-experimental study was designed to determine how students in an undergraduate astronomy laboratory increase their understanding of inquiry working in relative isolation compared to working in small collaborative learning groups. The introductory astronomy laboratory students in the study generally increased their understanding of scientific inquiry over the course of the semester and this held true similarly for students working in groups and students working individually in the laboratories. This was determined by the examining the change in responses from the pretest to the posttest administration of the Views of Scientific Inquiry (VOSI) survey, the increase in scores on laboratory exercises, and observations from the instructor. Because the study was successful in determining that individuals in the astronomy laboratory do as well at understanding inquiry as those who complete their exercises in small groups, it would be appropriate to offer these inquiry-based exercises in an online format.
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Measurement of the sound absorption coefficient for an advanced undergraduate physics laboratory
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Macho-Stadler, E.; Elejalde-García, M. J.
2017-09-01
We present a simple experiment that allows advanced undergraduates to learn the basics of the acoustic properties of materials. The impedance tube-standing wave method is applied to study the normal absorption coefficient of acoustics insulators. The setup includes a tube, a speaker, a microphone, a digital function generator and an oscilloscope, material available in an undergraduate laboratory. Results of the change of the absorption coefficient with the frequency, the sample thickness and the sample density are analysed and compared with those obtained with a commercial system.
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The PASCO Wireless Smart Cart: A Game Changer in the Undergraduate Physics Laboratory
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shakur, Asif; Connor, Rainor
2018-03-01
With the introduction of the Wireless Smart Cart by PASCO scientific in April 2016, we expect a paradigm shift in undergraduate physics laboratory instruction. We have evaluated the feasibility of using the smart cart by carrying out experiments that are usually performed using traditional PASCO equipment. The simplicity, convenience, and cost-saving achieved by replacing a plethora of traditional laboratory sensors, wires, and equipment clutter with the smart cart are reported here.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Haji, Shaker; Erkey, Can
2005-01-01
A reaction kinetics experiment for the chemical engineering undergraduate laboratory course was developed in which in-situ Fourier Transfer Infrared spectroscopy was used to measure reactant and product concentrations. The kinetics of the hydrolysis of acetic anhydride was determined by experiments carried out in a batch reactor. The results…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Perone, Sam P.
The objective of this project has been the development of a successful approach for the incorporation of on-line computer technology into the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. This approach assumes no prior programing, electronics or instrumental analysis experience on the part of the student; it does not displace the chemistry content with…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jablonski, Erin L.; Vogel, Brandon M.; Cavanagh, Daniel P.; Beers, Kathryn L.
2010-01-01
A method to fabricate microfluidic devices and an experimental protocol to model intravascular gas embolism for undergraduate laboratories are presented. The fabrication process details how to produce masters on glass slides; these masters serve as molds to pattern channels in an elastomeric polymer that can be adhered to a substrate, resulting in…
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Testing Plastic Deformations of Materials in the Introductory Undergraduate Mechanics Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Romo-Kroger, C. M.
2012-01-01
Normally, a mechanics laboratory at the undergraduate level includes an experiment to verify compliance with Hooke's law in materials, such as a steel spring and an elastic rubber band. Stress-strain curves are found for these elements. Compression in elastic bands is practically impossible to achieve due to flaccidity. A typical experiment for…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hansen, Sarah J. R.; Zhu, Jieling; Karch, Jessica M.; Sorrento, Cristina M.; Ulichny, Joseph C.; Kaufman, Laura J.
2016-01-01
The gap between graduate research and introductory undergraduate teaching laboratories is often wide, but the development of teaching activities rooted within the research environment offers an opportunity for undergraduate students to have first-hand experience with research currently being conducted and for graduate students to develop…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Algar, W. Russ; Massey, Melissa; Krull, Ulrich J.
2009-01-01
A laboratory activity for an upper-level undergraduate course in instrumental analysis has been created around LabVIEW. Students learn rudimentary programming and interfacing skills during the construction of a fluorimeter assembled from common modular components. The fluorimeter consists of an inexpensive data acquisition module, LED light…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mui, Amy B.; Nelson, Sarah; Huang, Bruce; He, Yuhong; Wilson, Kathi
2015-01-01
This paper describes a web-enabled learning platform providing remote access to geospatial software that extends the learning experience outside of the laboratory setting. The platform was piloted in two undergraduate courses, and includes a software server, a data server, and remote student users. The platform was designed to improve the quality…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Meyer-Base, U.; Vera, A.; Meyer-Base, A.; Pattichis, M. S.; Perry, R. J.
2010-01-01
In this paper, an innovative educational approach to introducing undergraduates to both digital signal processing (DSP) and field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based design in a one-semester course and laboratory is described. While both DSP and FPGA-based courses are currently present in different curricula, this integrated approach reduces the…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hayes, Joseph M.
2014-01-01
A 3D model visualization and basic molecular modeling laboratory suitable for first-year undergraduates studying introductory medicinal chemistry is presented. The 2 h practical is embedded within a series of lectures on drug design, target-drug interactions, enzymes, receptors, nucleic acids, and basic pharmacokinetics. Serving as a teaching aid…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johanson, Kelly E.; Watt, Terry J.; McIntyre, Neil R.; Thompson, Marleesa
2013-01-01
Providing a project-based experience in an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory class can be complex with large class sizes and limited resources. We have designed a 6-week curriculum during which students purify and characterize the enzymes invertase and phosphatase from bakers yeast. Purification is performed in two stages via ethanol…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Famularo, Nicole; Kholod, Yana; Kosenkov, Dmytro
2016-01-01
This project is designed to improve physical chemistry and instrumental analysis laboratory courses for undergraduate students by employing as teaching tools novel technologies in electronics and data integration using the industrial Internet. The project carried out by upper-division undergraduates is described. Students are exposed to a complete…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
De Juan, Joaquin; Pérez-Cañaveras, Rosa M.; Segovia, Yolanda; Girela, Jose Luis; Martínez-Ruiz, Noemi; Romero-Rameta, Alejandro; Gómez-Torres, Maria José; Vizcaya-Moreno, M. Flores
2016-01-01
Cell biology is an academic discipline that organises and coordinates the learning of the structure, function and molecular composition of cells in some undergraduate biomedical programs. Besides course content and teaching methodologies, the laboratory environment is considered a key element in the teaching of and learning of cell biology. The…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lord, Richard L.; Davis, Lisa; Millam, Evan L.; Brown, Eric; Offerman, Chad; Wray, Paul; Green, Susan M. E.
2008-01-01
We present a first-principles determination of the photoelectron spectra of water and hypochlorous acid as a laboratory exercise accessible to students in an undergraduate physical chemistry course. This paper demonstrates the robustness and user-friendliness of software developed for the Franck-Condon factor calculation. While the calculator is…
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Integrating Bio-Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry into an Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Erasmus, Daniel J.; Brewer, Sharon E.; Cinel, Bruno
2015-01-01
Undergraduate laboratories expose students to a wide variety of topics and techniques in a limited amount of time. This can be a challenge and lead to less exposure to concepts and activities in bio-inorganic chemistry and analytical chemistry that are closely-related to biochemistry. To address this, we incorporated a new iron determination by…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Melin, Amanda D.; Lohmeier-Vogel, Elke M.
2004-01-01
We present a two-part undergraduate laboratory exercise. In the first part, electron transport in bovine heart submitochondrial particles causing reduction of cytochrome c is monitored at 550 nm. Redox-active dyes have historically been used in most previous undergraduate laboratory exercises of this sort but do not demonstrate respiratory…
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What are undergraduates doing at biological field stations and marine laboratories?
Janet Hodder
2009-01-01
Biological field stations and marine laboratories (FSMLs) serve as places to study the natural environment in a variety of ways, from the level of the molecule to the globe. Undergraduate opportunities at FSMLs reflect the diversity of study options -- formal courses, research and service internships, and field-trip experiences -- and students are responding to those...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Buckley, Heather L.; Beck, Annelise R.; Mulvihill, Martin J.; Douskey, Michelle C.
2013-01-01
Several principles of green chemistry are introduced through this experiment designed for use in the undergraduate analytical chemistry laboratory. An established experiment of liquid CO2 extraction of D-limonene has been adapted to include a quantitative analysis by gas chromatography. This facilitates drop-in incorporation of an exciting…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Siritunga, Dimuth; Navas, Vivian; Diffoot, Nanette
2012-01-01
Early involvement of students in hands-on research experiences are known to demystify research and promote the pursuit of careers in science. But in large enrollment departments such opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research are rare. To counteract such lack of opportunities, inquiry-based laboratory module in plant tissue…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ackerman, Megan M.; Ricciardi, Christopher; Weiss, David; Chant, Alan; Kraemer-Chant, Christina M.
2016-01-01
An undergraduate biochemistry laboratory experiment is described that utilizes free online bioinformatics tools along with readily available exonucleases to study the effects of base stacking and hydrogen bonding on the UV absorbance of DNA samples. UV absorbance of double-stranded DNA at the ?[subscript max] is decreased when the DNA bases are…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pageau, Gayle J.; Mabaera, Rodwell; Kosuda, Kathryn M.; Sebelius, Tamara A.; Ghaffari, Ali H.; Kearns, Kenneth A.; McIntyre, Jean P.; Beachy, Tina M.; Thamattoor, Dasan M.
2002-01-01
The diastereoselective synthesis of ethyl (E)-3-methyl-3-phenylglycidate, a strawberry flavoring agent, is carried out by epoxidizing ethyl trans-b-methylcinnamate with m-chloroperbenzoic acid. This epoxidation is appropriate for the introductory organic laboratory and augments the small number of such experiments currently available for undergraduate education. In the course of performing this exercise, students are exposed to many important facets of organic chemistry such as synthesis, reaction mechanism, stereochemistry, chromatography, quantitative analysis, spectroscopy, and computational chemistry. The 1H NMR spectrum of this compound is especially interesting and presents instructive examples of diastereotopic protons and shielding effects of the aromatic ring current.
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Analysis of graphical representation among freshmen in undergraduate physics laboratory
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Adam, A. S.; Anggrayni, S.; Kholiq, A.; Putri, N. P.; Suprapto, N.
2018-03-01
Physics concept understanding is the importance of the physics laboratory among freshmen in the undergraduate program. These include the ability to interpret the meaning of the graph to make an appropriate conclusion. This particular study analyses the graphical representation among freshmen in an undergraduate physics laboratory. This study uses empirical study with quantitative approach. The graphical representation covers 3 physics topics: velocity of sound, simple pendulum and spring system. The result of this study shows most of the freshmen (90% of the sample) make a graph based on the data from physics laboratory. It means the transferring process of raw data which illustrated in the table to physics graph can be categorised. Most of the Freshmen use the proportional principle of the variable in graph analysis. However, Freshmen can't make the graph in an appropriate variable to gain more information and can't analyse the graph to obtain the useful information from the slope.
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Known structure, unknown function: An inquiry-based undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course.
Gray, Cynthia; Price, Carol W; Lee, Christopher T; Dewald, Alison H; Cline, Matthew A; McAnany, Charles E; Columbus, Linda; Mura, Cameron
2015-01-01
Undergraduate biochemistry laboratory courses often do not provide students with an authentic research experience, particularly when the express purpose of the laboratory is purely instructional. However, an instructional laboratory course that is inquiry- and research-based could simultaneously impart scientific knowledge and foster a student's research expertise and confidence. We have developed a year-long undergraduate biochemistry laboratory curriculum wherein students determine, via experiment and computation, the function of a protein of known three-dimensional structure. The first half of the course is inquiry-based and modular in design; students learn general biochemical techniques while gaining preparation for research experiments in the second semester. Having learned standard biochemical methods in the first semester, students independently pursue their own (original) research projects in the second semester. This new curriculum has yielded an improvement in student performance and confidence as assessed by various metrics. To disseminate teaching resources to students and instructors alike, a freely accessible Biochemistry Laboratory Education resource is available at http://biochemlab.org. © 2015 The Authors Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
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Wang, Jack T H; Daly, Joshua N; Willner, Dana L; Patil, Jayee; Hall, Roy A; Schembri, Mark A; Tyson, Gene W; Hugenholtz, Philip
2015-05-01
Clinical microbiology testing is crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of community and hospital-acquired infections. Laboratory scientists need to utilize technical and problem-solving skills to select from a wide array of microbial identification techniques. The inquiry-driven laboratory training required to prepare microbiology graduates for this professional environment can be difficult to replicate within undergraduate curricula, especially in courses that accommodate large student cohorts. We aimed to improve undergraduate scientific training by engaging hundreds of introductory microbiology students in an Authentic Large-Scale Undergraduate Research Experience (ALURE). The ALURE aimed to characterize the microorganisms that reside in the healthy human oral cavity-the oral microbiome-by analyzing hundreds of samples obtained from student volunteers within the course. Students were able to choose from selective and differential culture media, Gram-staining, microscopy, as well as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing techniques, in order to collect, analyze, and interpret novel data to determine the collective oral microbiome of the student cohort. Pre- and postsurvey analysis of student learning gains across two iterations of the course (2012-2013) revealed significantly higher student confidence in laboratory skills following the completion of the ALURE (p < 0.05 using the Mann-Whitney U-test). Learning objectives on effective scientific communication were also met through effective student performance in laboratory reports describing the research outcomes of the project. The integration of undergraduate research in clinical microbiology has the capacity to deliver authentic research experiences and improve scientific training for large cohorts of undergraduate students.
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Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume IX, 2009
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Stiner, K. S.; Graham, S.; Khan, M.
Each year more than 600 undergraduate students are awarded paid internships at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Laboratories. Th ese interns are paired with research scientists who serve as mentors in authentic research projects. All participants write a research abstract and present at a poster session and/or complete a fulllength research paper. Abstracts and selected papers from our 2007–2008 interns that represent the breadth and depth of undergraduate research performed each year at our National Laboratories are published here in the Journal of Undergraduate Research. The fields in which these students worked included: Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Engineering; Environmentalmore » Science; General Science; Materials Science; Medical and Health Sciences; Nuclear Science; Physics; Science Policy; and Waste Management.« less
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bindeman, I. N.
2011-12-01
The Stable Isotope Laboratory at the University of Oregon has been used as a learning and outreach center in the framework of the 09 award entitled "Stable isotope insights into large-volume volcanic eruptions". The PI and other members of the group have actively recruitted undergraduate students, summer session and catalytic outreach undergraduates, and hosted international students, visitors, and collaborators from Russia, Iceland, France, the UK, Australia, and Switzerland. We also integrated closely with the Oregon-wide summer program that brings community college students to the University of Oregon for 2.5 months summer research residence (UCORE). In total we gave supervised five undergraduate students and three UCORE students. Additionally, we recruited undergraduates from U of Chicago, Colorado and Pomona Colleges to spend summers in the lab and in the field. In conjunction with the NSF funded PIRE program, two female graduate and one female undergraduate students participated in fieldwork in Kamchatka, and three Kamchatka undergraduates, and one Moscow graduate student visited the University Oregon. Students performed their own projects or Senior Theses and reported their results locally and at AGU conferences. We developed a management structure in which graduate students, a postdoc, and lab technician co-supervised students and visitors and this exposed them into the supervisory roles, contributed to the project progress, and liberated PI from micromanagement duties. The talk will present our experience with this management concept of a lab-based-learning initiative, which defines roles for each member of the lab. Our outreach activities included public lectures at community colleges by PI and a graduate student, and the topical Penrose conference co-organized by the PI, which attracted many students and visitors who collected their data in the lab. PI has introduced a voluntary fieldtrip as a part of his Volcanoes and Earthquake large enrollment class for non-majors. PI had less success in an attempt to involve non-geoscience majors into an optional satellite class due to the low interest among non-majors to explore geological and volcanological topics. Students in the Isotope Geochemistry and General Geochemistry classes used the Stable Isotope laboratory for their course papers, mostly related to the analyses of carbonate for isotopes of carbon and oxygen (paleoclimate projects), and using oxygen and hydrogen isotopes for sources of precipitation. Overall CAREER award provided excellent chance for multi-dimensional research that cross cut international boundaries, brings new projects in and contributes to the educational development of the PI and his group.
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2015-05-16
synthesis of iron magnetic nanoparticles is being investigated (Appendix A; Scheme IV). In the first step, precursor iron(III) chloride nanoparticles...and other methods. Currently, we are developing a two-step scheme for the synthesis of esters that will require distillation and/or column...recognize the link between them. We are developing for the above purpose, the microwave-assisted, two-step synthesis of high boiling point esters. The
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Enhancing Undergraduate Teaching and Research with a "Drosophila" Virginizing System
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Venema, Dennis R.
2006-01-01
Laboratory exercises using "Drosophila" crosses are an effective pedagogical method to complement traditional lecture and textbook presentations of genetics. Undergraduate thesis research is another common setting for using "Drosophila." A significant barrier to using "Drosophila" for undergraduate teaching or research is the time and skill…
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Argumentation in Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratories
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Walker, Joi Phelps
2011-01-01
To address the need for reform in undergraduate science education a new instructional model called "Argument-Driven Inquiry" (ADI) was developed and then implemented in a undergraduate chemistry course at a community college in the southeastern United States (Sampson, Walker, & Grooms, 2009; Walker, Sampson, & Zimmerman, in press). The ADI…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Austin, Caroline A.
1997-01-01
Analyzes undergraduate research projects in biochemistry and related subjects at British universities. Discusses the trend toward students doing less research as part of their undergraduate study. Reasons cited for this trend include increased student numbers and costs. (DDR)
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Goodwin, Thomas E.
1984-01-01
An undergraduate research program in natural product synthesis was established at a small liberal arts college. Discusses program goals (including the total synthesis of maytansine), objectives, and accomplishments to date. Guidelines for establishing such programs are offered. (JN)
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hilbelink, Amy J.
2009-01-01
Results of a study designed to determine the effectiveness of implementing three-dimensional (3D) stereo images of a human skull in an undergraduate human anatomy online laboratory were gathered and analysed. Mental model theory and its applications to 3D relationships are discussed along with the research results. Quantitative results on 62 pairs…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mayhew, Hannah E.; Frano, Kristen A.; Svoboda, Shelley A.; Wustholz, Kristin L.
2015-01-01
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) studies of art represent an attractive way to introduce undergraduate students to concepts in nanoscience, vibrational spectroscopy, and instrumental analysis. Here, we present an undergraduate analytical or physical chemistry laboratory wherein a combination of normal Raman and SERS spectroscopy is used to…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
da Silva, Anderson G. M.; Rodrigues, Thenner S.; Parussulo, Andre´ L. A.; Candido, Eduardo G.; Geonmonond, Rafael S.; Brito, Hermi F.; Toma, Henrique E.; Camargo, Pedro H. C.
2017-01-01
Undergraduate-level laboratory experiments that involve the synthesis of nanomaterials with well-defined/controlled shapes are very attractive under the umbrella of nanotechnology education. Herein we describe a low-cost and facile experiment for the synthesis of Cu(OH)[subscript 2] and CuO nanowires comprising three main parts: (i) synthesis of…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Damkaci, Fehmi; Braun, Timothy F.; Gublo, Kristin
2017-01-01
We describe the design and implementation of an undergraduate peer mentor program that can overlay an existing general chemistry laboratory and is designed to improve STEM student retention. For the first four freshman cohorts going through the program, year-to-year retention improved by a four-year average of 20% for students in peer-mentored…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Scanlon, Christopher; Gebeyehu, Zewdu; Griffin, Kameron; Dabke, Rajeev B.
2014-01-01
An undergraduate laboratory experiment for the volumetric quantitative analysis of ascorbic acid and iron in dietary supplement tablets is presented. Powdered samples of the dietary supplement tablets were volumetrically titrated against electrolytically generated reagents, and the mass of dietary reagent in the tablet was determined from the…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Boffa, Vittorio; Yue, Yuanzheng; He, Wen
2012-01-01
As part of a laboratory course, undergraduate students were asked to use baker's yeast cells as biotemplate in preparing TiO[subscript 2] powders and to test the photocatalytic activity of the resulting materials. This laboratory experience, selected because of the important environmental implications of soft chemistry and photocatalysis, provides…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ito, Takashi; Perera, D. M. Neluni T.; Nagasaka, Shinobu
2008-01-01
This article describes an undergraduate electrochemistry laboratory experiment in which the students measure the L-ascorbic acid content of a real sample. Gold electrodes modified with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of thioctic acid and cysteamine are prepared to study the effects of surface modification on the electrode reaction of L-ascorbic…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sibbernsen, Kendra J.
2010-01-01
One of the long-standing general undergraduate education requirements common to many colleges and universities is a science course with a laboratory experience component. One of the objectives frequently included in the description of most of these courses is that a student will understand the nature and processes of scientific inquiry. However,…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hood-DeGrenier, Jennifer K.
2008-01-01
The movement of newly synthesized proteins through the endomembrane system of eukaryotic cells, often referred to generally as the secretory pathway, is a topic covered in most intermediate-level undergraduate cell biology courses. An article previously published in this journal described a laboratory exercise in which yeast mutants defective in…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cross, Chrissy J.
2017-01-01
In the undergraduate biology laboratory, many freshmen are apathetic towards the content of the course. Curriculum based reader's theater (CRBT) is an instructional method that can increase interest the students in the content of the course while improving student communication, collaboration and understanding. This research is an examination of…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mitchell, Eugene E., Ed.
Ways are described for the use of a microprocessor trainer in undergraduate laboratories. Listed are microcomputer applications that have been used as demonstrations and which provide signals for other experiments which are not related to microprocessors. Information and figures are provided for methods to do the following: direct generation of…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bornhorst, Joshua A.; Deibel, Michael A.; Mulnix, Amy B.
2004-01-01
A novel experimental sequence for the advanced undergraduate laboratory course has been developed at Earlham College. Utilizing recent improvements in molecular techniques for a time-sensitive environment, undergraduates were able to create a chimera of a selected gene and green fluorescent protein (GFP) in a bacterial expression plasmid over the…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Belliveau, James F.; And Others
1981-01-01
Describes an undergraduate laboratory experiment using viscosity to follow the progress of the contractile process in muscles. This simple, short experiment illustrates the action of ATP as the source of energy in the contractile process and the catalytic effect of calcium ions as a control in the energy producing process. (CS)
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Burns, Patrick J.; Tsitovich, Pavel B.; Morrow, Janet R.
2016-01-01
Laboratory experiments that demonstrate the effect of paramagnetic complexes on chemical shifts and relaxation times of protons are a useful way to introduce magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) probes or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. In this undergraduate inorganic chemistry experiment, a paramagnetic Co(II) cage complex is…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ault, Andrew P.; Pomeroy, Robert
2012-01-01
Biodiesel has gained attention in recent years as a renewable fuel source due to its reduced greenhouse gas and particulate emissions, and it can be produced within the United States. A laboratory experiment designed for students in an upper-division undergraduate laboratory is described to study biodiesel production and biodiesel mixing with…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Roberts, Jason E.; Zeng, Guang; Maron, Marta K.; Mach, Mindy; Dwebi, Iman; Liu, Yong
2016-01-01
This paper reports an undergraduate laboratory experiment to measure heterogeneous liquid/gas reaction kinetics (ozone-oleic acid and ozone-phenothrin) using a flow reactor coupled to an attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectrometer. The experiment is specially designed for an upper-level undergraduate Physical…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fry, Charles G.; Hofstetter, Heike; Bowman, Matthew D.
2017-01-01
Quantitative [superscript 13]C NMR provides a straightforward method of analyzing edible oils in undergraduate chemistry laboratories. [superscript 13]C spectra are relatively easy to understand, and are much simpler to analyze and workup than corresponding [superscript 1]H spectra. Average chain length, degree of saturation, and average…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hardwick, Jean C.; Kerchner, Michael; Lom, Barbara; Ramirez, Julio J.; Wiertelak, Eric P.
2006-01-01
This article features the organization Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience. FUN was established by a group of neuroscientists dedicated to innovation and excellence in undergraduate neuroscience education and research. In the years since its inception, FUN has grown into a dynamic organization making a significant impact on the quality of…
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Engaging Undergraduates in Social Science Research: The Taking the Pulse of Saskatchewan Project
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Berdahl, Loleen
2014-01-01
Although student involvement in research and inquiry can advance undergraduate learning, there are limited opportunities for undergraduate students to be directly involved in social science research. Social science faculty members typically work outside of laboratory settings, with the limited research assistance work being completed by graduate…
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Lowering Barriers to Undergraduate Research through Collaboration with Local Craft Breweries
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McDermott, M. Luke
2016-01-01
Laboratory research experiences are highly impactful learning environments for undergraduate students. However, a surprising number of chemistry students do not research. These students often do not research because they lack the time, interest, opportunity, or awareness. Course-based undergraduate research experiences can reach out to these…
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Development of an Undergraduate Course--Internet-Based Instrumentation and Control
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zhuang, Hanqi; Morgera, Salvatore D.
2007-01-01
The objective, strategy, and implementation details of a new undergraduate course, Internet-based Instrumentation and Control, are presented. The course has a companion laboratory that is supported by the National Science Foundation and industry. The combination is offered to senior-level undergraduate engineering students interested in sensing,…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Clase, Kari L.; Hein, Patrick W.; Pelaez, Nancy J.
2008-01-01
Physiology as a discipline is uniquely positioned to engage undergraduate students in interdisciplinary research in response to the 2006-2011 National Science Foundation Strategic Plan call for innovative transformational research, which emphasizes multidisciplinary projects. To prepare undergraduates for careers that cross disciplinary…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Yu, Hong-Bin
2015-01-01
Hiring undergraduate lab assistants in chemistry departments is common in college. However, few studies have focused on promoting undergraduate chemistry learning and thinking skills through this work experience in chemistry teaching laboratories. This article discusses the strategy we implemented in the lab assistant program. The…
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Learning, Teaching and Scholarship: Fundamental Tensions of Undergraduate Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Laursen, Sandra; Seymour, Elaine; Hunter, Anne-Barrie
2012-01-01
Each year, thousands of undergraduates in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields conduct research in US university and college laboratories. Such undergraduate research (UR) experiences are common practice in US higher education, with nearly a century of history at research universities and liberal arts colleges.…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brandriss, Mark E.
2010-01-01
This article describes ways to incorporate high-precision measurements of the specific gravities of minerals into undergraduate courses in mineralogy and physical geology. Most traditional undergraduate laboratory methods of measuring specific gravity are suitable only for unusually large samples, which severely limits their usefulness for student…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gourlay, Barbara Elas
This research project investigates communication between international teaching assistants and their undergraduate students in university-level chemistry labs. During the fall semester, introductory-level chemistry lab sections of three experienced non-native speaking teaching assistants and their undergraduate students were observed. Digital audio and video recordings documented fifteen hours of lab communication, focusing on the activities and interactions in the first hour of the chemistry laboratory sessions. In follow-up one-on-one semi-structured interviews, the participants (undergraduates, teaching assistants, and faculty member) reviewed interactions and responded to a 10-item, 7-point Likert-scaled interview. Interactions were classified into success categories based on participants' opinions. Quantitative and qualitative data from the observations and interviews guided the analysis of the laboratory interactions, which examined patterns of conversational listening. Analysis of laboratory communication reveals that undergraduates initiated nearly two-thirds of laboratory communication, with three-fourths of interactions less than 30 seconds in duration. Issues of gender and topics of interaction activity were also explored. Interview data identified that successful undergraduate-teaching assistant communication in interactive science labs depends on teaching assistant listening comprehension skills to interpret and respond successfully to undergraduate questions. Successful communication in the chemistry lab depended on the coordination of visual and verbal sources of information. Teaching assistant responses that included explanations and elaborations were also seen as positive features in the communicative exchanges. Interaction analysis focusing on the listening comprehension demands placed on international teaching assistants revealed that undergraduate-initiated questions often employ deixis (exophoric reference), requiring teaching assistants to demonstrate skills at disambiguating undergraduate discourse. Interaction analysis reinforced that successful undergraduate-teaching assistant communication depends on the coordination of verbal and visual channels of communication, with the physical objects of the chemistry lab environment playing a pivotal role in expressing information and in mutual understanding. These results have implications for the evaluation of English proficiency and the preparation of non-native speaking teaching assistants by pointing out that teaching assistant listening comprehension skills and the use of contextual artifacts contribute to successful communication and are areas that, to date, have been underrepresented in the research literature on international teaching assistant communication.
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Militello, Kevin T
2013-01-01
Epigenetic inheritance is the inheritance of genetic information that is not based on DNA sequence alone. One type of epigenetic information that has come to the forefront in the last few years is modified DNA bases. The most common modified DNA base in nature is 5-methylcytosine. Herein, we describe a laboratory experiment that combines bioinformatic and molecular approaches to study the presence and abundance of 5-methylcytosine in different organisms. Students were originally provided with the protein sequence of the Xenopus laevis DNMT1 cytosine-5 DNA methyltransferase and used BLASTP searches to detect the presence of protein orthologs in the genomes of several organisms including Homo sapiens, Mus musculus, Plasmodium falciparum, Drosophila melanogaster, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Caenorhabditis elegans. Students generated hypotheses regarding the presence and abundance of 5-methylcytosine in these organisms based on their bioinformatics data, and directly tested their predictions on a subset of DNAs using restriction enzyme isoschizomer assays. A southern blotting assay to answer the same question is also presented. In addition to exposure to the field of epigenetics, the strengths of the laboratory are students are able to make predictions using bioinformatic tools and quickly test them in the laboratory. In addition, students are exposed to two potential misinterpretations of bioinformatic search data. The laboratory is easily modified to incorporate outside research interests in epigenetics. © 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
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The Virtual Poster Showcase: Opportunities for students to present their research from anywhere
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Asher, P. M.; Furukawa, H.; Williams, B. M.; Holm Adamec, B.
2015-12-01
Although many students conduct research with faculty in organized summer programs or as part of their course work or their degree work, they often face barriers to traveling to present that research, especially at national or international conferences. This is especially true for students who are members of underrepresented minority populations and students studying outside of the United States. A new and exciting opportunity for undergraduate as well as graduate students to showcase their work is now available. AGU piloted three opportunities for an undergraduate and graduate virtual poster showcase in the fall of 2015. Student participants were recruited from a diverse array of groups including minority-serving organizations, two-year colleges, and internship programs at federal agencies and national laboratories. Students uploaded an abstract, poster, and short video explain their research, and then participated in Q&A sessions with peers as well as expert judges. This presentation will share characteristics of participating groups, lessons learned from this new program, and preliminary evaluation findings as well as plans for the future.
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Bowey-Dellinger, Kristen; Dixon, Luke; Ackerman, Kristin; Vigueira, Cynthia; Suh, Yewseok K; Lyda, Todd; Sapp, Kelli; Grider, Michael; Crater, Dinene; Russell, Travis; Elias, Michael; Coffield, V McNeil; Segarra, Verónica A
2017-01-01
Undergraduate students learn about mammalian cell culture applications in introductory biology courses. However, laboratory modules are rarely designed to provide hands-on experience with mammalian cells or teach cell culture techniques, such as trypsinization and cell counting. Students are more likely to learn about cell culture using bacteria or yeast, as they are typically easier to grow, culture, and manipulate given the equipment, tools, and environment of most undergraduate biology laboratories. In contrast, the utilization of mammalian cells requires a dedicated biological safety cabinet and rigorous antiseptic techniques. For this reason, we have devised a laboratory module and method herein that familiarizes students with common cell culture procedures, without the use of a sterile hood or large cell culture facility. Students design and perform a time-efficient inquiry-based cell viability experiment using HeLa cells and tools that are readily available in an undergraduate biology laboratory. Students will become familiar with common techniques such as trypsinizing cells, cell counting with a hemocytometer, performing serial dilutions, and determining cell viability using trypan blue dye. Additionally, students will work with graphing software to analyze their data and think critically about the mechanism of death on a cellular level. Two different adaptations of this inquiry-based lab are presented-one for non-biology majors and one for biology majors. Overall, these laboratories aim to expose students to mammalian cell culture and basic techniques and help them to conceptualize their application in scientific research.
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Bowey-Dellinger, Kristen; Dixon, Luke; Ackerman, Kristin; Vigueira, Cynthia; Suh, Yewseok K.; Lyda, Todd; Sapp, Kelli; Grider, Michael; Crater, Dinene; Russell, Travis; Elias, Michael; Coffield, V. McNeil; Segarra, Verónica A.
2017-01-01
Undergraduate students learn about mammalian cell culture applications in introductory biology courses. However, laboratory modules are rarely designed to provide hands-on experience with mammalian cells or teach cell culture techniques, such as trypsinization and cell counting. Students are more likely to learn about cell culture using bacteria or yeast, as they are typically easier to grow, culture, and manipulate given the equipment, tools, and environment of most undergraduate biology laboratories. In contrast, the utilization of mammalian cells requires a dedicated biological safety cabinet and rigorous antiseptic techniques. For this reason, we have devised a laboratory module and method herein that familiarizes students with common cell culture procedures, without the use of a sterile hood or large cell culture facility. Students design and perform a time-efficient inquiry-based cell viability experiment using HeLa cells and tools that are readily available in an undergraduate biology laboratory. Students will become familiar with common techniques such as trypsinizing cells, cell counting with a hemocytometer, performing serial dilutions, and determining cell viability using trypan blue dye. Additionally, students will work with graphing software to analyze their data and think critically about the mechanism of death on a cellular level. Two different adaptations of this inquiry-based lab are presented—one for non-biology majors and one for biology majors. Overall, these laboratories aim to expose students to mammalian cell culture and basic techniques and help them to conceptualize their application in scientific research. PMID:28861134
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Issues in undergraduate education in computational science and high performance computing
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Marchioro, T.L. II; Martin, D.
1994-12-31
The ever increasing need for mathematical and computational literacy within their society and among members of the work force has generated enormous pressure to revise and improve the teaching of related subjects throughout the curriculum, particularly at the undergraduate level. The Calculus Reform movement is perhaps the best known example of an organized initiative in this regard. The UCES (Undergraduate Computational Engineering and Science) project, an effort funded by the Department of Energy and administered through the Ames Laboratory, is sponsoring an informal and open discussion of the salient issues confronting efforts to improve and expand the teaching of computationalmore » science as a problem oriented, interdisciplinary approach to scientific investigation. Although the format is open, the authors hope to consider pertinent questions such as: (1) How can faculty and research scientists obtain the recognition necessary to further excellence in teaching the mathematical and computational sciences? (2) What sort of educational resources--both hardware and software--are needed to teach computational science at the undergraduate level? Are traditional procedural languages sufficient? Are PCs enough? Are massively parallel platforms needed? (3) How can electronic educational materials be distributed in an efficient way? Can they be made interactive in nature? How should such materials be tied to the World Wide Web and the growing ``Information Superhighway``?« less
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A biosafety level 2 virology lab for biotechnology undergraduates.
Matza-Porges, Sigal; Nathan, Dafna
2017-11-01
Medical, industrial, and basic research relies heavily on the use of viruses and vectors. Therefore, it is important that bioscience undergraduates learn the practicalities of handling viruses. Teaching practical virology in a student laboratory setup presents safety challenges, however. The aim of this article is to describe the design and implementation of a virology laboratory, with emphasis on student safety, for biotechnology undergraduates. Cell culture techniques, animal virus infection, quantification, and identification are taught at a biosafety level 2 for a diverse group of undergraduates ranging from 20 to 50 students per group. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(6):537-543, 2017. © 2017 The Authors Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
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Dickie, J; Shearer, A C; Ricketts, D N J
2014-02-01
This audit aimed to assess the quality of communication between dental students/qualified dentists and dental technicians, increase the percentage of satisfactorily completed laboratory prescriptions and reduce the number of errors that can result from poor communication. A subsidiary aim was to educate students and staff in this respect. An audit of laboratory prescription completion was conducted within Dundee Dental Hospital. Four hundred and eighteen prescriptions for indirect fixed restorations completed by dental undergraduates and qualified staff were audited over a three month period (first audit cycle). Educational reminders on laboratory prescriptions were then provided to undergraduates and qualified staff, a further three hundred and twenty-two prescriptions were audited (second audit cycle) and compared with the first cycle. Satisfactorily completed prescriptions increased from 28% to 43% following basic educational intervention. However, this percentage still signifies a poor level of completion and the need for improvement. Some aspects of the prescription were completed better than others, but overall the standard remained poor with a significant number failing to comply with guidelines set by the UK General Dental Council, the European Union's Medical Devices Directive and the British Society for Restorative Dentistry (BSRD). Further undergraduate and staff training on laboratory prescription writing will be necessary through staff training events and developments in the undergraduate curriculum. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Harris, Judy R.
2011-01-01
This study provides evidence that peer marking can be a reliable tool for assessing laboratory reports in large cohorts. It was conducted over a 4-yr period with first-year undergraduates ([asymptotically equivalent to]180 students/cohort) taking a mammalian physiology course, but the procedure adopted would be applicable to any other…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lisovskiy, V. A.; Koval, V. A.; Artushenko, E. P.; Yegorenkov, V. D.
2012-01-01
In this paper we suggest a simple technique for validating the Goldstein-Wehner law for a stratified positive column of dc glow discharge while studying the properties of gas discharges in an undergraduate laboratory. To accomplish this a simple device with a pre-vacuum mechanical pump, dc source and gas pressure gauge is required. Experiments may…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dabke, Rajeev B.; Gebeyehu, Zewdu
2012-01-01
A simple 3-h physical chemistry undergraduate experiment for the quantitative analysis of acetic acid in household vinegar is presented. The laboratory experiment combines titration concept with electrolysis and an application of the gas laws. A vinegar sample was placed in the cathode compartment of the electrolysis cell. Electrolysis of water…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Walker, Joi Phelps; Sampson, Victor
2013-01-01
This paper presents preliminary evidence supporting the use of peer review in undergraduate science as a means to improve student writing and to alleviate barriers, such as lost class time, by incorporation of the peer-review process into the laboratory component of the course. The study was conducted in a single section of an undergraduate…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sims, Paul A.; Branscum, Katie M.; Kao, Lydia; Keaveny, Virginia R.
2010-01-01
A method to purify genomic DNA from "Escherichia coli" is presented. The method is an amalgam of published methods but has been modified and optimized for use in the undergraduate biochemistry laboratory. Specifically, the method uses Tide Free 2x Ultra laundry detergent, which contains unspecified proteases and lipases, "n"-butanol, 2-propanol,…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Burum, Alex D.; Splittgerber, Allan G.
2008-01-01
This article describes a static method as an alternative to gel chromatography, which may be used as an undergraduate laboratory experiment. In this method, a constant mass of Sephadex gel is swollen in a series of protein solutions. UV-vis spectrophotometry is used to find a partition coefficient, KD, that indicates the fraction of the interior…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Solberg, Brooke L.
2011-01-01
As a result of massive retirement and educational program expense and closure, the field of Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) is facing a critical workforce shortage. Combatting this issue by increasing undergraduate class size is a difficult proposition due to the intense psychomotor curricular requirements of MLS programs. Technological advances…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Way, Amy L.
2006-01-01
This article presents methods for the isolation and culture of epithelial cells from the bovine oviduct for use in both research and the teaching laboratory and provides examples of ways that an oviductal cell culture can be incorporated into an undergraduate research program. Cow reproductive tracts are readily available from area butchers, and…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Angelo, Nicholas G.; Henchey, Laura K.; Waxman, Adam J.; Canary, James W.; Arora, Paramjit S.; Wink, Donald
2007-01-01
An experiment for the undergraduate chemistry laboratory in which students perform the aldol condensation on an unknown aldehyde and an unknown ketone is described. The experiment involves the use of techniques such as TLC, column chromatography, and recrystallization, and compounds are characterized by [to the first power]H NMR, GC-MS, and FTIR.…
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Support for hands-on optics immersions (Conference Presentation)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Spalding, Gabriel C.; McCann, Lowell I.
2016-09-01
The Advanced Laboratory Physics Association (ALPhA) is an official affiliate organization of the AAPT, supporting upper-level undergraduate instructional lab education in physics. The ALPhA Immersions program is intended to be an efficient use of an instructor's time: with expert colleague-mentors on hand they spend 2.5 days learning a key new instructional experiment (of their choice) well enough to confidently teach it to the students at their home institutions. At an ALPhA Immersion, participants work in groups of no more than three per experimental setup. Our follow-up surveys support the notion that this individualized, concentrated focus directly results in significant updating and improvement of undergraduate laboratory instruction in physics across the country. Such programs have the effect of encouraging investment, on the part of individual institutions. For example, we have disseminated ideas, training, and equipment for contemporary single-photon-based instructional labs dealing with core, contemporary issues in Quantum Mechanics. By the time this paper is presented, ALPhA will have delivered at least 420 single-photon detectors to a wide variety of educational institutions. We have also partnered with the non-profit Jonathan F. Reichert Foundation to support equipment acquisition by institutions participating in our wide variety of training programs.
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Digital lock-in amplifier based on soundcard interface for physics laboratory
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sinlapanuntakul, J.; Kijamnajsuk, P.; Jetjamnong, C.; Chotikaprakhan, S.
2017-09-01
The purpose of this paper is to develop a digital lock-in amplifier based on soundcard interface for undergraduate physics laboratory. Both series and parallel RLC circuit laboratory are tested because of its well-known, easy to understand and simple confirm. The sinusoidal signal at the frequency of 10 Hz - 15 kHz is generated to the circuits. The amplitude and phase of the voltage drop across the resistor, R are measured in 10 step decade. The signals from soundcard interface and lock-in amplifier are compared. The results give a good correlation. It indicates that the design digital lock-in amplifier is promising for undergraduate physic laboratory.
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Known structure, unknown function: An inquiry‐based undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course
Gray, Cynthia; Price, Carol W.; Lee, Christopher T.; Dewald, Alison H.; Cline, Matthew A.; McAnany, Charles E.
2015-01-01
Abstract Undergraduate biochemistry laboratory courses often do not provide students with an authentic research experience, particularly when the express purpose of the laboratory is purely instructional. However, an instructional laboratory course that is inquiry‐ and research‐based could simultaneously impart scientific knowledge and foster a student's research expertise and confidence. We have developed a year‐long undergraduate biochemistry laboratory curriculum wherein students determine, via experiment and computation, the function of a protein of known three‐dimensional structure. The first half of the course is inquiry‐based and modular in design; students learn general biochemical techniques while gaining preparation for research experiments in the second semester. Having learned standard biochemical methods in the first semester, students independently pursue their own (original) research projects in the second semester. This new curriculum has yielded an improvement in student performance and confidence as assessed by various metrics. To disseminate teaching resources to students and instructors alike, a freely accessible Biochemistry Laboratory Education resource is available at http://biochemlab.org. © 2015 The Authors Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 43(4):245–262, 2015. PMID:26148241
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mordacq, John C.; Drane, Denise L.; Swarat, Su L.; Lo, Stanley M.
2017-01-01
In recent years, commissions and reports have called for laboratory courses that engage undergraduates in authentic research experiences. We present an iterative approach for developing course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) that help students learn scientific inquiry skills and foster expert-like perceptions about biology. This…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ortiz-Arias, Deedee; Zwicker, Andrew; Dominguez, Arturo; Greco, Shannon
2017-10-01
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) uses a host of outreach initiatives to inform the general population: the Young Women's Conference, Science Bowl, Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship, My Brother's Keeper, a variety of workshops for university faculty and undergraduate students, public and scheduled lab tours, school and community interactive plasma science demonstrations. In addition to informing and educating the public about the laboratory's important work in the areas of Plasma and Fusion, these outreach initiatives, are also used as an opportunity to identify/educate/recruit the next generation of the STEM workforce. These programs provide the laboratory with the ability to: engage the next generation at different paths along their development (K-12, undergraduate, graduate, professional), at different levels of scientific content (science demonstrations, remote experiments, lectures, tours), in some instances, targeting underrepresented groups in STEM (women and minorities), and train additional STEM educators to take learned content into their own classrooms.
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Kawai, Tadashi
2015-10-01
Continuous advances in medical laboratory technology have driven major changes in the practice of laboratory medicine over the past two decades. The importance of the overall quality of a medical laboratory has been ever-increasing in order to improve and ensure the quality and safety of clinical practice by physicians in any type of medical facility. Laboratory physicians and professional staff should challenge themselves more than ever in various ways to cooperate and contribute with practicing physicians for the appropriate utilization of laboratory testing. This will certainly lead to a decrease in inappropriate or unnecessary laboratory testing, resulting in reducing medical costs. In addition, not only postgraduate, but also undergraduate medical education/training systems must be markedly innovated, considering recent rapid progress in electronic information and communication technologies.
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Lewis, Russell L; Seal, Erin L; Lorts, Aimee R; Stewart, Amanda L
2017-11-01
The undergraduate biochemistry laboratory curriculum is designed to provide students with experience in protein isolation and purification protocols as well as various data analysis techniques, which enhance the biochemistry lecture course and give students a broad range of tools upon which to build in graduate level laboratories or once they begin their careers. One of the most common biochemistry protein purification experiments is the isolation and characterization of cytochrome c. Students across the country purify cytochrome c, lysozyme, or some other well-known protein to learn these common purification techniques. What this series of experiments lacks is the use of sophisticated instrumentation that is rarely available to undergraduate students. To give students a broader background in biochemical spectroscopy techniques, a new circular dichroism (CD) laboratory experiment was introduced into the biochemistry laboratory curriculum. This CD experiment provides students with a means of conceptualizing the secondary structure of their purified protein, and assessments indicate that students' understanding of the technique increased significantly. Students conducted this experiment with ease and in a short time frame, so this laboratory is conducive to merging with other data analysis techniques within a single laboratory period. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(6):515-520, 2017. © 2017 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rodriguez, Hernan B.; Mirenda, Martin
2012-01-01
A modified laboratory experiment for undergraduate students is presented to evaluate the effects of the ionic strength, "I", on the equilibrium concentration quotient, K[subscript c], of the acid-base indicator bromcresol green (BCG). The two-step deprotonation of the acidic form of the dye (sultone form), as it is dissolved in water, yields…
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Interdisciplinary cantilever physics: Elasticity of carrot, celery, and plasticware
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pestka, Kenneth A.
2014-05-01
This article presents several simple cantilever-based experiments using common household items (celery, carrot, and a plastic spoon) that are appropriate for introductory undergraduate laboratories or independent student projects. By applying Hooke's law and Euler beam theory, students are able to determine Young's modulus, fracture stress, yield stress, strain energy, and sound speed of these apparently disparate materials. In addition, a cellular foam elastic model is introduced—applicable to biologic materials as well as an essential component in the development of advanced engineering composites—that provides a mechanism to determine Young's modulus of the cell wall material found in celery and carrot. These experiments are designed to promote exploration of the similarities and differences between common inorganic and organic materials, fill a void in the typical undergraduate curriculum, and provide a foundation for more advanced material science pursuits within biology, botany, and food science as well as physics and engineering.
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Round, Jennifer; Lom, Barbara
2015-01-01
Undergraduate courses in the life sciences at most colleges and universities are traditionally composed of two or three weekly sessions in a classroom supplemented with a weekly three-hour session in a laboratory. We have found that many undergraduates can have difficulty making connections and/or transferring knowledge between lab activities and lecture material. Consequently, we are actively developing ways to decrease the physical and intellectual divides between lecture and lab to help students make more direct links between what they learn in the classroom and what they learn in the lab. In this article we discuss our experiences teaching fused laboratory biology courses that intentionally blurred the distinctions between lab and lecture to provide undergraduates with immersive experiences in science that promote discovery and understanding. PMID:26240531
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zeng, Amy; Johnson, Sharon
2009-01-01
Using experiential simulation games is a commonly used pedagogical method to enrich classroom discussions and to facilitate students' learning in supply chain management education at both undergraduate and graduate levels. However, existing games are inappropriate for undergraduate students that are first-time learners of the subject. In this…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chapin, Hannah C.; Wiggins, Benjamin L.; Martin-Morris, Linda E.
2014-01-01
Peer educators can be a powerful addition to classroom learning environments. Traditionally, the university science teaching model relies on graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) to provide instruction in laboratory class sessions, but there is increasing evidence that undergraduate TAs (UTAs) can fill an equivalent role. A comparison of student…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fox, L. K.; Guertin, L. A.
2013-12-01
The Geosciences Division of the Council of Undergraduate Research (GeoCUR, http://curgeoscience.wordpress.com/) has a long history of supporting faculty who engage in undergraduate research. The division has held faculty development workshops at national meetings of the GSA and AGU for over 15 years. These workshops serve faculty at all career stages and cover multiple aspects of the enterprise of engaging students in undergraduate research. Topics covered include: getting a job (particularly at a primarily undergraduate institution), incorporating research into classes, mentoring independent research projects and identifying sources of internal and external funding. Originally, these workshops were funded through CUR and registration income. When the administrative costs to run the workshops increased, we successfully sought funding from the NSF Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) program. This CCLI Type 1 special project allowed the expansion of the GSA workshops from half-day to full-day and the offering of workshops to other venues, including the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers and sectional GSA meetings. The workshops are organized and led by GeoCUR councilors, some of whom attended workshops as graduate students or new faculty. Current and past Geoscience program officers in the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) have presented on NSF funding opportunities. Based on participant surveys, the content of the workshops has evolved over time. Workshop content is also tailored to the particular audience; for example, AGU workshops enroll more graduate students and post-docs and thus the focus is on the job ';search' and getting started in undergraduate research. To date, this CCLI Type 1 project has supported 15 workshops and a variety of print and digital resources shared with workshop participants. This presentation will highlight the goals of this workshop proposal and also provide insights about strategies for funding professional development, impact of workshops on initiating and sustaining undergraduate research programs, and future directions of this program.
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Students' perceptions of academic dishonesty in the chemistry classroom laboratory
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
del Carlo, Dawn I.; Bodner, George M.
2004-01-01
Although the literature on both academic dishonesty and scientific misconduct is extensive, research on academic dishonesty has focused on quizzes, exams, and papers, with the virtual exclusion of the classroom laboratory. This study examined the distinctions undergraduate chemistry majors made between academic dishonesty in the classroom laboratory and scientific misconduct in the research laboratory. Across the spectrum of undergraduate chemistry courses, from the introductory course for first-semester chemistry majors to the capstone course in instrumental analysis, we noted that students believe the classroom lab is fundamentally different from a research or industrial lab. This difference is so significant that it carries over into students' perceptions of dishonesty in these two environments.
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Corwin, Lisa A.; Runyon, Christopher; Robinson, Aspen; Dolan, Erin L.
2015-01-01
Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are increasingly being offered as scalable ways to involve undergraduates in research. Yet few if any design features that make CUREs effective have been identified. We developed a 17-item survey instrument, the Laboratory Course Assessment Survey (LCAS), that measures students’ perceptions of three design features of biology lab courses: 1) collaboration, 2) discovery and relevance, and 3) iteration. We assessed the psychometric properties of the LCAS using established methods for instrument design and validation. We also assessed the ability of the LCAS to differentiate between CUREs and traditional laboratory courses, and found that the discovery and relevance and iteration scales differentiated between these groups. Our results indicate that the LCAS is suited for characterizing and comparing undergraduate biology lab courses and should be useful for determining the relative importance of the three design features for achieving student outcomes. PMID:26466990
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Limoges, Jacqueline
2010-03-01
Recently, schools of nursing have adopted the use of high-fidelity human patient simulators in laboratory settings to teach nursing. Although numerous articles document the benefits of teaching undergraduate nursing students in this way, little attention has been paid to the discourses and texts organizing this approach. This institutional ethnography uses the critical feminist sociology of Dorothy E. Smith to examine the literature and interviews with Practical and Bachelor of Science in Nursing students, and their faculty about this experience. The research shows how discourses rationalize and sustain certain processes at the expense of others. For example, ruling discourses such as biomedicine, efficiency, and the relational ontology are activated to construct the simulation lab as part of nursing and nursing education. The analysis also highlights the intended and unintended effects of these discourses on nursing education and discusses how emphasizing nursing knowledges can make the simulation lab a positive place for learning.
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The Scanning Electron Microscope As An Accelerator For The Undergraduate Advanced Physics Laboratory
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Peterson, Randolph S.; Berggren, Karl K.; Mondol, Mark
2011-06-01
Few universities or colleges have an accelerator for use with advanced physics laboratories, but many of these institutions have a scanning electron microscope (SEM) on site, often in the biology department. As an accelerator for the undergraduate, advanced physics laboratory, the SEM is an excellent substitute for an ion accelerator. Although there are no nuclear physics experiments that can be performed with a typical 30 kV SEM, there is an opportunity for experimental work on accelerator physics, atomic physics, electron-solid interactions, and the basics of modern e-beam lithography.
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Measuring dynamic kidney function in an undergraduate physiology laboratory.
Medler, Scott; Harrington, Frederick
2013-12-01
Most undergraduate physiology laboratories are very limited in how they treat renal physiology. It is common to find teaching laboratories equipped with the capability for high-resolution digital recordings of physiological functions (muscle twitches, ECG, action potentials, respiratory responses, etc.), but most urinary laboratories still rely on a "dipstick" approach of urinalysis. Although this technique can provide some basic insights into the functioning of the kidneys, it overlooks the dynamic processes of filtration, reabsorption, and secretion. In the present article, we provide a straightforward approach of using renal clearance measurements to estimate glomerular filtration rate, fractional water reabsorption, glucose clearance, and other physiologically relevant parameters. The estimated values from our measurements in laboratory are in close agreement with those anticipated based on textbook parameters. For example, we found glomerular filtration rate to average 124 ± 45 ml/min, serum creatinine to be 1.23 ± 0.4 mg/dl, and fractional water reabsorption to be ∼96.8%. Furthermore, analyses for the class data revealed significant correlations between parameters like fractional water reabsorption and urine concentration, providing opportunities to discuss urine concentrating mechanisms and other physiological processes. The procedures outlined here are general enough that most undergraduate physiology laboratory courses should be able to implement them without difficulty.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sampson, Victor; Walker, Joi Phelps
2012-01-01
This exploratory study examined how undergraduate students' ability to write in science changed over time as they completed a series of laboratory activities designed using a new instructional model called argument-driven inquiry. The study was conducted in a single section of an undergraduate general chemistry lab course offered at a large…
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Op-Amps as Building Blocks in an Undergraduate Project-Type Electronics Lab
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Babcock, L. E.; Vignos, J. H.
1973-01-01
Describes a project-type undergraduate laboratory in electronics which utilizes integrated circuit operational amplifiers. Includes a brief account of ideal and nonideal operational amplifiers and a detailed description of the projects. (DF)
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hessley, Rita K.
2000-02-01
In an effort to engage students more deeply in their laboratory work and provide them with valuable learning experiences in the applications and limitations of computational chemistry as a research tool, students are instructed to carry out a computational pre-lab exercise. Before carrying out a laboratory experiment that investigates the mechanism for the formation of N-t-butylbenzamide, students construct and obtain heats of formation for reactants, products, postulated reaction intermediates, and one transition state structure for each proposed mechanism. This is designed as a companion to an open-ended laboratory experiment that hones skills learned early in most traditional organic chemistry courses. The incorporation of a preliminary computational exercise enables students to move beyond guessing what the outcome of the reaction will be. It challenges them to test what they believe they "know" about such fundamental concepts as stability of carbocations, or the significance and utility of thermodynamic data relative to kinetic data. On the basis of their computations and their own experimental data, students then verify or dispute their hypothesis, finally arriving at a defensible and logical conclusion about the course of the reaction mechanism. The manner of implementation of the exercise and typical computational data are described.
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Ballen, Cissy J; Thompson, Seth K; Blum, Jessamina E; Newstrom, Nicholas P; Cotner, Sehoya
2018-01-01
Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are a type of laboratory learning environment associated with a science course, in which undergraduates participate in novel research. According to Auchincloss et al. (CBE Life Sci Educ 2104; 13:29-40), CUREs are distinct from other laboratory learning environments because they possess five core design components, and while national calls to improve STEM education have led to an increase in CURE programs nationally, less work has specifically focused on which core components are critical to achieving desired student outcomes. Here we use a backward elimination experimental design to test the importance of two CURE components for a population of non-biology majors: the experience of discovery and the production of data broadly relevant to the scientific or local community. We found nonsignificant impacts of either laboratory component on students' academic performance, science self-efficacy, sense of project ownership, and perceived value of the laboratory experience. Our results challenge the assumption that all core components of CUREs are essential to achieve positive student outcomes when applied at scale.
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Jones, Leslie Sargent; Allen, Laura; Cronise, Kim; Juneja, Natasha; Kohn, Rebecca; McClellan, Katherine; Miller, Ashley; Nazir, Azka; Patel, Andy; Sweitzer, Sarah M.; Vickery, Erin; Walton, Anna; Young, Robert
2011-01-01
The journal IMPULSE offers undergraduates worldwide the opportunity to publish research and serve as peer reviewers for the submissions of others. Undergraduate faculty have recognized the journal’s value in engaging students working in their labs in the publication process. However, integration of scientific publication into an undergraduate laboratory classroom setting has been lacking. We report here on a course at Ursinus College where 20 students taking Molecular Neurobiology were required to submit manuscripts to IMPULSE. The syllabus allowed for the laboratory research to coincide with the background research and writing of the manuscript. Students completed their projects on the impact of drugs on the Daphnia magna nervous system while producing manuscripts ready for submission by week 7 of the course. Findings from a survey completed by the students and perceptions of the faculty member teaching the course indicated that students spent much more time writing, were more focused on completing the assays, completed the assays with larger data sets, were more engaged in learning the scientific concepts and were more thorough with their revisions of the paper knowing that it might be published. Further, the professor found she was more thorough in critiquing students’ papers knowing they would be externally reviewed. Incorporating journal submission into the course stimulated an in depth writing experience and allowed for a deeper exploration of the topic than students would have experienced otherwise. This case study provides evidence that IMPULSE can be successfully used as a means of incorporating scientific publication into an undergraduate laboratory science course. This approach to teaching undergraduate neuroscience allows for a larger number of students to have hands-on research and scientific publishing experience than would be possible with the current model of a few students in a faculty member’s laboratory. This report illustrates that IMPULSE can be incorporated as an integral part of an academic curriculum with positive outcomes on student engagement and performance. PMID:23494013
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Teaching practices of the undergraduate introductory biomechanics faculty: a North American survey.
Garceau, Luke R; Ebben, William P; Knudson, Duane V
2012-11-01
Instruction and assessment strategies of undergraduate introductory biomechanics instructors have yet to be comprehensively examined. The purpose of this study was to identify the current instruction and assessment practices of North American undergraduate introductory biomechanics instructors and equipment needed for effective instruction in lecture and laboratory sessions. One hundred and sixty-five respondents (age: 42.5 +/- 10.3 years) who currently teach or have taught an introductory biomechanics course in North America were recruited by electronic mail. Subjects completed a web-based survey, consisting of 60 open- and closed-ended questions. Pearson's correlation coefficients were used to assess relationships between instructor's familiarity with either the Biomechanics Concept Inventory or the NASPE Guidelines for Undergraduate Biomechanics, and instructor and course characteristics (number of years teaching, age, faculty rank, number of quizzes given, etc.) A number of variables were significantly (p < 0.05) correlated. Answers to open-ended questions were processed using content analysis, with results categorized in content areas including: instructor and course characteristics; lecture instruction; assessment and equipment; laboratory instruction; assessment and equipment; and instructor's perspectives. Many active learning strategies for lecture and laboratory instruction were identified by faculty. Limited student preparation and limited resources were noted as the instructor's most common challenges.
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Guided-inquiry laboratory experiments to improve students' analytical thinking skills
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wahyuni, Tutik S.; Analita, Rizki N.
2017-12-01
This study aims to improve the experiment implementation quality and analytical thinking skills of undergraduate students through guided-inquiry laboratory experiments. This study was a classroom action research conducted in three cycles. The study has been carried out with 38 undergraduate students of the second semester of Biology Education Department of State Islamic Institute (SII) of Tulungagung, as a part of Chemistry for Biology course. The research instruments were lesson plans, learning observation sheets and undergraduate students' experimental procedure. Research data were analyzed using quantitative-descriptive method. The increasing of analytical thinking skills could be measured using gain score normalized and statistical paired t-test. The results showed that guided-inquiry laboratory experiments model was able to improve both the experiment implementation quality and the analytical thinking skills. N-gain score of the analytical thinking skills was increased, in spite of just 0.03 with low increase category, indicated by experimental reports. Some of undergraduate students have had the difficulties in detecting the relation of one part to another and to an overall structure. The findings suggested that giving feedback the procedural knowledge and experimental reports were important. Revising the experimental procedure that completed by some scaffolding questions were also needed.
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An Inexpensive Liquid Chromatography Apparatus for Undergraduate Teaching.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McCamish, Malcolm; And Others
1982-01-01
Describes an inexpensive, low-pressure liquid chromatography pump, slurry filler, stainless steel columns, and injector system suitable for the undergraduate laboratory or routine analysis. Includes sectional diagram of the pump and construction diagram of the preparative columns. (Author/SK)
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Introducing Undergraduates to a Research Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Weinberg, Robert
1974-01-01
Discusses a student project which is intended to teach undergraduates concepts and techniques of nuclear physics, experimental methods used in particle detection, and provide experience in a functioning research environment. Included are detailed procedures for carrying out the project. (CC)
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jardine, Hannah E.; Friedman, Lee A.
2017-01-01
In this study, we describe a course to educate and prepare undergraduate "facilitators" for small group problem solving sessions in a large, first semester, introductory undergraduate organic chemistry course. We then explore the outcomes of the facilitator experience for one cohort of facilitators through qualitative analysis of written…
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Safety in the Chemical Laboratory: An Undergraduate Chemical Laboratory Safety Course.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nicholls, L. Jewel
1982-01-01
Describes a two-quarter hour college chemistry course focusing on laboratory safety. Includes lists of topics/assignments, problem sets (toxicology, storage, and energy) and videotapes, films, and slide sets used in the course. (JN)
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Craig, Paul A
2017-09-01
It will always remain a goal of an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course to engage students hands-on in a wide range of biochemistry laboratory experiences. In 2006, our research group initiated a project for in silico prediction of enzyme function based only on the 3D coordinates of the more than 3800 proteins "of unknown function" in the Protein Data Bank, many of which resulted from the Protein Structure Initiative. Students have used the ProMOL plugin to the PyMOL molecular graphics environment along with BLAST, Pfam, and Dali to predict protein functions. As young scientists, these undergraduate research students wanted to see if their predictions were correct and so they developed an approach for in vitro testing of predicted enzyme function that included literature exploration, selection of a suitable assay and the search for commercially available substrates. Over the past two years, a team of faculty members from seven different campuses (California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo, Hope College, Oral Roberts University, Rochester Institute of Technology, St. Mary's University, Ursinus College, and Purdue University) have transferred this approach to the undergraduate biochemistry teaching laboratory as a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience. A series of ten course modules and eight instructional videos have been created (www.promol.org/home/basil-modules-1) and the group is now expanding these resources, creating assessments and evaluating how this approach helps student to grow as scientists. The focus of this manuscript will be the logistical implications of this transition on campuses that have different cultures, expectations, schedules, and student populations. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(5):426-436, 2017. © 2017 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
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The development of Metacognition test in genetics laboratory for undergraduate students
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
A-nongwech, Nattapong; Pruekpramool, Chaninan
2018-01-01
The purpose of this research was to develop a Metacognition test in a Genetics Laboratory for undergraduate students. The participants were 30 undergraduate students of a Rajabhat university in Rattanakosin group in the second semester of the 2016 academic year using purposive sampling. The research instrument consisted of 1) Metacognition test and 2) a Metacognition test evaluation form for experts focused on three main points which were an accurate evaluation form of content, a consistency between Metacognition experiences and questions and the appropriateness of the test. The quality of the test was analyzed by using the Index of Consistency (IOC), discrimination and reliability. The results of developing Metacognition test were summarized as 1) The result of developing Metacognition test in a Genetics Laboratory for undergraduate students found that the Metacognition test contained 56 items of open - ended questions. The test composed of 1) four scientific situations, 2) fourteen items of open - ended questions in each scientific situation for evaluating components of Metacognition. The components of Metacognition consisted of Metacognitive knowledge, which were divided into person knowledge, task knowledge and strategy knowledge and Metacognitive experience, which were divided into planning, monitoring and evaluating, and 3) fourteen items of scoring criteria divided into four scales. 2) The results of the item analysis of Metacognition in Genetics Laboratory for undergraduate students found that Index of Consistency between Metacognitive experiences and questions were in the range between 0.75 - 1.00. An accuracy of content equaled 1.00. The appropriateness of the test equaled 1.00 in all situations and items. The discrimination of the test was in the range between 0.00 - 0.73. Furthermore, the reliability of the test equaled 0.97.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ural, Evrim
2016-01-01
The study aims to search the effect of guided inquiry laboratory experiments on students' attitudes towards chemistry laboratory, chemistry laboratory anxiety and their academic achievement in the laboratory. The study has been carried out with 37 third-year, undergraduate science education students, as a part of their Science Education Laboratory…
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Pencil-and-Paper Neural Networks: An Undergraduate Laboratory Exercise in Computational Neuroscience
Crisp, Kevin M.; Sutter, Ellen N.; Westerberg, Jacob A.
2015-01-01
Although it has been more than 70 years since McCulloch and Pitts published their seminal work on artificial neural networks, such models remain primarily in the domain of computer science departments in undergraduate education. This is unfortunate, as simple network models offer undergraduate students a much-needed bridge between cellular neurobiology and processes governing thought and behavior. Here, we present a very simple laboratory exercise in which students constructed, trained and tested artificial neural networks by hand on paper. They explored a variety of concepts, including pattern recognition, pattern completion, noise elimination and stimulus ambiguity. Learning gains were evident in changes in the use of language when writing about information processing in the brain. PMID:26557791
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Toward a Rb MOT for Undergrad Research and Advanced labs at Bridgewater State University
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Deveney, Edward
2015-03-01
The seminal paper for the undergraduate MOT appeared in AJP (63 (4), 1995) by C. Wieman, G. Flowers and S. Gilbert; `Inexpensive laser cooling and trapping experiment for undergraduate laboratories'. They wrote: ``Because of this visual appeal and the current research excitement in this area, we felt that it was highly desirable to develop an atom trapping apparatus that could be incorporated into the undergraduate laboratory classes.'' From our observations, it seems that while there are extraordinary examples of MOTs thriving in a few undergraduate labs, MOT experiments have yet to be widely incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum - likely because they are, in fact, not trivial to make. With the benefit of 20 years evolution since this 1st undergraduate MOT paper, we report the progress at BSU of constructing a 85Rb MOT that incorporates significant simplifications and straightforward techniques that include: using a single ECDL laser for both trapping and re-pumping (using an EOM to add FM sidebands) and combining a purchased stabilized HeNe with the ECDL in a Fabry-Perot Interferometer to correct and sufficiently stabilize the ECDL for trapping. When completed we will revisit the question of do-ability for the undergraduate research/advanced lab. The BSU MOT was planned with and is currently being built with the help and guidance of David DeMille and his research group at Yale University [including J. Barry Thesis, Yale].
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Integrating grant-funded research into the undergraduate biology curriculum using IMG-ACT.
Ditty, Jayna L; Williams, Kayla M; Keller, Megan M; Chen, Grischa Y; Liu, Xianxian; Parales, Rebecca E
2013-01-01
It has become clear in current scientific pedagogy that the emersion of students in the scientific process in terms of designing, implementing, and analyzing experiments is imperative for their education; as such, it has been our goal to model this active learning process in the classroom and laboratory in the context of a genuine scientific question. Toward this objective, the National Science Foundation funded a collaborative research grant between a primarily undergraduate institution and a research-intensive institution to study the chemotactic responses of the bacterium Pseudomonas putida F1. As part of the project, a new Bioinformatics course was developed in which undergraduates annotate relevant regions of the P. putida F1 genome using Integrated Microbial Genomes Annotation Collaboration Toolkit, a bioinformatics interface specifically developed for undergraduate programs by the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute. Based on annotations of putative chemotaxis genes in P. putida F1 and comparative genomics studies, undergraduate students from both institutions developed functional genomics research projects that evolved from the annotations. The purpose of this study is to describe the nature of the NSF grant, the development of the Bioinformatics lecture and wet laboratory course, and how undergraduate student involvement in the project that was initiated in the classroom has served as a springboard for independent undergraduate research projects. Copyright © 2012 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
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Resource Letter SPE-1: Single-Photon Experiments in the Undergraduate Laboratory
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Galvez, Enrique J.
2014-11-01
This Resource Letter lists undergraduate-laboratory adaptations of landmark optical experiments on the fundamentals of quantum physics. Journal articles and websites give technical details of the adaptations, which offer students unique hands-on access to testing fundamental concepts and predictions of quantum mechanics. A selection of the original research articles that led to the implementations is included. These developments have motivated a rethinking of the way quantum mechanics is taught, so this Resource Letter also lists textbooks that provide these new approaches.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Achumba, I. E.; Azzi, D.; Dunn, V. L.; Chukwudebe, G. A.
2013-01-01
Laboratory work is critical in undergraduate engineering courses. It is used to integrate theory and practice. This demands that laboratory activities are synchronized with lectures to maximize their derivable learning outcomes, which are measurable through assessment. The typical high costs of the traditional engineering laboratory, which often…
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Laboratory Based Case Studies: Closer to the Real World
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dinan, Frank J.
2005-01-01
Case-based laboratories offer students the chance to approximate real science. Based on interesting stories that pose problems requiring experimental solutions, they avoid the cookbook approach characteristic of traditional undergraduate laboratory instruction. Instead, case-based laboratories challenge students to develop, as much as possible,…
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The Exercise Physiology Laboratory--A Source of Health Promotion.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Norris, William; Norred, Robert
1988-01-01
A visit to the Exercise Physiology Laboratory at the University of Tennessee is part of a physical education class required of all undergraduate students. The laboratory demonstration stimulates student interest and enrollment in physical education. Benefits to students, the laboratory, and the school are described. (MT)
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Making the Undergraduate Classroom into a Policy Think Tank: Reflections from a Field Methods Class
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Broughton, Chad
2011-01-01
This article examines the opportunities and limitations presented by organizing an undergraduate field research methods class as a policy think tank working for a government client. Organized as such, the course had both the learning objectives of a traditional undergraduate methods class and the corporate objectives of a policy think tank (i.e.,…
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Discovery of Escherichia coli CRISPR sequences in an undergraduate laboratory.
Militello, Kevin T; Lazatin, Justine C
2017-05-01
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) represent a novel type of adaptive immune system found in eubacteria and archaebacteria. CRISPRs have recently generated a lot of attention due to their unique ability to catalog foreign nucleic acids, their ability to destroy foreign nucleic acids in a mechanism that shares some similarity to RNA interference, and the ability to utilize reconstituted CRISPR systems for genome editing in numerous organisms. In order to introduce CRISPR biology into an undergraduate upper-level laboratory, a five-week set of exercises was designed to allow students to examine the CRISPR status of uncharacterized Escherichia coli strains and to allow the discovery of new repeats and spacers. Students started the project by isolating genomic DNA from E. coli and amplifying the iap CRISPR locus using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR products were analyzed by Sanger DNA sequencing, and the sequences were examined for the presence of CRISPR repeat sequences. The regions between the repeats, the spacers, were extracted and analyzed with BLASTN searches. Overall, CRISPR loci were sequenced from several previously uncharacterized E. coli strains and one E. coli K-12 strain. Sanger DNA sequencing resulted in the discovery of 36 spacer sequences and their corresponding surrounding repeat sequences. Five of the spacers were homologous to foreign (non-E. coli) DNA. Assessment of the laboratory indicates that improvements were made in the ability of students to answer questions relating to the structure and function of CRISPRs. Future directions of the laboratory are presented and discussed. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(3):262-269, 2017. © 2016 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
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WebGURU: The Web-Based Guide to Research for Undergraduates
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mabrouk, Patricia; McIntyre, Ryan; Virrankoski, Milena; Jeliffe, Kirsten
2007-01-01
Undergraduate research (UR) is widely promoted by faculty, administrators, institutions of higher learning, government laboratories, private industry, professional associations, and funding agencies as an effective method of training college students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines at…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dunnett, K.; Bartlett, P. A.
2018-01-01
It was planned to introduce online pre-laboratory session activities to a first-year undergraduate physics laboratory course to encourage a minimum level of student preparation for experiments outside the laboratory environment. A group of 16 and 17 year old laboratory work-experience students were tasked to define and design a pre-laboratory activity based on experiments that they had been undertaking. This informed the structure, content and aims of the activities introduced to a first year physics undergraduate laboratory course, with the particular focus on practising the data handling. An implementation study showed how students could try to optimise high grades, rather than gain efficiency-enhancing experience if careful controls were not put in place by assessors. However, the work demonstrated that pre-university and first-year physics students can take an active role in developing scaffolding activities that can help to improve the performance of those that follow their footsteps.
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Egg Yolk Lecithin: A Biochemical Laboratory Project
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
White, Bernard J.; And Others
1974-01-01
Describes an undergraduate laboratory project involving lecithin which integrates two general aspects of lipid methodology: chromatographic techniques and use of enzymes specificity to obtain structural information. (Author/SLH)
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Incorporating Safety into a Unit Operations Laboratory Course.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
King, Julia A.
1998-01-01
Details the incorporation of safety procedures and issues into the curriculum of an undergraduate chemical engineering unit operations laboratory course. Includes checklists and sample reporting forms. (DDR)
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Georgetown University and Hampton University Prostate Cancer Undergraduate Fellowship Program
2015-10-01
Tyanna Jones-Gray (Dr. Vicente Notario), Ms. Damara Miller (Dr. Eliot Rosen), Ms. Jasmine Hatcher-Moorman (Dr. MaryBeth Martin), and Mr. Isaiah Brown...undergraduate students: 1. The Hampton University undergraduates (Ms. Tyanna Jones-Gray, Ms. Damara Miller, Ms. Jasmine Hatcher-Moorman, and Mr...cancer progression. Dr. Martin’s lab has identified the environmental hormones referred to as metallo- hormones. In Dr. Martin’s laboratory, Jasmine
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hekmat-Scafe, Daria S.; Brownell, Sara E.; Seawell, Patricia Chandler; Malladi, Shyamala; Imam, Jamie F. Conklin; Singla, Veena; Bradon, Nicole; Cyert, Martha S.; Stearns, Tim
2017-01-01
The opportunity to engage in scientific research is an important, but often neglected, component of undergraduate training in biology. We describe the curriculum for an innovative, course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) appropriate for a large, introductory cell and molecular biology laboratory class that leverages students' high…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schmidt-McCormack, Jennifer A.; Muniz, Marc N.; Keuter, Ellie C.; Shaw, Scott K.; Cole, Renée S.
2017-01-01
Well-designed laboratories can help students master content and science practices by successfully completing the laboratory experiments. Upper-division chemistry laboratory courses often present special challenges for instruction due to the instrument intensive nature of the experiments. To address these challenges, particularly those associated…
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Communication, Communication, Communication! Growth through Laboratory Instructing
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Peterson, Jamie J.; DeAngelo, Samantha; Mack, Nancy; Thompson, Claudia; Cooper, Jennifer; Sesma, Arturo, Jr.
2014-01-01
This study examined gains undergraduate students made in their communication and collaboration skills when they served as peer teachers, i.e., laboratory instructors (LIs), for a General Psychology laboratory. Self-ratings of communication and collaboration skills were completed before and after teaching the laboratory. When compared to before the…
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Interdisciplinary STEM education reform: dishing out art in a microbiology laboratory.
Adkins, Sarah J; Rock, Rachel K; Morris, J Jeffrey
2018-01-01
In the modern educational framework, life science and visual art are usually presented as mutually exclusive subjects. Despite this perceived disciplinary contrast, visual art has the ability to engage and provoke students in ways that can have important downstream effects on scientific discovery, especially when applied in a practical setting such as a laboratory course. This review broadly examines the benefit of interdisciplinary fusions of science and art as well as recent ways in which art strategies have been used in undergraduate biology classrooms. In a case study, we found that undergraduate students in an introductory microbiology laboratory course who participated in open-inquiry activities involving agar art had greater confidence in their personal efficacy as scientists compared to a control class. Collectively, these observations suggest that visual art can be a useful enhancement in the course-based undergraduate research setting, and science educators at all levels should consider incorporating artistic creativity in their own classroom strategies. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
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Safety in the Chemical Laboratory: Learning How to Run Safer Undergraduate Laboratories.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mohrig, Jerry R.
1983-01-01
Discusses responsibilities for providing safe experiments and for teaching about safety. Provides lists of references on chemical safety and regulated/potential carcinogens. Also discusses general laboratory safety procedures including waste disposal and recycling of solvents. (JM)
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Students' Understanding of Alkyl Halide Reactions in Undergraduate Organic Chemistry
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cruz-Ramirez de Arellano, Daniel
2013-01-01
Organic chemistry is an essential subject for many undergraduate students completing degrees in science, engineering, and pre-professional programs. However, students often struggle with the concepts and skills required to successfully solve organic chemistry exercises. Since alkyl halides are traditionally the first functional group that is…
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Students' Understanding of Alkyl Halide Reactions in Undergraduate Organic Chemistry
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cruz-Ramírez de Arellano, Daniel; Towns, Marcy H.
2014-01-01
Organic chemistry is an essential subject for many undergraduate students completing degrees in science, engineering, and pre-professional programs. However, students often struggle with the concepts and skills required to successfully solve organic chemistry exercises. Since alkyl halides are traditionally the first functional group that is…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Flaherty, Aishling; O'Dwyer, Anne; Mannix-McNamara, Patricia; Leahy, J. J.
2017-01-01
Throughout countries such as Ireland, the U.K., and Australia, graduate students who fulfill teaching roles in the undergraduate laboratory are often referred to as "laboratory demonstrators". The laboratory demonstrator (LD) model of graduate teaching is similar to the more commonly known graduate teaching assistant (GTA) model that is…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Larsen, Kristine
2017-06-01
The author discusses a capstone project that utilizes the AAVSO's International Variable Star Index (VSX), ASAS light curves and phase plots, and the SIMBAD astronomical data repository in a laboratory-based undergraduate Stellar and Galactic Astronomy course.
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Obsidian Hydration Dating in the Undergraduate Curriculum.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Manche, Emanuel P.; Lakatos, Stephen
1986-01-01
Provides an overview of obsidian hydration dating for the instructor by presenting: (1) principles of the method; (2) procedures; (3) applications; and (4) limitations. The theory of the method and one or more laboratory exercises can be easily introduced into the undergraduate geology curriculum. (JN)
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Pathways over Time: Functional Genomics Research in an Introductory Laboratory Course
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Reeves, Todd D.; Warner, Douglas M.; Ludlow, Larry H.; O'Connor, Clare M.
2018-01-01
National reports have called for the introduction of research experiences throughout the undergraduate curriculum, but practical implementation at many institutions faces challenges associated with sustainability, cost, and large student populations. We describe a novel course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) that introduces…
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Addressing the Underrepresentation of Women in Physics at Multiple Levels
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Greco, Shannon; Dominguez, Arturo; Ortiz, Deedee; Zwicker, Andrew
2016-10-01
APS provides support to several universities and research institutions to host Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP). The goal of these Conferences is to provide practical tools and a community to help women persist in physics and STEM careers. This is particularly relevant for the DPP where women make up only 7% of the membership. In January 2017, Princeton University and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) will host a CUWiP. CUWiP and the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program expose undergraduates to the variety of possible careers in plasma physics and fusion energy in academia, government labs or private industry. We will report on the success of a number of PPPL programs to engage women at all levels in physics and highlight how programs such as CUWiP and SULI contribute to this goal. Special thanks to the Department of Energy for supporting PPPL's education programs and to APS for supporting the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics.
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Origin and development of forensic medicine in Egypt.
Kharoshah, Magdy Abdel Azim; Zaki, Mamdouh Kamal; Galeb, Sherien Salah; Moulana, Ashraf Abdel Reheem; Elsebaay, Elsebaay Ahmed
2011-01-01
Egyptians are one of the first civilisations to practice the removal and examination of internal organs of humans. Their practices ranged from embalming to faith healing to surgery and autopsy. Modern radiological studies, together with various forensic techniques, allowed scientists unique glimpses of the state of health in Egypt 4000 years ago and discovered one of the earliest applications of autopsy, the main element of forensic medicine practice today. The Egyptian Forensic Medicine Authority handles a relatively large number of cases annually and depends on different assisting laboratories (forensic histopathology, microbiology, serology unit, DNA laboratory, forensic chemistry laboratory) as well as the Counterfeiting and Forgery unit. Crime scene investigations are performed mainly through the criminal laboratory related to the Ministry of Interior. Forensic Medicine is studied thoroughly in the faculty of medicine (undergraduates), as well as by forensic medical examiners at postgraduate level (diploma, master's and doctorate). This review recommends more scientific cooperation with universities in the field of forensic medicine and related sciences to solve various crimes with meticulous detail. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.
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Low-Cost Virtual Laboratory Workbench for Electronic Engineering
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Achumba, Ifeyinwa E.; Azzi, Djamel; Stocker, James
2010-01-01
The laboratory component of undergraduate engineering education poses challenges in resource constrained engineering faculties. The cost, time, space and physical presence requirements of the traditional (real) laboratory approach are the contributory factors. These resource constraints may mitigate the acquisition of meaningful laboratory…
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A Kinetic Experiment for the Biochemistry Laboratory.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Palmer, Richard E.
1986-01-01
Discusses the use of specific reactions of metabolic pathways to make measurements in the laboratory. Describes an adaptation of an experiment used in undergraduate biochemistry laboratories involving the induction of an enzyme in E. coli, as well as its partial purification and characterization. (TW)
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Immobilized alpha-Galactosidase in the Biochemistry Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mulimani, V. H.; Dhananjay, K.
2007-01-01
This laboratory experiment was designed to demonstrate the application of immobilized galactosidase in food industry to hydrolyze raffinose family oligosaccharides in soymilk. This laboratory experiment was conducted for postgraduate students of biochemistry and developed for graduate and undergraduate students of biochemistry, biotechnology,…
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Boltax, Ariana L; Armanious, Stephanie; Kosinski-Collins, Melissa S; Pontrello, Jason K
2015-01-01
Modern research often requires collaboration of experts in fields, such as math, chemistry, biology, physics, and computer science to develop unique solutions to common problems. Traditional introductory undergraduate laboratory curricula in the sciences often do not emphasize connections possible between the various disciplines. We designed an interdisciplinary, medically relevant, project intended to help students see connections between chemistry and biology. Second term organic chemistry laboratory students designed and synthesized potential polymer inhibitors or inducers of polyglutamine protein aggregation. The use of novel target compounds added the uncertainty of scientific research to the project. Biology laboratory students then tested the novel potential pharmaceuticals in Huntington's disease model assays, using in vitro polyglutamine peptide aggregation and in vivo lethality studies in Drosophila. Students read articles from the primary literature describing the system from both chemical and biological perspectives. Assessment revealed that students emerged from both courses with a deeper understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of biology and chemistry and a heightened interest in basic research. The design of this collaborative project for introductory biology and organic chemistry labs demonstrated how the local interests and expertise at a university can be drawn from to create an effective way to integrate these introductory courses. Rather than simply presenting a series of experiments to be replicated, we hope that our efforts will inspire other scientists to think about how some aspect of authentic work can be brought into their own courses, and we also welcome additional collaborations to extend the scope of the scientific exploration. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
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Experiences of mentors training underrepresented undergraduates in the research laboratory.
Prunuske, Amy J; Wilson, Janelle; Walls, Melissa; Clarke, Benjamin
2013-01-01
Successfully recruiting students from underrepresented groups to pursue biomedical science research careers continues to be a challenge. Early exposure to scientific research is often cited as a powerful means to attract research scholars with the research mentor being critical in facilitating the development of an individual's science identity and career; however, most mentors in the biological sciences have had little formal training in working with research mentees. To better understand mentors' experiences working with undergraduates in the laboratory, we conducted semistructured interviews with 15 research mentors at a public university in the Midwest. The interviewed mentors were part of a program designed to increase the number of American Indians pursuing biomedical/biobehavioral research careers and represented a broad array of perspectives, including equal representation of male and female mentors, mentors from underrepresented groups, mentors at different levels of their careers, and mentors from undergraduate and professional school departments. The mentors identified benefits and challenges in being an effective mentor. We also explored what the term underrepresented means to the mentors and discovered that most of the mentors had an incomplete understanding about how differences in culture could contribute to underrepresented students' experience in the laboratory. Our interviews identify issues relevant to designing programs and courses focused on undergraduate student research.
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Experiences of Mentors Training Underrepresented Undergraduates in the Research Laboratory
Prunuske, Amy J.; Wilson, Janelle; Walls, Melissa; Clarke, Benjamin
2013-01-01
Successfully recruiting students from underrepresented groups to pursue biomedical science research careers continues to be a challenge. Early exposure to scientific research is often cited as a powerful means to attract research scholars with the research mentor being critical in facilitating the development of an individual's science identity and career; however, most mentors in the biological sciences have had little formal training in working with research mentees. To better understand mentors’ experiences working with undergraduates in the laboratory, we conducted semistructured interviews with 15 research mentors at a public university in the Midwest. The interviewed mentors were part of a program designed to increase the number of American Indians pursuing biomedical/biobehavioral research careers and represented a broad array of perspectives, including equal representation of male and female mentors, mentors from underrepresented groups, mentors at different levels of their careers, and mentors from undergraduate and professional school departments. The mentors identified benefits and challenges in being an effective mentor. We also explored what the term underrepresented means to the mentors and discovered that most of the mentors had an incomplete understanding about how differences in culture could contribute to underrepresented students’ experience in the laboratory. Our interviews identify issues relevant to designing programs and courses focused on undergraduate student research. PMID:24006389
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[The physical therapy undergraduate students' responses to the gross human anatomy subjects].
Anahara, Reiko; Kawashiro, Yukiko; Matsuno, Yoshiharu; Mori, Chisato; Kohno, Toshihiko
2008-09-01
Instruction in gross human anatomy is one of the important items in the subject for co-medical students of the physical therapist course. The physical therapy undergraduate students are required to have a solid understanding of the structure and formation of the human body. Therefore, their good-understanding of the course on the gross human anatomy and their experience of the gross human anatomy laboratory (observation practice) are acquired to improve their knowledge of the human body. To clarify the student responses to the gross human anatomy course including the gross human anatomy laboratory, several questionnaires were administered to the freshman physical therapy undergraduate student for two years. We found that more than 80% of the students, who felt a negative attitude for gross human anatomy before the course started, had a positive attitude about the gross human anatomy after going through the course. The experience of the gross human anatomy laboratory increased the students' activity of learning and they thought more about the dignity of being human after the course than before viewing. In addition, the results suggested that the multiple experiences of the gross human anatomy course are useful for the physical therapy undergraduate students to improve the quality of their understanding of the human body.
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The Python Project: A Unique Model for Extending Research Opportunities to Undergraduate Students
Harvey, Pamela A.; Wall, Christopher; Luckey, Stephen W.; Langer, Stephen
2014-01-01
Undergraduate science education curricula are traditionally composed of didactic instruction with a small number of laboratory courses that provide introductory training in research techniques. Research on learning methodologies suggests this model is relatively ineffective, whereas participation in independent research projects promotes enhanced knowledge acquisition and improves retention of students in science. However, availability of faculty mentors and limited departmental budgets prevent the majority of students from participating in research. A need therefore exists for this important component in undergraduate education in both small and large university settings. A course was designed to provide students with the opportunity to engage in a research project in a classroom setting. Importantly, the course collaborates with a sponsor's laboratory, producing a symbiotic relationship between the classroom and the laboratory and an evolving course curriculum. Students conduct a novel gene expression study, with their collective data being relevant to the ongoing research project in the sponsor's lab. The success of this course was assessed based on the quality of the data produced by the students, student perception data, student learning gains, and on whether the course promoted interest in and preparation for careers in science. In this paper, we describe the strategies and outcomes of this course, which represents a model for efficiently providing research opportunities to undergraduates. PMID:25452492
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Integrating bio-inorganic and analytical chemistry into an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory.
Erasmus, Daniel J; Brewer, Sharon E; Cinel, Bruno
2015-01-01
Undergraduate laboratories expose students to a wide variety of topics and techniques in a limited amount of time. This can be a challenge and lead to less exposure to concepts and activities in bio-inorganic chemistry and analytical chemistry that are closely-related to biochemistry. To address this, we incorporated a new iron determination by atomic absorption spectroscopy exercise as part of a five-week long laboratory-based project on the purification of myoglobin from beef. Students were required to prepare samples for chemical analysis, operate an atomic absorption spectrophotometer, critically evaluate their iron data, and integrate these data into a study of myoglobin. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
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Gene Polymorphism Studies in a Teaching Laboratory
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shultz, Jeffry
2009-02-01
I present a laboratory procedure for illustrating transcription, post-transcriptional modification, gene conservation, and comparative genetics for use in undergraduate biology education. Students are individually assigned genes in a targeted biochemical pathway, for which they design and test polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers. In this example, students used genes annotated for the steroid biosynthesis pathway in soybean. The authoritative Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) interactive database and other online resources were used to design primers based first on soybean expressed sequence tags (ESTs), then on ESTs from an alternate organism if soybean sequence was unavailable. Students designed a total of 50 gene-based primer pairs (37 soybean, 13 alternative) and tested these for polymorphism state and similarity between two soybean and two pea lines. Student assessment was based on acquisition of laboratory skills and successful project completion. This simple procedure illustrates conservation of genes and is not limited to soybean or pea. Cost per student estimates are included, along with a detailed protocol and flow diagram of the procedure.
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Laboratory Preparation in the Ocular Therapy Curriculum.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cummings, Roger W.
1986-01-01
Aspects of laboratory preparation necessary for undergraduate or graduate optometric training in the use of therapeutic drugs are discussed, including glaucoma therapy, anterior segment techniques, posterior segment, and systemic procedures. (MSE)
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ortiz, Deedee; Dominguez, Arturo; Zwicker, Andrew; Greco, Shannon
2016-10-01
Between 1993-2014, the National Undergraduate Fellowship (NUF) program, sponsored by the DOE Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, provided summer research internships for outstanding undergraduate students from around the country. Since then, the NUF program was merged into the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program, sponsored by the DOE Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Students. While there were many similarities between the two programs, the SULI program did not include the one-week introductory course in plasma physics or the opportunity for participants to present their summer research results at this meeting. In the past two years, working with representatives from both OFES and WDTS, we have again implemented some of the most important components of the NUF program. The week-long, introductory course in plasma physics is included and streamed live- especially important since most undergraduate physics students have not taken a plasma physics course before they begin their research. Students are again able to present their research to our community, a critical component of a full research experience and plans are underway to obtain additional funding to once again include universities as eligible host sites.
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On the Integration of Remote Experimentation into Undergraduate Laboratories--Pedagogical Approach
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Esche, Sven K.
2005-01-01
This paper presents an Internet-based open approach to laboratory instruction. In this article, the author talks about an open laboratory approach using a multi-user multi-device remote facility. This approach involves both the direct contact with the computer-controlled laboratory setup of interest with the students present in the laboratory…
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An Undergraduate Experiment on Nuclear Lifetime Measurement Using the Doppler Effect
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Campbell, J. L.; And Others
1972-01-01
While designed for a senior undergraduate laboratory, the experiment illustrates the principles involved in the various Doppler techniques currently used in nuclear lifetime studies and demonstrates the versatility of the Ge(Li) detector in applications other than direct energy or intensity measurement. (Author/TS)
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Teaching Ecology to Undergraduates: A Practical Course Using Projects.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dangerfield, J. M.; And Others
1987-01-01
Describes how short-term laboratory projects were used to teach population and community ecology to undergraduate environmental science students. Directed students to formulate and implement their own hypotheses and experimental designs. Uses questionnaire results and written reports to assess the contribution of the course to student…
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A Practical and Convenient Diffusion Apparatus: An Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Experiment.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Clifford, Ben; Ochiai, E. I.
1980-01-01
Described is a diffusion apparatus to be used in an undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory experiment to determine the diffusion coefficients of aqueous solutions of sucrose and potassium dichromate. Included is the principle of the method, apparatus design and description, and experimental procedure. (Author/DS)
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The Python Project: A Unique Model for Extending Research Opportunities to Undergraduate Students
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Harvey, Pamela A.; Wall, Christopher; Luckey, Stephen W.; Langer, Stephen; Leinwand, Leslie A.
2014-01-01
Undergraduate science education curricula are traditionally composed of didactic instruction with a small number of laboratory courses that provide introductory training in research techniques. Research on learning methodologies suggests this model is relatively ineffective, whereas participation in independent research projects promotes enhanced…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Scimone, Anthony; Scimone, Angelina A.
1996-01-01
Investigates chemistry topics necessary to facilitate the study of biochemistry in U.S. medical schools. Lists topics considered especially important and topics considered especially unimportant in general chemistry and organic chemistry. Suggests that in teaching undergraduate general or organic chemistry, the topics categorized as exceptionally…
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Physical and Chemical Properties of the Copper-Alanine System: An Advanced Laboratory Project
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Farrell, John J.
1977-01-01
An integrated physical-analytical-inorganic chemistry laboratory procedure for use with undergraduate biology majors is described. The procedure requires five to six laboratory periods and includes acid-base standardizations, potentiometric determinations, computer usage, spectrophotometric determinations of crystal-field splitting…
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Raising environmental awareness through applied biochemistry laboratory experiments.
Salman Ashraf, S
2013-01-01
Our environment is under constant pressure and threat from various sources of pollution. Science students, in particular chemistry students, must not only be made aware of these issues, but also be taught that chemistry (and science) can provide solutions to such real-life issues. To this end, a newly developed biochemistry laboratory experiment is described that guides students to learn about the applicability of peroxidase enzymes to degrade organic dyes (as model pollutants) in simulated waste water. In addition to showing how enzymes can potentially be used for waste water remediation, various factors than can affect enzyme-based reactions such as pH, temperature, concentration of substrates/enzymes, and denaturants can also be tested. This "applied biotechnology" experiment was successfully implemented in an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course to enhance students' learning of environmental issues as well important biochemistry concepts. Student survey confirmed that this laboratory experiment was successful in achieving the objectives of raising environmental awareness in students and illustrating the usefulness of chemistry in solving real-life problems. This experiment can be easily adopted in an introductory biochemistry laboratory course and taught as an inquiry-guided exercise. © 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
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High Performance Liquid Chromatography Experiments to Undergraduate Laboratories
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kissinger, Peter T.; And Others
1977-01-01
Reviews the principles of liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (LCEC), an analytical technique that incorporates the advantages of both liquids chromatography and electrochemistry. Also suggests laboratory experiments using this technique. (MLH)
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A Laboratory-Based Nonlinear Dynamics Course for Science and Engineering Students.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sungar, N.; Sharpe, J. P.; Moelter, M. J.; Fleishon, N.; Morrison, K.; McDill, J.; Schoonover, R.
2001-01-01
Describes the implementation of a new laboratory-based, interdisciplinary undergraduate course on linear dynamical systems. Focuses on geometrical methods and data visualization techniques. (Contains 20 references.) (Author/YDS)
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dunnett, K.; Bartlett, P. A.
2018-01-01
It was planned to introduce online pre-laboratory session activities to a first-year undergraduate physics laboratory course to encourage a minimum level of student preparation for experiments outside the laboratory environment. A group of 16 and 17 year old laboratory work-experience students were tasked to define and design a pre-laboratory…
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Laser Speckle Photography: Some Simple Experiments for the Undergraduate Laboratory.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bates, B.; And Others
1986-01-01
Describes simple speckle photography experiments which are easy to set up and require only low cost standard laboratory equipment. Included are procedures for taking single, double, and multiple exposures. (JN)
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Using "Pseudomonas Putida xylE" Gene to Teach Molecular Cloning Techniques for Undergraduates
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dong, Xu; Xin, Yi; Ye, Li; Ma, Yufang
2009-01-01
We have developed and implemented a serial experiment in molecular cloning laboratory course for undergraduate students majored in biotechnology. "Pseudomonas putida xylE" gene, encoding catechol 2, 3-dioxygenase, was manipulated to learn molecular biology techniques. The integration of cloning, expression, and enzyme assay gave students…
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Excited-State Processes in Slow Motion: An Experiment in the Undergraduate Laboratory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Galley, William C.; Tanchak, Oleh M.; Yager, Kevin G.; Wilczek-Vera, Grazyna
2010-01-01
Lasers have transformed chemistry and the everyday world. Therefore, it is not surprising that undergraduate chemistry students are frequently exposed to fairly advanced laser techniques. The usual topics studied with lasers are molecular spectroscopy and chemical kinetics. Static and dynamic fluorescence experiments seem to be particularly…
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Life's Lessons in the Lab: A Summer of Learning from Undergraduate Research Experiences
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nadelson, Louis S.; Warner, Don; Brown, Eric
2015-01-01
Research experiences for undergraduates (REUs) seek to increase the participating students' knowledge and perceptions of scientific research through engagement in laboratory research and related activities. Various REU outcomes have been investigated including influence on participants' content knowledge, career plans, and general perceptions of…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Larsen, K.
2017-12-01
(Abstract only) The author discusses a capstone project that utilizes the AAVSO's International Variable Star Index (VSX), ASAS light curves and phase plots, and the SIMBAD astronomical data repository in a laboratory-based undergraduate Stellar and Galactic Astronomy course.
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A Study of Rubisco through Western Blotting and Tissue Printing Techniques
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ma, Zhong; Cooper, Cynthia; Kim, Hyun-Joo; Janick-Buckner, Diane
2009-01-01
We describe a laboratory exercise developed for a cell biology course for second-year undergraduate biology majors. It was designed to introduce undergraduates to the basic molecular biology techniques of Western blotting and immunodetection coupled with the technique of tissue printing in detecting the presence, relative abundance, and…
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Efficient Optoelectronics Teaching in Undergraduate Engineering Curriculum
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Matin, M. A.
2005-01-01
The Engineering Department's vision for undergraduate education for the next century is to develop a set of laboratory experiences that are thoughtfully sequenced and integrated to promote the full development of students in all courses. Optoelectronics is one of the most important and most demanding courses in Electrical and Computer Engineering.…
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Long Persistent Light Emitting Diode Indicators
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jia, Dongdong; Ma, Yiwei; Hunter, D. N.
2007-01-01
An undergraduate laboratory was designed for undergraduate students to make long persistent light emitting diode (LED) indicators using phosphors. Blue LEDs, which emit at 465 nm, were characterized and used as an excitation source. Long persistent phosphors, SrAl[subscript 2]O[subscript 4]:Eu[superscript 2+],Dy[superscript 3+] (green) and…
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A Writing-Intensive, Methods-Based Laboratory Course for Undergraduates
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Colabroy, Keri L.
2011-01-01
Engaging undergraduate students in designing and executing original research should not only be accompanied by technique training but also intentional instruction in the critical analysis and writing of scientific literature. The course described here takes a rigorous approach to scientific reading and writing using primary literature as the model…
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Capturing Undergraduate Experience through Participant-Generated Video
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
O'Toole, Paddy
2013-01-01
The enrolment and attrition rate in science degrees in the Western world is of increasing concern, both nationally and at university level. At the same time, teaching undergraduate science requires universities to invest in laboratories, staff and equipment to meet the initial demand of enrolling students. In this article, I discuss…
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Microarrays for Undergraduate Classes
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hancock, Dale; Nguyen, Lisa L.; Denyer, Gareth S.; Johnston, Jill M.
2006-01-01
A microarray experiment is presented that, in six laboratory sessions, takes undergraduate students from the tissue sample right through to data analysis. The model chosen, the murine erythroleukemia cell line, can be easily cultured in sufficient quantities for class use. Large changes in gene expression can be induced in these cells by…
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Integrating Undergraduate Students in Faculty-Driven Motor Behavior Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Robinson, Leah E.
2013-01-01
This article described the faculty-sponsored, faculty-driven approach to undergraduate research (UGR) at Auburn University. This approach is centered around research in the Pediatric Movement and Physical Activity Laboratory, and students can get elective course credit for their participation in UGR. The article also describes how students' roles…
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A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience Investigating p300 Bromodomain Mutations
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Shanle, Erin K.; Tsun, Ian K.; Strahl, Brian D.
2016-01-01
Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide an opportunity for students to engage in experiments with outcomes that are unknown to both the instructor and students. These experiences allow students and instructors to collaboratively bridge the research laboratory and classroom, and provide research experiences for a large…
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Learn to Teach Chemistry Using Visual Media Tools
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Turkoguz, Suat
2012-01-01
The aim of this study was to investigate undergraduate students' attitudes to using visual media tools in the chemistry laboratory. One hundred and fifteen undergraduates studying science education at Dokuz Eylul University, Turkey participated in the study. They video-recorded chemistry experiments with visual media tools and assessed them on a…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kitts, Christopher; Quinn, Neil
2004-01-01
Santa Clara University's Robotic Systems Laboratory conducts an aggressive robotic development and operations program in which interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate students build and deploy a wide range of robotic systems, ranging from underwater vehicles to spacecraft. These year-long projects expose students to the breadth of and…
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Harvey Mudd College: Technology Integration Offers Unique Opportunities for Undergraduates.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Barna, John; Winstead, Jim
1993-01-01
Describes undergraduate projects at Harvey Mudd College (California) that use advanced laboratory equipment and procedures normally reserved for graduate students. Examples are given in experimental biology (e.g., digital imaging and DNA analysis), in physics (e.g., using satellites to study earthquake faults), and in mathematics (e.g., teaching…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Koga, Nobuyoshi; Goshi, Yuri; Yoshikawa, Masahiro; Tatsuoka, Tomoyuki
2014-01-01
An undergraduate kinetic experiment of the thermal decomposition of solids by microscopic observation and thermal analysis was developed by investigating a suitable reaction, applicable techniques of thermal analysis and microscopic observation, and a reliable kinetic calculation method. The thermal decomposition of sodium hydrogen carbonate is…
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A Comprehensive Real-World Distillation Experiment
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kazameas, Christos G.; Keller, Kaitlin N.; Luyben, William L.
2015-01-01
Most undergraduate mass transfer and separation courses cover the design of distillation columns, and many undergraduate laboratories have distillation experiments. In many cases, the treatment is restricted to simple column configurations and simplifying assumptions are made so as to convey only the basic concepts. In industry, the analysis of a…
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A Biosafety Level 2 Virology Lab for Biotechnology Undergraduates
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Matza-Porges, Sigal; Nathan, Dafna
2017-01-01
Medical, industrial, and basic research relies heavily on the use of viruses and vectors. Therefore, it is important that bioscience undergraduates learn the practicalities of handling viruses. Teaching practical virology in a student laboratory setup presents safety challenges, however. The aim of this article is to describe the design and…