Enzymes are nature's catalysts, mediating chemical processes in living systems. The study of enzyme function and mechanism includes defining the maximum catalytic rate and affinity for substrate/s (among other factors), referred to as enzyme kinetics. Enzyme kinetics is a staple of biochemistry curricula and other disciplines, from molecular and…

The design and use of a chemistry practice exam instrument that includes a measure for student mental effort is described in this paper. Use of such an instrument can beneficial to chemistry students and chemistry educators as well as chemical education researchers from both a content and cognitive science perspective. The method for calculating…

Laboratory exercises, which utilize alkaline phosphatase as a model enzyme, have been developed and used extensively in undergraduate biochemistry courses to illustrate enzyme steady-state kinetics. A bioinformatics laboratory exercise for the biochemistry laboratory, which complements the traditional alkaline phosphatase kinetics exercise, was…

The most recent data on stars orbiting Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, have been used in an experiment undertaken by second-year university students to determine the distance R[theta] to the center of the galaxy. Students applied each of Kepler's 17th-century laws, in turn, to 21st-century data. The…

I describe how data pooling and data visualization can be employed in the first-semester general chemistry laboratory to introduce core statistical concepts such as central tendency and dispersion of a data set. The pooled data are plotted as a 1-D scatterplot, a purpose-designed number line through which statistical features of the data are…

A simple experiment, the determination of the density of a liquid by several methods, is presented. Since the concept of density is a familiar one, the experiment is suitable for the introductory laboratory period of a first- or second-year course in physical or analytical chemistry. The main objective of the experiment is to familiarize students…

Bioinformatics, merging biological data with computer science, is increasingly incorporated into school curricula at all levels. This case study of 10 secondary school students highlights student individual differences (especially the way they processed information and integrated procedural and analytical thought) and summarizes a variety of…

First-year physics students at the Technical University of Budapest carry out a wide range of measurements in the Basic Level Physics Teaching Laboratory. One of the most exciting experiments is the investigation of a chaotic double pendulum by a V-scope, a powerful three-dimensional motion tracking system. After a brief introduction to the…

This CD-ROM, designed for students in grades K-2, explores the world of weather. Students investigate weather to learn about climate and the seasons, how animals adapt to weather changes, how clouds tell us about conditions, and how weather plays a part in our everyday lives. The weather calendar lets students record and write about conditions…

This CD-ROM, designed for students in grades K-2, explores the world of simple machines. It allows students to delve into the mechanical world and learn the ways in which simple machines make work easier. Animated demonstrations are provided of the lever, pulley, wheel, screw, wedge, and inclined plane. Activities include practical matching and…

This CD-ROM, designed for students in grades K-2, explores the world of plants. From small seeds to tall trees, students learn what plants are, what their parts are called, and what conditions they need to grow. Three extension activities include simple and part/whole matching exercises, a sequencing activity involving the dimension of time, and a…

This CD-ROM helps learners discover forests in Hawaii and around the world through many science activities. Activities include climbing to the canopy where the calls of unusual birds can be heard; discovering bizarre creatures that dwell in dark, damp lava tubes; spinning the globe and meeting extraordinary forest plants and animals; and creating…

Interactive Biology Multimedia Courseware is an on-going project, with new titles continually under development. Currently, Interactive Biology includes 38 biological titles on CD-ROM for Macintosh and IBM-compatible systems. Each title deals with a specific biological subject and provides in-depth, comprehensive course material for the 9th grade…

Describes two software programs for the Apple II series and TRS-80 Models III and IV: (1) "Personal Energy Inventory" (grades 9-12, records and manages data, not considered user friendly); (2) "Energy Conservation" (grades 7-12, aids in converting and problem solving, uses drill and practice). (MVL)

This document was designed to be used as a tool to assist students with research-oriented science projects. It provides a step-by-step approach to the development of such projects addressing: (1) selecting a research topic; (2) learning about the subject; (3) developing a specific purpose for the research; (4) planning the project; (5) initiating…