This project is conducted by students during the second semester of their second year in our educational institution. This project constitutes an initiation into research and allows a broadening of knowledge, a development in autonomy, organization, team work, and initiative. It helps prepare the student-engineer for an internship in industry. The…

X-ray fluorescence is a non-destructive technique that allows elemental composition analysis. In this paper we describe a prescription to obtain the elemental composition of homogeneous coins, like 50 cent Euro coins, and how to get the quantitative proportions of each element with the help of Monte Carlo simulation. Undergraduate students can…

By allowing students to develop and conduct research on biological or environmental problems they identify themselves, students gain a higher level of understanding and appreciation for science. To this end, teachers should incorporate student-driven research in biology and environmental science classes in lieu of cookbook laboratory activities…

Examines the thermal decomposition of sodium bicarbonate to sodium carbonate. Encourages students to predict the end products and to use the stoichiometric results to determine if their predictions are correct. (MVL)

The main goal of this study was to investigate whether the use of an individualized approach through microscale chemistry experiments in secondary schools can increase students' understanding of chemistry concepts, improve attitude towards chemistry practical work and motivation. Two comparable groups of Form Four students (16 years old)…

The Internet provides an opportunity for students to access laboratories from outside the campus. This paper presents a Web-based remote access real-time laboratory using SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) control. The control of an induction motor is used as an example to demonstrate the effectiveness of this remote laboratory,…

Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI) is an instructional model that enables science teachers to transform a traditional laboratory activity into a short integrated instructional unit. To illustrate how the ADI instructional model works, this article describes an ADI lesson developed for a 10th-grade chemistry class. This example lesson was designed to…

Research-like experiences range from relatively "canned" labs that are highly controlled by the instructor (such as those described in Lord and Orkwiszewski 2006) to more individually designed projects (e.g., Switzer and Shriner 2000; Wyatt 2005). This article describes a laboratory approach that allows for many of the benefits of independent or…

A low-cost celestial globe is developed to support astronomical coordinate learning. It is used for demonstrating how stars are positioned and to analyse the motion of celestial bodies or diurnal motion. The model was implemented at a weekend astronomy camp provided for students from schools in the northeastern region of Thailand. A series of…

Imagine recreating a tsunami's force in a bathtub or exploring the potential of geothermal energy by using steam from a kettle to illuminate a light bulb. These types of activities and more are offered in Matthew Levy and Mario Salvadori's collection of experiments and demonstrations in Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tsunamis. More than 30 easy and…

A brief overview of the 2007 National Federation of the Blind-Jernigan Institute Youth Slam Chemistry Track, a course of study within a science camp that provided firsthand experimental experience to 200 students who are blind and low-vision, is given. For many of these students, this was their first hands-on experience with laboratory chemistry.…

This booklet of experiments was compiled from various teachers' guides in response to the many requests from students for help in preparing smoking demonstrations and exhibits. The booklet is divided into three sections. Part 1 illustrates a number of experiments, most of which require some laboratory equipment. Part 2 includes a number of…

Proposes an alternative to the classical minimum-deviation method for determining the refractive index of a prism. This new "fixed angle of incidence method" may find applications in research. (Author/GA)