Gives upper level chemistry students a better understanding of the application of lasers in the field of spectroscopy. Provides three experiments to demonstrate the thermal lens effect: determination of beam profile, cell position optimization, and pKa determination. (MVL)

Explains the development of a science program which was initiated to help students, parents, and other teachers appreciate science. Provides a list of materials needed, procedures, questions, and objectives for performing two of the 30 activities used in the project. (RT)

This article presents a variety of topics discussed in this column and at a biology teachers' workshop concerning the quality and value of lab techniques used for teaching high school biology. Topics included are Drosophila salivary glands, sea urchins, innovations, dyes and networking. (CW)

Provided are background information, equipment lists, and procedures for four activities for teaching aquatic ecology. Activities include "The Aquatic Food Chain Game"; "Two-Liter Aqua-Vivariums"; "A Sealed World"; and "Weaving a Web: Evaluation." (CW)

Three articles focus on many classroom activities and experiments inspired by the voyage of two canoes, built of traditional materials, from Hawaii's Hilo Harbor in 1995. Nationwide, students followed daily satellite tracking, accessed the Internet for updated accounts of the canoes, talked directly with navigators, and watched television…

Developmental assumptions that are frequently regarded as constraints on elementary school science curricula are analyzed. The argument that elementary school children cannot function as experimentalists because they have not yet attained formal operational thought is not supported by the Piagetian or non-Piagetian research reviewed. (SLD)

Presents two interdisciplinary lesson plans that explore options in energy production and conservation. Students study (1) the implications of power production and resources choices, and (2) producing and conserving electric power. (MCO)

Describes problems in teaching problem solving and summarizes research in this area. Presents Guided Design or Guided Decision Making as a problem-solving approach in which groups of students work their way through a model of the problem-solving process as they wrestle with a discipline-specific situation. (PR)

Provides a student worksheet and set-up instructions for a science experiment to demonstrate the concept of density. Students are asked to explain the phenomenon in which a liquid of lower density placed in the bottom of two vertical flasks flows up to replace the liquid of higher density in the upper flask. (MDH)

Presents an activity to help students understand the precepts of the Hardy-Weinberg principle and simultaneously permit observation of a model of evolution through natural selection in a nonthreatening setting. (PR)

Presents a simple activity designed to allow students to experimentally verify Kepler's second law, sometimes called the law of equal areas. It states that areas swept out by a planet as it orbits the Sun are equal for equal time intervals. (PR)

Presents information and data on an experiment designed to test whether different atmosphere compositions are affected by light and temperature during both cooling and heating. Although flawed, the experiment should help students appreciate the difficulties that researchers face when trying to find evidence of global warming. (PR)

Describes the implementation of problem-based learning (PBL) pedagogy in an undergraduate classroom. Briefly describes PBL philosophy and protocols, and gives guidance in choosing and integrating a PBL problem into the curriculum. Contains 13 references. (WRM)

The four main forms of carbon--diamond, graphite, buckyballs, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs)--are an excellent vehicle for teaching fundamental principles of chemical bonding, material structure, and properties. Carbon atoms form a variety of structures that are intrinsically connected to the properties they exhibit. Educators can take advantage of…

Undergraduate degree programs in the biosciences almost always include elements of biochemistry. In the United Kingdom, biosciences programs often have optional pathways to accommodate students of diverse interests. These programs rarely require students to demonstrate any school-level chemistry knowledge, and many students find biochemistry…