Artificial intelligence (AI) is receiving a lot of attention in various fields. There is a need for educating students in AI technology. In this context, we have created a new type of carbon dioxide fountain by integrating AI with the well-established Arduino-carbon dioxide fountain experiment. This experiment consists of an Arduino…

A handheld refractometer (HHR) is a versatile instrument in the chemistry lab or in the workplace. It is also inexpensive enough (<$25 U.S.) that all students in a chemistry lab can have one or students completing laboratories remotely can purchase one. We report four applications of two different HHRs: one HHR for which the scale reads…

A laboratory exercise for undergraduate advanced students of enzymology and biocatalysis is presented. Since enzyme assays can be quenched or continuous, this experiment compares the performance of two quenching agents for lactase, in a continuous setup. Enzymatic activity of [beta]-galactosidase ("Aspergillus oryzae") was determined…

The goal of this laboratory exercise is to give upper-level undergraduate students an introduction to sterile technique in mammalian cell culture and metabolism. The experiment can be completed within a 3-h lab period and can be performed either in conjunction with other biochemistry/metabolism experiments or used as a stand-alone experiment. In…

The creation and evaluation of known evolutionary histories and the implementation of student investigatory experiences on evolution are difficult endeavors that have only recently been feasible. The research presented in this dissertation is related in their shared use of digital evolution with Avidians as a model study system, both to conduct…

Air pollution is one of our day's significant reasons for human health problems and affects every community throughout the world. Monitoring air pollution is a key aspect of raising awareness and pollution mitigation approaches followed by different nations. This paper targets to develop a low-cost Internet of things-based embedded system to…

The paper introduces an electronic device named 'Blinker', which is suitable for laboratory work on topics related to electric current and resistance, as it allows the visualization of electric current. The Blinker is well suited for all levels of education if the activities are carefully selected. However, despite other devices used for measuring…

We outline the basic theory behind white light interferometry and the workings of a typical light interferometer microscope. We study WLI images obtained for rough and smooth chrome steel spheres to illustrate the principle that curved rough surfaces can be imaged with such a device as long as the surface roughness is kept within certain limits.

In this study, we compared students' learning from two conditions in a unit on inclined planes: Virtual-then-Physical (V-t-P) (n = 50), where students conducted a virtual lab followed by a physical lab, or vice versa in the Physical-then-Virtual condition (P-t-V) (n = 60). We analyzed students' written explanations after each lab focusing on…

Complementing biology lecture courses with laboratory sections is nearly universal at undergraduate institutions, yet many topics in biology do not easily lend themselves to experiment-based laboratory activities. Topics such as comparative anatomy, evolution and systematics are often taught as passive, observation-based laboratories. In this…

The CRISPR/Cas9 system is widely used for editing genes in various organisms and is a very useful tool due to its versatility, simplicity, and efficiency. To teach its principles to post-graduate students we designed a laboratory activity to obtain and analyze PDS3 mutants in "Arabidopsis thaliana" plants consisting of: 1) Design of…

Although science is practiced globally, science is historically a field dominated by white people. In response, science education has worked to increase equity in science by examining and transforming science learning environments. However, lacking within this work is a direct examination of whiteness. By engaging in autoethnographic storytelling,…

Laboratory work has been a common element of science courses at university level for around two centuries, but its practice has been criticised by scholars in the field and related stakeholders. Mainly on a rationale of financial justification and educational efficacy, more evidence for learning has been called for. The aims of this systematic…

A student experiment that uses QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) methodology for extraction and HPLC for quantitative determination of tocopherols from seeds and nuts is described here. Chromatographic separation is achieved by using a pentafluorophenyl stationary phase which gives enhanced separation of the tocopherols…

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy and catalysis represent two of the most practically relevant topics in chemistry, but they are normally taught in separate contexts at the undergraduate level. Although IR spectroscopy is introduced to students as a tool for organic compound characterization, it also finds wide applicability in the investigation of…