This document on the undergraduate laboratory biology course is organized into 4 parts. Part 1 deals with the role of investigation in the undergraduate curricula. Chapters in this section deal with the time for laboratory reform; some special considerations in designing laboratory programs for nonmajors; the appropriate laboratory experiences for…

A massive concrete "waffle," riding on a bed of specially treated gravel and sand inside another building, provides the structural rigidity needed by the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics. (Author)

Discusses the role of the national laboratories as new sub-agencies of the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA). (SL)

Examines views, attitudes and feelings of high school pupils about their school science practicals (labs) via letter-writing and picture-drawing. Concludes that while students generally like practicals, they view them more as a means of confirming theory rather than an open investigation or true experiment. (JDH)

Describes how a planetarium was constructed on the ceiling of a traditional physics laboratory. Similarities and differences between the "poor man's" planetarium and other planetariums are noted. (JN)

Presents a manual of safe laboratory practices and precautions, covering such things as fire, explosion, poisoning, and injuries. (MLH)

The purpose of this study was to investigate Korean high school students' perceptions of their laboratory classrooms, focusing especially on the aspects measured by the items in the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory (SLEI). The study involved 439 high school students from three different streams (145 from the humanities stream, 195 from the…

This document presents laboratory safety rules for Arkansas K-12 schools which were developed by the Arkansas Science Teachers Association (ASTA) and the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). Contents include: (1) "Laboratory Safety Guide for Arkansas K-12 Schools"; (2) "Safety Considerations"; (3) "Safety Standards for Science Laboratories";…

This paper introduces a course entitled "Teaching and Learning Life Science" which was developed as a direct response to a call for educational change in science teacher education. This course combines science content with laboratory experiences and pedagogy with inquiry learning. The targeted population includes non-science major students who are…

The continuing erosion of financial support for undergraduate laboratories makes cost an increasingly important factor in the choice of undergraduate animal experiments. Projects employing insect predation by rodents, which require minimal equipment and pose a number of interesting questions about animal behavior, are described. (RM)

Perspectives on the issues of the effectiveness and the role of laboratory work are provided through a review of the history, goals, and research findings regarding the laboratory as a medium of instruction in introductory science teaching. Suggestions for researchers working to clarify the role of the laboratory are made. (Author/PN)

Highlights activities and scientific accomplishments at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. Includes comments by staff scientists about their current research endeavors. (JN)