A continuing challenge to the undergraduate chemical engineering curriculum is the time-effective incorporation and use of computer-based tools throughout the educational program. Computing skills in academia and industry require some proficiency in programming and effective use of software packages for solving 1) single-model, single-algorithm…

This paper details a successful and inexpensive implementation of a remote laboratory into a distance control systems course using readily available hardware and software. The physical experiment consists of a beach ball and a dc blower; the control objective is to make the height of the aerodynamically levitated beach ball track a reference…

Developing good record-keeping habits is essential for organizing, processing, and communicating experimental results objectively. Therefore, the authors designed an interactive method of teaching first graders to record, organize, and interpret data as they studied the life cycle of the spotted salamander ("Ambystoma maculatum"). In their…

"Situational interest" is a short-term form of motivation which occurs when a specific situation stimulates the focused attention of students (e.g., a spectacular science demonstration could arouse transient interest amongst nearly all the students in a class, even those who are not normally interested in science). However, there have…

Using mini-aquaria experiments, a learning unit on the effects of light period on aquatic ecosystems was developed for 7th grade students. This guided inquiry unit was aimed at helping students understand basic ecological principles involved in relationships among physical, chemical, and biological components in aquatic ecosystems. It involved…

This collection of lesson plans designed for teachers of 4th- through 12th-grade students utilizes an assortment of teaching strategies for topics related to coal and the coal industry. Activities cover the following topics: coal formation; coal identification; "the geologist's dilemma" (a supply and demand activity); geologic time and…

This document describes ways to work with DNA and host organisms in precollege classrooms. The guidelines are intended to assist the teacher who already has training in working with microbes, DNA, and associated chemicals. The contents of the guidelines include: (1) Permitted DNA molecules, vectors, and recommended host organisms for constructing…

This paper attempts to promote an understanding of physics through its history and replication of the oscillation experiments of Isaac Newton and Daniel Bernoulli from the 17th and 18th centuries. The experiments described can be treated at a level of sophistication to suit the interests and capabilities of the student. Reproductions in the…

This study was made to see if there were descriptive statistics on (1) size of enrollment, (2) location (by population density), (3) availability of staff, (4) curriculum (transfer or terminal), and (5) cost per student that would predict rejection of experimental programs in staff use. The attitude of the chief administrator as the single most…

These units developed for teacher use consist primarily of a collection of typical experiments or research activities developed by staff and participants of a National Defense Education Act Institute. The institute was designed to broaden the viewpoint of 25 industrial arts teachers with regard to some of the newer scientific and/or engineering…

Designed to assist the teacher in introducing a unit on research and experimentation into his/her industrial arts program, this manual provides information for adoption to both classroom instruction and laboratory activities, and a student workbook. The instructor's section includes (1) What is Research? (2) Importance of Research and…

Presents an experiment for determining the pH of shampoo. (SL)

Describes an experiment to introduce students to qualitative and quantitative aspects of neutron activation analysis. (SL)

Suggests a laboratory introduction to solid-solid phase transitions, thermochromism, and color changes associated with changes in ligand coordination suitable for undergraduate students in physical and general chemistry. Describes the preparation and analysis of the experiment. (CW)

Describes an apparatus that can be used to measure low gas pressures over a range of temperature in the undergraduate teaching laboratory. Discusses an experimental procedure and theory for pressure temperature measurements with this apparatus. (CW)