Targeting four institutions with structured science research programs for undergraduates, this study focuses on how underrepresented students experience science. Several key themes emerged from focus group discussions: learning to become research scientists, experiences with the culture of science, and views on racial and social stigma.…

The focus of this Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) project was on RNA secondary structure prediction by using a lattice walk approach. The lattice walk approach is a combinatorial and computational biology method used to enumerate possible secondary structures and predict RNA secondary structure from RNA sequences. The method uses…

Science educators agree that an undergraduate research experience is critical for students who are considering graduate school or research careers. The process of researching a topic in the primary literature, designing experiments, implementing those experiments, and analyzing the results is essential in developing the analytical skills necessary…

This manuscript reports on efforts to introduce beginning college students to the modern nanoscience field. These include: implementing selected experiments into sequencing core first-year and second-year chemistry laboratory courses; providing students with a first research experience; and engaging them in service learning and outreach programs…

Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy is a useful technique for measuring the infrared spectra of solids and liquids as well as probing adsorption on particle surfaces. Several examples of the use of FTIR-ATR spectroscopy in different undergraduate chemistry laboratory courses are presented here. These…

In 1980, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) initiated the Graduate Student Researchers Program in order to cultivate additional research ties to the academic community and to support promising students pursuing advanced degrees in science and engineering. Section I of this handbook summarizes the program and lists the…

This article describes a novel, hands-on method to qualitatively determine the extent of microbial activity in topsoil using ordinary blank paper. Appropriate and scalable for the high school and college level, these experiments expose students to some of the challenges facing environmental researchers and also contribute to curriculum development…

This report describes a biochemistry laboratory that is completely project-oriented. Upper-level biology and chemistry majors work in teams to purify a protein of their choice. After the student groups have completed literature searches, ordered reagents, and made buffers they continue to learn basic protein purification and biochemical techniques…

Describes the research efforts of scientists involved in discovering chemical transmission of the nerve impulse. The work includes that of J.N. Langley, George Oliver, Edward A. Schafer, Reid Hunt, Henry Dale, Henry Wellcome, Otto Loewi, and others. The discovery and the importance of both acetylcholine and adrenaline are also discussed. (84…

Presents a hand-out given to students at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, concerning expectations and guidelines for finishing laboratory reports. Topics covered are accuracy, data collection, and write-up format that includes introduction, materials utilized, procedures, results, discussion, conclusion, tables and illustrations, units…

The purpose of this publication is to stimulate interest in nontraditional environmental education (EE) research that has escaped the attention that such a growing body of works deserves. Abstracts of masters theses and doctoral dissertations in this volume include: (1) descriptions and development plans for EE areas; (2) studies dealing with…

Describes Neptune through Voyager 2 including the discovery, location, atmosphere, ring arcs, radiation, two satellites, and Voyager's goals. Provides several diagrams and pictures. (YP)

This is a directory devoted to undergraduate research in geology at private and public colleges and universities of the United States. It has been compiled from the responses to a questionnaire sent in late 1987 to the geology or earth science departments of 375 institutions. These departments were selected on the basis of the following criteria:…

This is a review of important science news stories of 1990 as reported in the pages of this journal. Areas covered include anthropology, astronomy, behavior, biology, biomedicine, chemistry, computers and math, earth sciences, environment, food science, materials science, paleobiology, physics, science and society, and space sciences. (CW)

Surveys resources of astronomical information. Includes bibliographies of books and articles on the solar system in general as well as all of the bodies that occur in the solar system. Lists slide sets available from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. (CW)