When FT-NMR is used to collect data without a sufficient delay time between subsequent pulses, the integrated area under certain peaks may result in a lower value than should be observed under appropriate conditions. This discrepancy in integration may deceive the inexperienced eye and consequently can lead to a wrong assignment of the NMR…

Creatively and rigorously blending historical research and contemporary data from various disciplines, this book cogently and comprehensively illustrates the problems and opportunities the American nation faces in education, economics, and the global arena. The authors propose a framework of transformation that would render American culture no…

A microscale laboratory experiment to investigate the formation and utility of microemulsions is described. Microemulsions are technologically important fluids that can reduce the use of toxic organic solvents. In the experiment, students prepare a microemulsion and compare the solubility of sudan III dye in the microemulsion and in dodecane. They…

The experiment developed in this article addresses the concept of equipment calibration for reducing systematic error. It also suggests simple student-prepared sucrose solutions for which accurate densities are known, but not readily available to students. Densities are measured with simple glassware that has been calibrated using the density of…

Laboratory exercises, which utilize alkaline phosphatase as a model enzyme, have been developed and used extensively in undergraduate biochemistry courses to illustrate enzyme steady-state kinetics. A bioinformatics laboratory exercise for the biochemistry laboratory, which complements the traditional alkaline phosphatase kinetics exercise, was…

The reciprocal lattice is derived through the Fourier transform of a generic crystal lattice, as done previously in the literature. A few key derivations are this time handled in detail, and the connection with x-ray diffraction is clearly pointed out. The Ewald sphere is subsequently thoroughly explained and a few comments on its representation…

We show the impossibility of harvesting power from rotational motions by devices attached to the rotating object. The presentation is suitable for students who have studied Lagrangian mechanics. (Contains 2 figures.)

We developed an interactive laboratory that allows students to identify and grade tissue samples from human breast biopsies, using techniques similar to those used by actual pathologists. This unique lab develops a practical and intellectual understanding of basic tissue structures that make up living systems, utilizing technology to bring…

Funded by innovative programs at the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Richmond faculty in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and computer science teamed up to offer first- and second-year students the opportunity to contribute to vibrant, interdisciplinary research projects. The result was…

In this paper four final-year education students describe one aspect of their science pathway course, a place-based experience in an urban ecological setting. The aim of the place-based experience was to combine community service and science knowledge to focus on critical, reflective thinking and civic responsibility. The assessment task required…

This textbook integrates chemistry and art with hands-on activities and fascinating demonstrations that enable students to see and understand how the science of chemistry is involved in the creation of art. It investigates such topics as color integrated with electromagnetic radiation, atoms, and ions; paints integrated with classes of matter,…

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is widely used by chemists. Furthermore, the use of NMR spectroscopy to solve structures of macromolecules or to examine protein-ligand interactions is popular. Yet, few students entering graduate education in biological sciences have been introduced to this method or its utility. Over the last six…

Computer games such as Unreal Tournament (UT2004 and UT3) contain a "physics engine" responsible for producing believable dynamic interactions between players and objects in the three-dimensional (3D) virtual world of a game. Through a series of probing experiments we have evaluated the fidelity and internal consistency of the UT2004 physics…

The most recent data on stars orbiting Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, have been used in an experiment undertaken by second-year university students to determine the distance R[theta] to the center of the galaxy. Students applied each of Kepler's 17th-century laws, in turn, to 21st-century data. The…

A teacher and a college student explore experimental science and its history by reading historical texts, and responding with replications and experiments of their own. A curriculum of ever-widening possibilities evolves in their ongoing interactions with each other, history, and such materials as pendulums, flame, and resonant singing tubes.…