Provides diagrams to aid in discussing polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) technology. Equipped with a knowledge of PDLC, teachers can provide students with insight on how the gap between basic science and technology is bridged. (ZWH)

Students are able to experience cellular respiration in action and become more informed about the environment by creating compost. This article describes an activity that brings a natural process into the classroom. (ZWH)

Provides a graphing exercise designed to help students understand the coevolution of the physical environment and the biosphere during the last four billion years of Earth's history. The ideas are based upon the Gaia theory, which is the belief that the Earth is a self-regulating network of interdependent physical and biological systems. (ZWH)

Describes an alternative method of assessing student's laboratory skills. The assessment tool is included in the article. (ZWH)

Provides examples of alternative assessment methods on the following topics: (1) microbiology assessment; (2) optics assessment; (3) genetics assessment; (4) electromagnetic assessment; and (5) student responses. (ZWH)

Describes an assessment tool called the 4P's (pretest, posttest, portfolio, and performance) designed to assess hands-on science. (ZWH)

Describes a workshop designed to help prepare new teachers for their first day of school. (ZWH)

Describes a class activity in which New York City high school environmental science students take a field trip to visit an active sewage treatment facility and landfill operation. (MDH)

Provides a summary of atmospheric science resources available to help science teachers develop up-to-date units on weather. Resources include activities of professional organizations involving radio, television, printed materials, inservice workshops, and telecommunications resources. (MDH)

Describes the four major phases of a science project to create a school-site native plant habitat: (1) planning the habitat area; (2) constructing the habitat; (3) writing the related curriculum; and (4) providing inservice programs to other interested science teachers. (MDH)

Uses chaos theory to investigate the nonlinear phenomenon of population growth fluctuation. Illustrates the use of computers and computer programs to make calculations in a nonlinear difference equation system. (MDH)

Discusses the importance of encouraging students to study science during their high school years to be able to enter science-related careers. Provides a list of careers that involve science and addresses of organizations from which teachers can obtain career information. (MDH)

Presents four stoichiometric problems and their solutions that use spot metal prices quoted from the newspaper to integrate economics and chemistry. (MDH)

Presents a simulation activity that allow students to work through the exercise of DNA profiling and to grapple with some analytical and ethical questions involving a couple arranging with a surrogate mother to have a baby. Can be used to teach the principles of restriction enzyme digestion, gel electrophoresis, and probe hybridization. (MDH)

Explains how a computer uses its vision to determine the area, edge length, width, height, and center of mass in two dimensions from photos of backlit sea shells. Includes HyperCard codes used to instruct the computer to make the calculations. (MDH)