This paper revisits the tie-dyeing process through a bioinspired and safer alternative to nucleophilic aromatic substitution (S[subscript N]Ar) reactions for an introductory organic chemistry laboratory. The simple and straightforward experiment provides students with an opportunity to gain practical experience in conducting a chemical reaction in…

The authors describe an undergraduate research program at the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) organized around high-altitude ballooning and carried out primarily in an open, maker-space environment. Two cohorts of students were recruited. They undertook projects in biology, chemistry, engineering, environmental science, and physics. Via the…

This article presents results from a Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM) grant from the National Science Foundation that supported students from three majors and funded the development of cocurricular activities designed to increase the workforce development of first-generation and underrepresented students. Scholar cohorts were interdisciplinary, with…

For the last seven years, an interdisciplinary course known as "Greener Solutions", offered by the University of California, Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry, has brought together graduate students in chemistry, environmental health, and engineering to understand each other's disciplines, and to work together to develop safer…

Science and science education are recognised internationally as essential for ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future. At the same time, significant equity issues are apparent in science education. This study used enrolment and academic result data, routinely collected from government schools in Victoria, Australia, to examine the impact of…

Service-learning methodology makes a connection between student classroom learning and the application of knowledge to solve community needs. The present study was carried out with the Universidad Autónoma de Occidente (Colombia) community by environmental engineering students enrolled in a Chemistry 2 course. The students helped the Universidad…

Scientific research exploring ocean acidification has grown significantly in past decades. However, little science education research has investigated the extent to which undergraduate science students understand this topic. Of all undergraduate students, one might predict science students to be best able to understand ocean acidification. What…

The concentration game can be used as a complete class or a portion of it to help reinforce the material being presented or for review sessions. An environmental chemistry class review is presented with the use of the concentration game.

A new project-based laboratory (PJBL) was developed for general chemistry students to tackle the steps involved in chemical water quality analysis using an accessible, real-world hydrologic system (the lakes of the Lower Grand Coulee, Washington). This PJBL was developed in a joint general chemistry and environmental geology course by a…

Participation of environmental chemistry students in mock congressional hearings is described, as a means of helping them better develop their speaking and debating skills. The activity brings active learning principles into the classroom and greatly increases student participation in an otherwise traditional lecture course.

In response to the realization that qualified applicants' choice of a career in chemistry is declining, we investigated the factors involved in chemistry and chemical education career choice. Building on the social cognitive theory (SCT) and the social cognitive career theory (SCCT), this research examines the personal, environmental, and…

The increase in ocean acidity since preindustrial times may have deleterious consequences for marine organisms, particularly those with calcareous structures. We present a laboratory experiment to investigate this impact with general, introductory, environmental, and nonmajors chemistry students. For simplicity and homogeneity, calcite was…

A new curricular approach in our undergraduate second-year instrumental analysis laboratory was implemented. Students work collaboratively on scenarios in diverse fields including pharmaceuticals, forensics, gemology, art conservation, and environmental chemistry. Each laboratory section (approximately 12 students) is divided into three groups…

This comprehensive experiment is specially designed for the third-year and above students who are majoring in chemistry, applied chemistry, and chemical engineering. Students conduct experiments in groups, which are required to synthesize the CeO[subscript 2]-NiTiO[subscript 3]/attapulgite (ATTP) composite catalyst by the sol-gel method; the…

In this study, four women who hold academic STEM leadership positions were interviewed, following a resiliency theory conceptual framework, to determine what factors were instrumental in their successful journeys toward prestigious academic standings and to examine the struggles they faced on those journeys. STEM refers to science, technology,…