Writing Lab Reports

Submitted by John Lee / University of Tennessee Chattanooga on Wed, 03/02/2016 - 14:14
Description

Each spring semester I take on the task of teaching and grading full lab reports for my senior advanced inorganic chemistry class. For most this is their first experience writing a document of this magnitude as most other labs they have previously taken require either lab report sheets or the occasional abbreviated lab memo. As I read their lab reports each year I am reminded both how challenging it is to teach writing (more specifically scientific writing) and to grade the reports objectively.

Kayaking to Lake Washington

Submitted by Fabiola BL / The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art on Fri, 07/03/2015 - 00:51
Description

Leisure activity after days of hard work at the IONiC VIPEr workshop in Seattle, WA.

Participants rented kayaks and paddled around the lake for about 90 minutes.

Pre-requisites: Application of a generous amount of sunscreen.

The original plan was to paddle to Lake Washington, but no directions or map was provided. So given the lack of navigation skills and familiarity with the area it is no surprise that only one kayak made it all the way to lake Washington (Go team FBL & KMH!).

Interpreting XPS and CV data from an Electrocatalysis Publication

Submitted by Karen McFarlane Holman / Willamette University on Thu, 07/02/2015 - 20:32
Description

This is a learning object focused on analyzing a specific figure from a research article that show XPS and CV data on Ni(OH)2/NiOOH thin films that have incorporated Fe.

Peer Review - How does it work?: A literature discussion with a focus on scientific communication

Submitted by Mike Norris / University of Richmond on Thu, 07/02/2015 - 20:21
Description

This learning object is based on discussion of the literature, but it follows a paper through the peer review process.  Students first read the original submitted draft of a paper to ChemComm that looks at photochemical reduction of methyl viologen using CdSe quantum dots.  There are several important themes relating to solar energy storage and the techniques discussed, UV/vis, SEM, TEM, electrochemistry, and catalysis, can be used for students in inorganic chemistry.

Analyzing a journal article for basic themes, roles of authors, and the scientific method

Submitted by Darren Achey / Kutztown University on Thu, 07/02/2015 - 15:03
Description

This literature discussion is meant to give students an understanding of both the key concept-driven and more “meta” information of a literature paper.  Students will use Jillian Dempsey’s paper, “Electrochemical hydrogenation of a homogeneous nickel complex to form a surface-adsorbed hydrogen-evolving species,” to investigate paper authorship, how the scientific method is used in research, and how to understand the important findings of a research article.

 

Reference: Chem. Commun., 2015, 51, 5290-5293

DOI:10.1039/C4CC08662G

 

The Nature of Science

Submitted by Lori Watson / Earlham College on Thu, 07/02/2015 - 12:00
Description

I do this activity as an introduction to the nature of science.  An object (not easily guessable) is put into a paper bag.  The job of the class is to figure out what is in the bag. At first, the students are simply shown the bag (sense of sight). Discussion (hypotheses) ensues on what could be in the bag.  I then walk around and shake the bag so students can hear what's in it (hearing). This results in more discussion, with some previous ideas being discarded. The bag is then passed around and students can feel (but not open!) the bag and also try to smell it.

Exploring the Scientific Method in an Electrocatalysis Publication

Submitted by Sarah K. St. Angelo / Dickinson College on Thu, 07/02/2015 - 00:40
Description

This is a learning object focused on discussing application of the scientific method in the chemical literature. This focuses on the paper “Nickel-Iron Oxyhydroxide Oxygen-Evolution Electrocatalysts: The Role of Intentional and Incidental Iron Incorporation” (J. Am. Chem.

Chemistry Infographics from Compound Interest

Submitted by Darren Achey / Kutztown University on Tue, 06/30/2015 - 14:48
Description

Compound Interest is a website that creates infographics for chemistry related events and items.  Specific examples of inorganic chemistry infographics include showing how the metal content in colored glass gives the glass its characteristic color, how the lighting of a match works with the conversion of red phosphorus to white phosphorus, and the various colors that transition metals can have in different oxidation states in water, among many other examples.

The Messy Chemist: Separating a Solid Mixture

Submitted by Mike Norris / University of Richmond on Tue, 06/30/2015 - 14:42
Description

This lab exercise gives students a problem scenario (a mixture of 4 solids) and asks them to determine a way to separate them from each other utilizing experimentation, previous knowledge, and discussion.  Students are expected to write a standard operating procedure detailing the method they determine for the separation at the end of the lab.  A modified version of this lab was originally performed in an accelerated summer class on chemistry given to 7th, 8th, and 9th graders that were on a track for early entrance into college.  The lab was done over the c

Teaching and Learning Package Library from University of Cambridge

Submitted by Vanessa / Albion College on Mon, 06/29/2015 - 15:56
Description

This is a resource that has short, animated tutorials on a variety of different topics. Most of the topics are materials science and/or engineering topics but there are several that would be of interest to chemistry students. (A full list of topics is given below.)

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