Communication Worldwide for the Teaching and Learning of Chemistry
The February 2013 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available. FInd this latest issue plus the content of all issues, volumes 1 through 90, at http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc.
Editorial
Norbert Pienta, Editor-in-Chief of JCE, emphasizes that the editors and staff, the Board of Publication, and ACS Publications are all striving to make the Journal available, affordable, and valuable in his editorial, The Real Costs of Publishing the Journal.
Biochemistry
Biochemistry resources in this issue include:
Cover: Green Fluorescent Protein Laboratory Experiment
The cover features the front (left) and top (right) views of the green fluorescent protein (GFP). In Effect of pH on the Heat-Induced Denaturation and Renaturation of Green Fluorescent Protein: A Laboratory Experiment, Rosa V. Flores, Hilda M. Solá, Juan C. Torres, Rafael E. Torres, and Ernick E. Guzmán describe a laboratory experiment using GFP in which students learn important biochemistry and instrumental analysis concepts.
Articles
Surface Plasmon Resonance Spectroscopy: A Versatile Technique in a Biochemist's Toolbox by Ray Bakhtiar
Using Pamphlets To Teach Biochemistry: A Service-Learning Project by Melinda A. Harrison, David Dunbar, and David Lopatto
Technology Report
A Novel Active-Learning Protein Purification Exercise for Large-Enrollment Introductory Biochemistry Courses Using the CHROM Web Applet by Isabelle H. Barrette-Ng and Ken C. Usher
Chemical Education Research
Visualization
Two chemical education research articles examine how students utilize images:
Identifying Student Use of Ball-and-Stick Images versus Electrostatic Potential Map Images via Eye Tracking by Vickie M. Williamson, Mary Hegarty, Ghislain Deslongchamps, Kenneth C. Williamson, III, and Mary Jane Shultz
Sex Differences in the Mental Rotation of Chemistry Representations by Mike Stieff
Language and Learning Chemistry
Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners’ Experiences in High School Chemistry Education by Annette Flores and K. Christopher Smith
Chemistry & the Arts
A number of articles in the February issue feature connections between chemistry and the arts. George B. Kauffman and Laurie M. Kauffman review the book Chemistry in Theatre: Insufficiency, Phallacy or Both by Carl Djerassi; Nancy K. Spillane discusses using the play Copenhagen to teach the history and practice of science; and Richard S. Herrick and Robert K. Cording use poetry reading as a fun way to review chemistry topics and spark student interest in the beauty and mystery of chemistry.
Innovative Courses
In Purposeful Design of Formal Laboratory Instruction as a Springboard to Research Participation, David P. Cartrette and Matthew L. Miller describe an innovative instructional approach for introducing first and second year chemistry and biochemistry students to a research environment through the use of instrumentation plus “choreographed” interactions with peers and several levels of instructors.
Susan Sonchik Marine discusses designing a study abroad course in chemistry by using information from three different courses she has taught with study abroad in Europe.
Colorful Demonstration
In Mixing Liquids—Mission Impossible? A Colorful Demonstration on Immiscible Systems, Jens Eckelmann and Ulrich Lüning present two demonstrations are that show the immiscibility of five or six layers of liquids.
Cost-Effective Labs
Two innovative and cost-effective labs feature the use of filter paper:
Microscale Electrolysis Using Coin-Type Lithium Batteries and Filter Paper by Masahiro Kamata and Seiko Yajima
A Simple Paper-Based Microfluidic Device for the Determination of the Total Amino Acid Content in a Tea Leaf Extract by Longfei Cai, Yunying Wu, Chunxiu Xu, and Zefeng Chen
ConfChem: Case-Based Studies
ConfChem online conferences are free, open to the public, and run by the ACS DivCHED Committee on Computers in Chemical Education (CCCE). The spring 2011 ConfChem conference discussed Case-Based Studies in Chemical Education and eight communications in this issue showcase a variety of case-based learning initiatives in chemical education that have been developed through the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science (NCCSTS).
But Wait…There’s More!
You will find all of the articles mentioned above, and many more, in the Journal of Chemical Education. Articles that are edited and published online ahead of print (ASAP—As Soon As Publishable) are also available.
The January 2013 issue will be available as a sample issue for the entire year; if you like what you read, consider a subscription for access to all 90 years of content that JCE has to offer.
Looking ahead: the March 2013 issue will feature scanning probe microscopy and teaching with technology.