Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

P-39 Interdisciplinary Diffusion Lab, Sable Canales, Chloe Gaban, Mickey Kutzner

Celebration of Research and Creative Scholarship

Diffusion is a principle in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. The rate of diffusion is affected by temperature, particle size, concentration, and material type. Students can model the rate of diffusion based on particle size by contrasting blue and yellow dyes. Two petri dishes containing agar-agar receive a drop of dye at the center. The radius of expansion is recorded over time. The variance of the distribution grows as 𝜎2=4𝐷𝑡, where 𝜎2 is the variance, D is the diffusion constant, and t is time. Graphing variance versus time gives a slope of 4D. Diffusion constants vary by particle size, allowing for …

Arduino Microcontrollers In The Classroom: Teaching How To Phrase Effective Science Questions And How To Answer Them With Original Data, Tony Dinsmore

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

Arduino microcontrollers in the classroom: teaching how to phrase effective science questions and how to answer them with original data. Prof. Tony Dinsmore, UMass Physics This workshop will develop course modules that address a challenge in the science curriculum: how do we teach basic problem-solving and curiosity-based research skills in a classroom setting? The standard science curriculum teaches concepts and theory quite well but leaves rather little opportunity for students to take the lead in designing and implementing their own investigations. The workshop will use the Arduino, an inexpensive microcontroller that is simple to set up. A huge range of …

Solar Cells, D. Venkataraman

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

Solar cells convert the sun's energy into electrical energy. In this workshop, I will discuss the processes involved in solar cell and various types of solar cells that are being developed as an alternative to silicon solar cells. I will also demonstrate how students can build a solar cell from readily available materials.

Chemistry Student Attitudes And Utilization Of Office Hours, Dieng Barbacar, Edgar Gomez, Andre Rodriguez

Publications and Research

While research has demonstrated that faculty-student interactions increase retention and graduation rates, faculty often report that their office hours are underutilized. To better understand students’ attitudes, usage and plans towards faculty hours a survey was administered in the second to third week of the fall 2018 semester to students in 5 sections of general chemistry courses. The goal was to better understand how students perceive the benefits and hindrances of office hours, along with current or planned attendance. Prior to survey administration, it was speculated that not attending office hours could be because they were not scheduled at a convenient …

Engaging Undergraduate Students In Planetary Science Research For Parabolic Flights, Gillian Gomer, Adrienne Dove, Seamus Anderson, Jeffery Jorges, Alexandra Yates

Gillian Gomer

Air Pressure, Clouds, And Weather, Laura Shofield

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

1) What are basis characteristics of the atmosphere?

2) What is the horizontal and vertical movement of air in a “High” and “Low?”

3) How do clouds form and what can they tell us?

4) How are temperature, pressure and clouds related?

5) Applying concepts to real-time data

Concentration, Amount And Counting By Weighing, Julian Tyson

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

Concentration, Amount and Counting by Weighing

UMass Amherst STEM Ed Institute Saturday Workshop 2/3/2018

Julian Tyson, Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry. Tyson@chem.umass.edu

Session 1. Introductions.

Ice-breaker: The elementarity contest.

Setting the scene: “How much arsenic do we eat?” Why do we want to know? The Consumer Reports articles (Nov 2012 and Nov 2014)

Dealing with really big and really small numbers.

Session 2. Amount, concentration

Solids, liquids and gases. The “parts per” concept.

Session 3. Counting by weighing

The count equation. Rice grains (the bottle content problem), atoms and molecules.. Chemical formulas and balanced chemical expressions. The numbers in the …

Overview, Benjamin Davidovitch, Narayanan Menon, Jennifer Welborn, Wayne Kermenski

Patterns Around Us

No abstract provided.

Superhero Robotics, Frank Sup, Brian Umberger, Nick Sawyer

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

No abstract provided.

Atomic Force Microscopes, Rob Snyder, Jennifer Welborn

Nanotechnology Teacher Summer Institutes

PowerPoint overview. A student activity that builds an atomic force microscope model.

Producing Electricity With Solar Cells, Chris Emery, Rob Snyder

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

No abstract provided.

Making The Journey From A Traditional Model To An Online Model, Jenny Shrensker, Nazire Koc

Jenny Shrensker

Session E-1: Hiding In Plain Sight, Micah Fogel

Professional Learning Day

Were the plays of William Shakespeare really written by Francis Bacon, who left a coded signature in plain sight? Can spies send messages without using codes and without getting caught? Steganography is the art of hiding messages in plain sight but in a way so that only those in on the secret can find them. We'll learn a few tricks about how to hide messages in pieces of text or sound and image files on a computer.

How Much Arsenic Do We Eat?, Julian Tyson

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

No abstract provided.

Air Pressure, Clouds And Weather, Laura Schofield, Tina Ciarametaro

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

No abstract provided.

Wind Power, Susn Reyes

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

No abstract provided.

Using Solar Energy, Peter Talmage

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

• Best energy source for the environment • It’s getting more economical every day • Easy to maintain • Cuts down on foreign oil imports

Mapping Missions And Geographic Positioning Systems, Rob Snyder

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

No abstract provided.