Perspectives on Science Literacy: A comparative study of United States and Kenya

Results from a science literacy survey administered to the American and Kenyan educators are presented. Sixty-three educators from the U.S. and Kenya responded to a survey about their perspectives on science literacy. The research questions were designed to examine the factors that affect students’ performance in science, the skills required for students to be successful in science, and the challenges of teaching science and recommendations for improving scientific literacy in both countries. Results indicate that educators from both countries have similar concerns about science teaching and learning but they also face some unique problems. The participants were all in agreement regarding proficiency in English language and literacy skills as key contributors to the acquisition of science literacy. The educators integrated these skills through reading, writing of science materials, research, and the discourse of science. The main challenges identified included students’ attitude towards science and lack of interest. In addition, the Kenya educators also identified lack of proficiency in English language, lack of good science foundations, and lack of resources and materials as additional challenges. The results of this study imply that both science and literacy educators should work together to increase students’ proficiency in science

Utilizing Service Learning in the Analytical Chemistry Classroom

Service learning has been incorporated into the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory to give students a real world sampling experience including both soil and water, alongside professionals in their fields. Analysis of the soil and water includes metals, suspended solids, phosphorus and nitrogen containing compounds requiring knowledge of several different instrumental and wet chemical techniques. Most educational experiences do not afford students the chance to see the real world applications of their classroom knowledge, but with the service learning aspects this deficiency has been resolved. In the soil experience, students provide homeowners from the Highland Park and South Wedge neighbors with lead analysis of their soil as well as written reports of those levels and information on removing or working with lead contaminated soil. For the water project, students are providing baseline analysis of nutrients and metals found in Buckland Creek for the Department of Environmental Services, Division of Pure Waters, which studies the effects of industrial expansion and human activity on water quality in Rochester. The analytical chemistry students further their experience in an advanced analytical chemistry course the following year by performing further analysis on the soil and water, but on a more independent level. They use their previous learned skills to gather water after rainfall and perform analysis back in the laboratory with no structured guidance. The class is also expanding to include a plant biology section, where students will test the affects on growth and safety of plants grown in leaded soil. This experiment will allow students to provide proof to homeowners as to which plants are healthy to eat and which can be used for phytoremediation. In addition to feeling like active contributors to the community, the students and homeowners have been interviewed and photographed for an article detailing lead contamination issues

Utilizing Service-Learning in the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory: Soil and Water Analysis in Rochester, New York

For an analytical chemistry course at St. John Fisher College, instructors designed a servicelearning project on soil and water analysis to achieve the following two goals: 1) to introduce analytical chemistry students to soil- and water-testing methods by working in collaboration with surrounding neighborhoods residents and government agencies and 2) to prepare written reports of the results for the designated community partners. Service-learning students conducted soil testing for lead on homes and perspective community garden sites around Rochester, NY with plans to establish planting methods to revitalize polluted soil. Four different communities contributed soil samples. The entire project was performed in connection with Lynn Donahue, St. John Fisher College’s service-learning director. To analyze the lead in the soil, EPA method 3050b including acid digestion was utilized, followed by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FAAS). Results showed that many of the home sites contained levels of lead far above the accepted EPA guidelines of 400 ppm for play areas and 1,200 ppm for non-play areas. To further assist homeowners, students provided written reports detailing the results of the four sites tested on their property and provided suggestions of ways to rid the soil of lead and protect themselves from lead-containing soil. The students also conducted water testing on both Buckland Creek (before and after rain events) and the Genesee River in coordination with the Department of Environmental Services, Division of Pure Waters. Testing included pH, dissolved oxygen levels, buffering capacity, sulfide, carbon dioxide, chloride, alkalinity, water hardness, chemical oxygen demand, phosphorus, nitrates, zinc, lead and copper. Experimental methods involved the comparison of up to three techniques per analyte, utilizing titration methods, commercial kits, electrode probes, and spectrophotometric instrumentation

Spectrophotometric Quantification of Ibuprofen Release in Dissolution Testing. A Pharmaceutical Analysis Experiment for Instrumental Analysis Laboratory

An instrumental analysis laboratory experiment that demonstrates the use of dissolution testing and UV-Vis spectroscopy in drug analysis is presented. This experiment serves to provide a basis for dissolution testing to undergraduate chemistry students. Dissolution is an important test in establishing the quality of pharmaceutical drugs. The experiment illustrates a real life pharmaceutical analysis application aimed at determining the rate of drug release from different dosage forms of ibuprofen as a function of time. Dissolution testing of three Advil tablet dosage forms was performed in dissolution media that mimic to some extent the physiological conditions encountered in the stomach and small intestine. Details of the experimental procedure are described along with results. This experiment provides chemistry students with experience in the basic methods used for quantifying drug release in dissolution tests in the pharmaceutical industry, and introduces them partly to the concept of process analytical chemistry

Spectrophotometric Quantification of Ibuprofen Release in Dissolution Testing. A Pharmaceutical Analysis Experiment for Instrumental Analysis Laboratory

An instrumental analysis laboratory experiment that demonstrates the use of dissolution testing and UV-Vis spectroscopy in drug analysis is presented. This experiment serves to provide a basis for dissolution testing to undergraduate chemistry students. Dissolution is an important test in establishing the quality of pharmaceutical drugs. The experiment illustrates a real life pharmaceutical analysis application aimed at determining the rate of drug release from different dosage forms of ibuprofen as a function of time. Dissolution testing of three Advil tablet dosage forms was performed in dissolution media that mimic to some extent the physiological conditions encountered in the stomach and small intestine. Details of the experimental procedure are described along with results. This experiment provides chemistry students with experience in the basic methods used for quantifying drug release in dissolution tests in the pharmaceutical industry, and introduces them partly to the concept of process analytical chemistry

Perspectives on Science Literacy: A comparative study of United States and Kenya

Results from a science literacy survey administered to the American and Kenyan educators are presented. Sixty-three educators from the U.S. and Kenya responded to a survey about their perspectives on science literacy. The research questions were designed to examine the factors that affect students’ performance in science, the skills required for students to be successful in science, and the challenges of teaching science and recommendations for improving scientific literacy in both countries. Results indicate that educators from both countries have similar concerns about science teaching and learning but they also face some unique problems. The participants were all in agreement regarding proficiency in English language and literacy skills as key contributors to the acquisition of science literacy. The educators integrated these skills through reading, writing of science materials, research, and the discourse of science. The main challenges identified included students’ attitude towards science and lack of interest. In addition, the Kenya educators also identified lack of proficiency in English language, lack of good science foundations, and lack of resources and materials as additional challenges. The results of this study imply that both science and literacy educators should work together to increase students’ proficiency in science

Synthesis and evaluation of l-phenylalanine ester-based chiral ionic liquids for GC stationary phase ability

Several l-phenylalanine alkyl ester-based cations formed ionic liquids after coupling with bis-(perfluoroethylsulfonyl) imide ([(C2F5SO2)2N]) and bis-(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) amide ([(CF3SO2)2N]). The relationship between the structure of l-phenylalanine alkyl ester cations and perfluorinated anions and properties of subsequently synthesized chiral ionic liquids was investigated. The ionic liquids were obtained in good yields and were liquid at room temperature. The ionic liquids having a methyl and ethyl substituent on the cation unit exhibited the highest thermal decomposition temperatures that ranged from 280 °C to 296 °C among the synthesized ionic liquids. These ionic liquids displayed the lowest glass transition temperatures of between − 45 °C to − 51 °C. The introduction of a different alkyl substituents on the cation caused the melting point and viscosity of the ionic liquids to vary slightly. Ionic liquids based on the [(C2F5SO2)2N] anion presented higher melting points than those based on the [(CF3SO2)2N] anion, for each corresponding cation. The neat chiral ionic liquids showed different fluorescence spectral behavior when excited at the same wavelength. Steady-state fluorescence spectroscopic measurements revealed the chiral discrimination of l-Phenylalanine ethyl ester bis-(perfluoroethylsulfonyl) imide for pure enantiomers of 2,2,2-trifluoroanthryl ethanol