The STEM education journal club brings together faculty to discuss current research in teaching and learning as well as to swap ideas about what works in the classroom.

Generally, we have 4 outside speakers per semester.

Our students engage with faculty in undergraduate research. They publish and present at conferences. Faculty who mentor students can get a course-release to allow more time for research.

The flame atomic absorption spectrometer is used to analyze metals in solution based on energy differences between atomic orbitals of an atom. The sample is aspirated into a flame, where the analyte is atomized. A very narrow beam of light is then passed through the flame where atoms of the analyte absorb some of the light, thus decreasing the intensity of the light beam. The intensity of the light varies according to the number of analyte atoms in solution and therefore allows one to determine the amount of analyte in the solution.

The fluorescence spectrometer uses light to probe electronic and vibrational states of molecules. Ultraviolet light promotes electrons in certain molecules to an excited state. Light is then emitted as the electron relaxes to lower energy state. The resulting emission spectrum of emission intensity vs. wavelength is then used to characterize the molecule under study.

Infrared spectroscopy is one of the principal methods employed to study the vibrational characteristics of organic molecules. Molecules absorb infrared light at frequencies that match the vibrational frequency of their bonds. Stronger bonds and light atoms will vibrate at a higher stretching frequency (wavenumber) than do heavier atoms. This allows for the determination of organic functional groups present on a molecule. The spectrometer is equipped with an Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) accessory allows for minimal sample preparation.

The Raman spectrometer is one of the principal instruments used to study the vibrational characteristics of molecules. Incident light is scattered inelastically upon interaction with the molecule’s vibrational states. This loss or gain of energy by the scattered light allows one to probe the characteristics of the molecule. Raman spectroscopy is an especially attractive and powerful tool in environmental and forensic chemical analysis because qualitative and quantitative measurements can be made directly on contaminants in water. Also, the Raman technique offers high information content, non-invasive sampling and minimal sample preparation.

The UV-Vis Spectrophotometer measures the wavelengths of ultraviolet and visible electromagnetic radiation that are absorbed by the analyte. The wavelength and amount absorbed is dependent upon the molecular structure of the analyte. This instrument uses a photodiode array detector (PDA) which allows for the complete spectrum of a molecule to be obtained in a matter of seconds.

The electrochemical work station is used to study the electrochemical properties of metals and organic molecules in solution, using coulometric and voltammetric techniques. One common technique is cyclic voltammetry (CV), which is performed by cycling the potential of a working electrode, and measuring the resulting current. CV, in addition to determining amounts of analyte present, is also a powerful tool for studying electron transfer reactions.