Infusion of Laser Technology in Science Courses: An Interdisciplinary Approach

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The proposed project addresses the well-documented need to incorporate modern technology and various learning approaches in undergraduate education. Despite reports citing the importance of lasers in chemical and physical research, it remains unclear where and how undergraduate students begin to learn and explore creative ideas using lasers. This proposal describes the development of an interdisciplinary Lasers, Optics, and Spectroscopy course and relevant materials for chemistry and physics students. This course will utilize non-traditional pedagogical approaches to help capture the genuine interest and excitement of scientific exploration and discovery. It will provide a means for introducing modern equipment and technology into the undergraduate curriculum, while using an investigative approach designed to enhance the learning experience. A key element to these approaches will be laboratory-based activities involving situations encountered in real scientific endeavors and real-world situations. This learning experience is also designed to help students build connections between disciplines, theory and experiments, and basic scientific principles and applications. In addition, new experiments based upon lasers and related technology will be developed for introductory science and mathematics courses, and for an interdisciplinary science course for non-science majors. Finally, the proposed effort would include a workshop for science and mathematics teachers in order to provide similar materials for use in K-12 classrooms. All of the course materials developed will be interdisciplinary (involving physics, chemistry, and mathematics), thus demonstrating the students the need to retain, transfer, apply, and evaluate basic concepts presented in their core courses. As a result, students should be better prepared to use science and technology in addressing future issues of society.