Improving the Chemistry, Biology, Physics/Astronomy, and Environmental Science Curricula Through Implementation of UV-Vis Spectrophotometric Laboratory Activities

跨学科（99）化学（12）物理（13）生物科学（61）这个多学科项目正在改进亚利桑那西部学院（AWC）的化学、生物和物理/天文学实验室课程，以及AWC/北亚利桑那大学-尤马2+2环境科学联合项目，其中使用了新的实验室活动紫外可见光谱（UV-Vis）。AWC被教育部指定为西班牙裔服务机构。包括研究和教育文献在内的各种来源的实验和协议正在被组合和改编以创建实验室活动。在化学课程中，学生使用UV-Vis进行光辅助反应，使有机染料矿化，分析校园游泳池的消毒能力，测试墨西哥釉面陶器中的铅，并表征两种热致变色化合物的吸收光谱。生物学专业的学生正在从植物色素叶绿素a和b以及花青素的吸收光谱中阐明结构-功能分子基序。物理/天文学专业的学生正在研究微粒物质如何优先散射更有能量的波长，以及物质和光之间的相互作用如何帮助解释橘红色的日落和日出，以及宇宙现象。环境科学专业的学生正在对当地沙漠流域（科罗拉多河、马丁内斯湖和米特里湖）进行时间和空间水质研究，并分析开垦和未开垦土壤中的氨和磷酸盐，以确定对当地地下水供应污染的潜在影响。紫外-可见光谱仪的多学科应用：1)允许教师将新的实验室实验纳入课程，从而扩大主题覆盖范围；2)允许教师教授以前由于没有仪器能力而被归入课堂的主题；3)让学生亲身体验现代仪器和方法；4)将学生的注意力更多地转向数据分析；5)为社区大学生创造本科研究机会。将分光光度法实验室活动纳入课程的成功和挑战将通过期刊投稿和在区域和国家会议上的发言与广大科学教育界分享。

Interdisciplinary (99) Chemistry (12) Physics (13) Biological Sciences (61) This multidisciplinary project is improving Arizona Western College's (AWC) Chemistry, Biology and Physics/Astronomy laboratory curricula and the joint AWC/Northern Arizona University-Yuma 2+2 Environmental Science program with new laboratory activities that use ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). AWC is designated by the Department of Education as a Hispanic Serving Institution.Experiments and protocols from a wide variety of sources including the research and educational literature are being combined and adapted to create the laboratory activities. In Chemistry courses, students use the UV-Vis to conduct a photoassisted reaction that mineralizes an organic dye, analyze the campus' pool's disinfectant capacity, test for lead in Mexican glazed pottery, and characterize the absorption spectra of two thermochromic compounds. Biology students are elucidating the structure-function molecular motif from the absorption spectra of plant pigments chlorophyll a and b, and anthocyanins. Students in Physics/Astronomy are studying how particulate matter preferentially scatters more energetic wavelengths and how the interaction between matter and light helps explain red-orange sunsets and sunrises, and cosmological phenomena. Environmental Science students are carrying out a temporal and spatial water quality study of the local desert watershed (Colorado River, Martinez and Mittry Lakes), and analyzing for ammonia and phosphate in both cultivated and uncultivated soils to determine the potential impact for contamination of the local groundwater supply. The multidisciplinary use of the UV-Vis spectrometers: 1) allows faculty to incorporate new laboratory experiments into the curriculum and hence expand topic coverage, 2) allows faculty to teach topics that were previously relegated to lecture because of non-existent instrumentation capacity, 3) gives students hands-on experience with modern instrumentation and methodology, 4) shifts student focus more towards data analysis, and 5) creates undergraduate research opportunities for community college students. The successes and challenges of implementing the spectrophotometric lab activities into the curricula will be shared with the science education community at large via journal submissions and presentations at regional and national meetings.