Development of Laboratory Modules to Enhance Inquiry-guided Learning and Implement Biofuel-related Experiments

发展可再生能源是关系到国家经济增长、能源安全和全球环境保护的首要问题。从植物来源生产的生物燃料是最有前途的可再生燃料选择之一。开发有效生产生物燃料的必要技术需要大幅扩大基础设施，并大力开展相关科学领域的研究。该项目为生物化学实验室课程开发教材，该课程结合了当前生物燃料研究的主题。新的实验单元旨在通过引导性探究和开放式探究实验，促进学生独立思考、批判性思维和推理，学习生物化学中的重要概念。这些单元能够通过在整个课程中保持对科学和社会中的重要问题的关注，特别是能源危机和环境保护，来鼓励学生积极参与学习。该项目的主要学术价值在于，它将与社会经济相关的主题--生物燃料合成--与以研究为基础的实验室活动结合起来，以加强对生物化学重要概念的学习。该项目有几个更广泛的影响：其目标是激发少数族裔本科生对与能源相关的职业的兴趣，培养本科生在各种现代实验室技术方面的能力，并为这些学生从事研究工作做好准备。另一个目标是促进下一代科学家和教育工作者的发展，他们将面临解决环境和能源问题的挑战。

Chemistry (12)Development of renewable energy resources is a primary concern for national economic growth, energy security and global environmental protection. Biofuels produced from plant sources are one of the most promising renewable fuel options. Development of necessary technologies for efficient production of biofuels requires a substantial expansion of infrastructure and vigorous research in related areas of science. This project develops teaching materials for a biochemistry laboratory course that incorporates current topics in biofuel research. The new laboratory modules are designed to promote students' independent thinking, critical thinking and reasoning, and learning important concepts in biochemistry through guided inquiry and open inquiry experiments. Such modules are able to encourage active student engagement in their learning by maintaining a focus throughout the entire course on important issues in science and society, specifically the energy crisis and environmental protection. The main intellectual merit of this project is that it integrates a socio-economically relevant topic, biofuel synthesis, with research-based laboratory activities to enhance learning of important concepts in biochemistry. This project has several broader impacts: its goals are to generate interest among minority undergraduate STEM students in energy-related careers that are in increasingly high demand, to train undergraduate STEM students to be competent in various modern laboratory techniques, and to prepare these students for careers in research. A further goal is to promote the development of the next generation of scientists and educators who are going to face the challenge of solving environmental and energy problems.