The project is introducing faculty in the physical and life sciences teaching at two-and four-year colleges to the use of computers in experimental work. The emphasis is on learning how computers can be interfaced to instruments and experimental apparatus for the purpose of experimental control and data acquisition. The activity involves both lecture and laboratory work over a four week period. After an introduction to fundamentals of digital electronics, signal conditioning, personal computer architecture, and programming, participants are focussing on such applications as developing a digital oscilloscope and interfacing personal computers to spectrometers and titration apparatus. Topics include serial and parallel data transfer, analog sampling principles, and integrated circuit timers. After the instructional phase of the course, participants will select among a number of specific applicaltions for further study. Included among these are interfaces to spectrometers, a flow injection analysis application featuring computer-controlled valve manipulation, and two undergraduate chemistry experiments which use computers to improve the quality of the data being collected. Time is also being made available to investigate applications of unique interest to each applicant. The program is intended for faculty who wish to incorporate computer interfacing into their own teaching of experimental science.
