9451534 Chen To offer undergraduate students hands-on laboratory experience and to improve laboratory instrumentation for better undergraduate education in the field of Environmental Science, we will incorporate Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) into curricula and offer research opportunities to undergraduate students. ICP-AES is the ideal choice for elemental analysis for the majority of inorganic pollutants regulated by EPA and OSHA. The ICP-AES workstation will greatly enhance the undergraduate laboratory experience for students learning instrumental methods, environmental chemistry, toxicology of heavy metals and fate of pollutants in the environment. Specific experiments will be conducted to maximize the use of these workstations and to increase instruction efficiency using new teaching methods like cooperative learning groups and rotating workstations. Analysis of pollutants in the atmosphere, soils, waters and sediments will be covered, so ICP-AES may be used as an investigative tool in research and result in scholarly works with undergraduate coauthors. Since chemistry, biology and environmental science students will take laboratory courses using these workstations, the project will impact a significant number of students.
