Narrative
The Chemistry Department requests funding to purchase 80 new state-of-the-art Vernier LabQuest handheld data collection interface devices (LabQuest 3 interface devices) and corresponding probe sensors for each device to enable real-time measurements of pH, temperature, optical absorbance, gas pressure, conductivity, and oxidation-reduction potential. This will modernize the technological and analytical training for our students in the general chemistry laboratories, and for the first time introduce this technology into upper-level chemistry laboratories, including Physical Chemistry, Quantitative Analysis, Inorganic Chemistry, Bioanalytical Instrumentation, and Biochemistry. The annual student enrollment in General Chemistry 1 and 2 Laboratory courses alone at FAU currently exceeds 2000 students a year.
LabQuest 3 interface devices are versatile, state-of-the-art measuring devices that are used in a variety of physical and chemical measurements, including pH, temperature, and optical absorbance. Different probes or sensors are plugged into the interface to enable different types of measurements. To date, around 50 LabQuest 2 interface devices with pH, temperature, and absorbance probes have been successfully used in the general chemistry labs. Many of these old units are broken or beginning to fail and need replacing. We will improve our general chemistry curriculum and analytical/technical training for our students by adding new experiments, such as conductimetric and potentiometric analysis to find concentrations of solutions. New energetics/thermodynamics and kinetics experiments will also be added to the upper level laboratory courses, impacting 30-50 chemistry majors each semester. These new experiments utilizing LabQuest 3 interface devices will align with both industry relevant and required skills for our students, as well as concepts students must master before successfully completing the physical science portion of the medical school entry exam, MCAT.
