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Enzyme Activity in AP Biology

Enzyme Activity in AP Biology

Catalyze student learning in AP*® Biology through an investigation of enzyme activity. By using a PASCO Wireless Spectrometer students can monitor the reaction in real-time and build a more robust data set.

Students can investigate the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen by using peroxidase (found in filtered turnip extract). With a small amount of Guaiacol in solution the reaction can be easily monitored in the Wireless Spectrometer because it changes color as it oxidizes.

After creating a blank and calibrating the Wireless Spectrometer on the Analyze Solution tab, select the target analysis wavelength of 470nm.

Figure 1. Setting the analysis wavelength in the Spectrometer Software.

Students can then go to the Time tab to monitor the reaction at 470nm. Prepare the reaction in a standard cuvette by adding the substrate (H2O2), pH buffer, and Guaiacol. Once the enzyme extract is added the reaction proceeds quickly, so make sure to test the reaction before the lab and dilute the enzyme extract if needed.

Figure 2. Monitor the reaction in real time before analyzing and comparing runs from various trial groups.

After establishing a baseline, the rest is inquiry! By changing the pH buffer, temperature, or enzyme and substrate concentrations students can quickly explore the reaction and identify the optimal conditions for turnip peroxidase. Data can be analyzed in the software to determine the rate of reaction or exported for aggregation and further analysis. This is a great lab to introduce or reinforce concepts around protein structure and specific nature of the enzyme-substrate complex. Students can also compare the catalyzed and uncatalyzed reaction to see how the energy of activation is lowered by these (seemingly magic) biological molecules!

Download a Free Copy of the Lab Handout

Figure 3. Sample data from investigation of Peroxidase reaction at pH 2, 4, 7, 10, 12.

* AP is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product or activity.

 

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Untangle Your Circuits!

Making the leap from circuit diagrams to functioning circuits has never been so clear or intuitive. Circuits can be easily built and tested enticing students to more thoroughly explore the behavior of electricity. Your students will no longer be frustrated trying to trace out the electrical pathway through a nest of wires.

Supports inquiry learning – circuits can be easily modified and be quickly swapped out and rearranged

Compatible with both traditional and computer based labs – works with PASCO’s sensors as well as traditional Volt and Ammeters

Classroom management is a breeze – Storage is made simple with the included
Grattenels case and nesting trays

  • The 8 cm by 8 cm modules ensure that all students in a group can clearly see the completed circuit
  • Physical Components (resistors, batteries, switches, etc.) with identifying electronic symbols are visible on the surface of the modules
  • At a glance errors in a circuit can be quickly found without checking each connection

The Basic Kit includes enough modules to do 5 basic experiments:
  • Ohm’s Law
  • Series/Parallel Circuits
  • Batteries & Bulbs Circuits
  • Switches/Open/Closed Circuits
  • Electric Power & Energy

The Advanced Kit includes the Wireless Current & Voltage Sensors and modules for 7 additional experiments:
  • Kirchoff’s Laws
  • Electromagnets
  • Electromagnetic Induction
  • RC & RL circuits
  • Variable Resistance
  • LED Circuits
  • Electric Motors

Rhonda & Craig Invade LA – NSTA 2017 Recap

We were thrilled to attend this year’s NSTA national conference in Los Angeles.

Our first destination was the exhibit hall where PASCO had a very lively booth with several interactive displays.  By far the biggest hit  was the ‘Match Graph’ challenge with a super-sized Smart Cart.  Who knew that learning could be this much fun!  Check out the video to see my less than stellar attempt.

PASCO’s booth was fun, however, the real action was in the teacher facilitated workshops.  In total PASCO had 20 unique hands-on sessions that were over flowing with enthusiastic teachers.  Time didn’t allow us to see all the sessions, but we did manage to squeeze our way into a very energetic session on the new Modular Circuit Kits.  Teachers had a great time ignoring instructions and spent most of the session designing their own unique circuits – obviously investigative learning is not just for students.

We were also fortunate enough to get a seat at PASCO’s workshop session on climate change.  The session featured several hands-on modeling activities, including an investigation where teachers used the Wireless pH sensor to monitor the mitigating effects of natural buffers on acid rain.  The biggest hit of the session was seeing PASCO’s new Wireless Carbon Dioxide sensor in action.  Teachers were excited to discover that a reliable, practical and affordable way to measure CO2 has finally arrived.

Over the next week we’ll share some more videos on our adventures at the conference.

Test the Rainbow! Understanding pH

Students often struggle understanding pH. While we can tell them that it is a logarithmic function, students are more likely to associate “logs” with a calculator button or a piece of wood. So how do we get them to understand what the pH scale really means? Look for a lesson, instead of a pot of gold, at the end of a rainbow.

Let’s start with the acids. First have the students pour 10 mL of 0.1 M HCl into a test tube. Using graduated cylinders and pipets they can add 1 mL of that solution to another test tube with 9 mL of water making a 0.1 M solution. They should repeat the process of taking 1 mL of the previous solution and adding 9 mL of water until there are 5 solutions. They won’t know it, but they just performed a serial dilution. Now they can add some universal indictor to the solutions for a splash of colour.

Indicators are nice, but they really are just an indicator. In this case the indictor was not able to distinguish between the first four test tubes. (Note to self: get some new universal indicator!). Since the true colors aren’t shining through, it’s important to remember that to really understand pH, your students need to take actual pH measurements.

Now comes the pHun part! After recording the data for the solutions, it is important for students to try to make some meaning out of those measurements. Time to dust off those concentration calculation skills. They should be able to calculate the concentration, and write the concentration of the acids in scientific notation.

No need to travel somewhere over the rainbow, all your students need now are some good guiding questions and they should see that pH is primarily based on the negative exponent of the concentration of H+.  With this understanding, pH=-log[H+] can be something more powerful than just a formula to plug and chug in calculator.

 

You can even extend this activity to pOH and its relationship to pH if you drop the base. Following the same procedure, students can perform a serial dilution starting with a 0.1 M NaOH solution.

 

After this colourful and engaging activity with the Wireless pH sensor and some fresh universal indicator, your students will be able to find the rainbow connection:  a better understanding of the pH scale, what it means and how it’s measured.

Introducing PASCO’s New Wireless CO2 Sensor

The ability to easily and affordably measure CO2 levels is great news for Biology and Environmental Science teachers.

PASCO’s new Wireless CO2 Sensor communicates directly with a wide range of Bluetooth equipped computers without requiring an expensive interface.

Ambient environmental Carbon Dioxide levels are typically very low. This means any experimental changes to CO2 levels tend to be significant in percentage terms providing convincing and reliable evidence of the phenomenon being studied.

Investigations based on the wireless CO2 sensors are easy to setup and they work.

Other opportunities for CO2 investigations include:

  • Cell Respiration
  • Photosynthesis
  • Metabolism of cold blooded animals
  • Enzyme activity
  • Fermentation
  • Indoor & Outdoor CO2 levels
  • Pollution
  • Decomposition

 

Show Me The Money! Multiple strategies for funding your Wireless Sensor Purchase

It seems that many public schools are operating with science budgets that haven’t increased in over 20 years and are barely sufficient to purchase the consumable requirements for the year.   However, despite this wide spread apparent lack of funds many schools are still finding the means to make a significant investment in wireless sensor technology. When possible we ask our customers how their purchase is being funded. See below for a summary of the range of responses we’ve received. Regardless of the funding source, the following points are often incorporated in the successful grant proposals.

Wireless sensors:

  • Support a STEM approach to teaching/learning
  • Are superb tools for Formative and Summative Assessment
  • Support Inquiry-based Learning
  • Are compatible with BOYD, iPad and Chromebook initiatives
  • Are extremely portable and can be easily shared throughout the school
  • Are very durable and may outlast your teaching career

Click here for a presentation on the educational arguments for wireless sensors:

Popular Funding Sources

  • Your Science Budget
    • You can purchase a probe ‘system’ for as little as $71 (the cost of a Wireless Temperature sensor). Wireless sensors are very affordable because no interface is required and the Sparkvue software can be downloaded at no charge. At these prices there is no need to wait for a windfall of new money to get started.
  • Your Principal
    • Most schools have discretionary funds that are controlled by their principals. With competing interests these funds can be challenging to access, however with the right pitch and supporting documentation you just might be able to sway some additional dollars in your science departments direction. Your principal will like the fact that probes can be easily shared, and that they support STEM approaches to learning.
  • Your Board’s Technology Funding Grants
    • We often get sizeable orders from schools that have received an internal grant from their board to fund a technology initiative. The orders sometimes accompany and an iPad or Chromebook purchase. Try reaching out to an instructional technology resource contact in your board to see what funding opportunities might be available.
  • New Schools
    • Those fortunate enough to be teaching in a school within the first few years of opening have the opportunity to get their science program started on the right foot. We have lots of experience in equipping new schools with sensors and would be very happy to assist you in compiling a list of instructional materials to support all areas of the science curriculum.
  • Corporate Advertised Grants
    • Many Corporations offer provincial and national grants to fund educational projects. To see some of the currently offered grants being offered check our grant and scholarship section of our website. These grant can be quite generous and are definitely worth checking out.
  • Non Advertised Corporate Grants
    • Corporations receive significant tax breaks and enjoy the good will which is generated when they fund educational initiatives. Although many larger companies have allocated budgets for grants and sponsorships, they’re not typically publicized. This is where following the credo ‘it never hurts to ask’ can really work to your school’s advantage. To start you might want to approach a close friend or relative whose company you feel may be good candidate.
  • Your Parent Council
    • Parent councils love to fund the purchase of science probes. Councils take great pride in their schools and are easily persuaded of the potential for probes to make a tangible difference in their children’s education. Parents also recognize that career opportunities in STEM are more plentiful and financially rewarding than other paths and are keen to support technologies that make science more engaging.
      Be sure to share the ‘Imagine Wireless’ presentation with the council.

 

 

High School Science!

Wireless Temperature Sensor Classroom Experiment

In this lab we melted wax in a test tube and measured the temperature as it cooled over 30 minutes.

The students were asked to draw a graph (cooling curves) of their results and were able to compare it with the more accurate data from the thermometer.

It was great to be able to show the students what their graphs should look like.

Tamara Manweiler
Maple Ridge Secondary School

This activity will take your breath away!

Respiration is a process in a living organism that involves the exchange of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide. When humans breathe oxygen is inhaled into the lungs and then absorbed into the blood stream. Carbon dioxide of course flows in the opposite direction and is exhaled. Over the course of day this continuous cycle is carried out 19,000 times. But what happens when we interrupt the cycle by holding our breath?

Our test subject in the video explores what happens to his lung’s CO2 levels when holding his breath for varying times.

Results

Materials Used

Wireless CO2 Sensor PS-3208 $309 (Available Summer 2017)

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