Kimberly Farah

Developments and Applications of Multielement Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

Introduction Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) is widely used for the determination of trace elements in numerous and complex matrices. It offers excellent detection limits, high precision, high sensitivity, and acceptable accuracy. One drawback of AAS has been its lack of ability to simultaneously determine several elements. If knowledge of several elements in a sample is desired, an analysis must be run for each sample separately. This leads to an increase in the time required to complete the analysis. It also requires that a separate sample be used for every analysis. This can prove to be difficult when the available sample is small in quantity or is difficult to obtain.

Talk of Ages: Using intergenerational classroom modules to engage older and younger students across the curriculum.

ABSTRACT Age-friendly college campuses offer opportunities for lifelong learning for students of all ages. University-based retirement communities are especially well aligned with this goal by allowing residents to enroll in college courses. Although this arrangement is a standard educational option for college-linked communities, it can have challenges. In particular, the semester-long schedule may be inconvenient for many older students. The Talk of Ages intergenerational module program described in this case study was designed to offer an alternative curricular format to bring older and younger students together for 1 to 2 weeks in focused course activities. To encourage participation across the curriculum, instructors were urged to draw on existing course content. Initial feedback about the program indicated that instructors as well as older and younger students found the program appealing. Useful suggestions for refining the program were also revealed.