Dr. Suzanne K. Lunsford is a Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at Wright StateUniversity, Dayton, Ohio. She received a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Xavier University inCincinnati, Ohio and received a Ph.D., from University of Cincinnati in Analytical Chemistry with aminor in Inorganic Chemistry. She performs research in the fields of (1) inquiry-based labdevelopments in analytical chemistry, (2) professional development programs on inquiry-basedlearning for in-service teachers (Master in Teaching program at Wright State University),(3) development of sensors/electrodes to detect carcinogens, and heavy metals in water (Ph.D.program in Environmental Science at Wright State University), (4) functionalization of electrodes todetect low levels of common biological molecules of interest.
Inter-disciplinary Inquiry-Based Science Experiences that have Science Technology Engineering andMathematics (STEM) in the undergraduate learning experiences are the learning experiences neededfor the 21st century. The laboratory research experiences for my undergraduate science educationstudents working on development of sensors to analysis of field samples changes a typical traditionalclassroom into a highly interactive learning environment. The inquiry-based labs are required toengage students into problem solving with the process of critical thinking skills. These problembasedskills enable students to generate, evaluate and share their research findings for their sensorsdeveloped. The students are required to design the sensor to analyze a sample collected on a fieldtrip. The sensor(s) developed to the samples collected on a field trip are analyzed by technology suchas cyclic voltammetry (CV) , differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), square-wave anodic strippingvoltammetry (SWASV), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform InfraredSpectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Raman Spectroscopy [1-3]. The pre-and posttestassessments will be shared to illustrate the successes of the guided inquiry lab results.
