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ABSTRACT HASAN, ZESHAN. Evaluation Of ABSTRACT HASAN, ZESHAN. Evaluation of Immersive Technology for Chemical Education. (Under the direction of Maria T. Oliver-Hoyo.) Incorporating immersive technology into education has the potential to offer robust pedagogical situations to students that they otherwise would not be able to experience. This research suggests the incorporation of immersive technology in future chemistry labs will require utilizing a 3D graphics engine designed with VC++ and OpenGL. The design requirements, prototype, and tools to aid in the construction of a platform independent 3D graphics engine have been outlined in this work for future educational chemistry modules. One area of education that can benefit from this type of immersive environment is forensic chemistry. To expose students to the common presumptive drug testing techniques used by the modern forensic chemist, a new hands-on forensic activity was developed. The activity has incorporated five common chemical spot tests and thin-layer chromatography to screen for the presence of “mock” illicit material. Five easily accessible laboratory chemicals were identified that mimic illicit materials using chemical spot tests to teach the principles of presumptive testing without actual handling of controlled substances. Students use the non-specific nature of CSTs to rapidly screen for the presence of “illicit” material and tentatively identify any suspected material by TLC in a real-world hands-on activity. I dedicate this work to my parents Shabih and Musarrat Hasan ii BIOGRAPHY Zeshan “Shawn” Hasan was born to Shabih and Musarrat Hasan on May 9, 1978 in a small suburb outside Chicago, Illinois. From an early age, he was exposed to the importance of education from his father who held advanced degrees in both chemistry and computer science. However, as a young kid his plans to purse baseball were often more important then science. Shawn graduated from Lincoln Land Community College in the summer of 1998 with an Associates degree. Still not 100% sure what he wanted to do with his life, he entered the University of Illinois to find his niche. It was during this educational experience where he became fascinated with technology and chemistry. Shawn graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in the summer of 2001 and entered North Carolina State University in the fall of 2001. He has successfully obtained his M.S. as of August 2006. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Mahatma Gandhi Many will look at this thesis as the culmination of a research project conducted as part of the Masters program for North Carolina State University’s chemical education program. However, the project was really just a beginning, not an end. As I put the final touches on my formal studies at NCSU, I cannot help but think that this too is just a beginning. I would like to thank many people here at NCSU, but I will keep it short since the list is forever growing. My foremost thanks to Dr. Maria T. Oliver-Hoyo, my advisor and friend, for her constant guidance and inspiration during my time at NCSU. I am forever grateful to her for believing in me and for supporting me through the good times and the bad. I would also like to thank DeeDee Allen, for without her advice and friendship I might not be here today. She was always there to listen when I needed someone to talk to and I could not have asked for a better friend during the first few years of graduate school then DeeDee. I would like to recognize my wife, Vanessa, for her constant support and inspiration. She is the reason I continue to work hard and live life to the fullest. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................1 1.1. Introduction...................................................................................................................2 1.2. Literature Research .......................................................................................................4 1.3. Contributions of this Thesis..........................................................................................6 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................8 Chapter 2: Virtual Reality & Related Technologies.....................................................10 2.1. Motivation...................................................................................................................11 2.2. Virtual Reality.............................................................................................................14 2.2.1. Hardware.............................................................................................................16 2.2.2. Virtual Reality Systems ......................................................................................23 2.3. Needs of a Virtual Reality Application for Chemistry ...............................................29 2.3.1. Simple .................................................................................................................31 2.3.2. Flexible ...............................................................................................................31 2.3.3. Efficient...............................................................................................................32 2.4. Evaluation of Existing Virtual Reality Software ........................................................36 2.4.1. VRML.................................................................................................................37 2.4.2. OpenGL...............................................................................................................37 2.4.3. Open Inventor .....................................................................................................38 2.4.4. Visualization Toolkit ..........................................................................................38 2.4.5. WorldToolKit......................................................................................................39 2.5. Design of a 3D Graphics Engine for Chemistry .........................................................41 2.5.1. System Architecture............................................................................................42 2.5.2. Development Process..........................................................................................44 2.5.2.1. Framework ...............................................................................................45 v 2.5.2.2. Virtual Lab...............................................................................................50 2.5.3. Conclusion ..........................................................................................................63 2.5.3.1. Future Direction.......................................................................................64 2.5.3.2. Alternate Direction...................................................................................68 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................70 Chapter 3: Forensic Chemistry ......................................................................................73 3.1. Conception ..................................................................................................................74 3.2. Forensic Chemistry .....................................................................................................75 3.3. Analysis.......................................................................................................................76 3.3.1. Screening Tests ...................................................................................................77 3.3.1.1. Chemical Spot Tests ................................................................................78 3.3.1.2. Thin-Layer Chromatography ...................................................................80 3.3.2. Confirmatory Tests .............................................................................................81 3.4. Forensic Activity.........................................................................................................81 3.4.1. Activity Construction..........................................................................................83 3.4.2. Identification of Mock Drugs..............................................................................83 3.4.2.1. Experimental Procedure...........................................................................85 3.4.2.2. Chemical Spot Tests ................................................................................85 3.4.2.3. Thin-Layer Chromatography ...................................................................95 3.4.3. Activity Layout ...................................................................................................97 3.5. Conclusion ................................................................................................................105 3.6. Future Direction........................................................................................................105 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................108
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