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Students entering into a quantitative analysis course often struggle with connecting theoretical aspects of concepts from lecture to hands-on applications in the laboratory setting. A one-semester quantitative analysis course was redesigned to integrate active learning with a project-based curriculum that incorporated structured review of fundamental concepts as needed. This approach includes moving away from a traditional separate lecture/lab format, into an integrated lecture/lab course model incorporating problem-based learning. In an effort to help students draw relationships between the theoretical concepts and the physical world, the course was designed around laboratory activities first and exploration of underlying chemical concepts second. Each project is centered around a specific laboratory experiment and provided opportunities for review of fundamental concepts, continued use of methods and skills from previous experiments, and hands-on application of new concepts. In addition, the projects were designed to give increasing responsibility and freedom to the students to develop robust experimental design skills.

Kombucha is a fermented sweetened tea with a mixed fermenting culture of yeast and acetic acid bacteria. While the history of kombucha is not completely clear, it is now available around the world and has shown an increase in availability and demand in the United States market. The proponents of kombucha consumption tout the varied health benefits it can provide. The final kombucha flavor and composition is a function of both the initial tea used and the fermentation process. While the ascribed benefits are varied and numerous, the number of direct studies has been limited. This review focuses on the current state of understanding of the chemical composition and the potential health effects both positive and negative reported in the literature.