9561157 Mackay Highly technical scientific topics can be effectively learned through a multimedia experience. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project focuses on developing an interactive multimedia product that will make more accessible the subtle relationship between structure and function in macromolecular biochemical systems. The integration of voice, video, animation and simulation into a virtual reality proposed will enable students to interact with sophisticated computer models of molecules and interrogate their molecular properties in a state-of-the-art multimedia format running on standard personal computers. ScienceMedia will collaborate with professors and students from the University of California at San Diego in the development of process. The material to be prepared includes biochemical background on proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates and lipids for the novice. More importantly, the project will assemble and adapt detailed examples illustrating the relationship between molecular and chemical structure and a molecule's biological function. Among these examples are biological motion, information storage, nerve impulse propagation, enzymatic catalysis, and nutrient transport. The student will interact with the molecular systems, probing their structures, discovering first hand what physical and chemical forces give rise to their biological properties. This project aims to produce a multimedia product integrating high end 3D molecular models, hypertext cross referencing, and biochemical knowledge base to be marketed to high school and college students, thus enabling them to better appreciate the chemical processes responsible for life. The tools and technologies developed along the way will provide the foundation for making additional contributions to education in other areas of molecular biology and chemistry and to instruction and training in the burgeoning biotechnology industry.
