Exploring the three-dimensional shapes and interactions of proteins, DNA, and RNA can provide insights into their biological functions. By visualizing the atomic structures of these biomolecules, mapping information from bioinformatics resources on them, and applying biological and chemical knowledge, one can predict a molecule's behavior under different conditions and even design new molecules with unique properties and functions. One way to introduce undergraduate students to such explorations is through case studies. As part of the incubator award on which this project is based, several molecular case studies were developed and pilot tested and are available on the Molecular CaseNet website. These cases help the biology students who use them identify and discuss chemical interactions underlying biological processes/cellular events and help chemistry students consider the biological contexts of chemical reactions. This project will expand this collection by training groups of undergraduate educators to develop and implement new molecular case studies that explore structure-function relationships.
This RCN-UBE project will focus on growing Molecular CaseNet into a vibrant community of educators and scholars. This objective will be accomplished by recruiting and training biology and chemistry faculty to develop and implement new molecular case studies at the interface of biology and chemistry by usingwww.ejacket.nsf.gov/ej/showReviewAnalysisList.do authentic molecular structure research data, open access biological databases, and mainstream bioinformatics tools. Doing so will enable educators who have limited prior experience with structure/function to gain confidence in teaching their disciplinary content in molecular detail. Observations and measurements made during the project will help uncover challenges in discussing biological/chemical phenomenon at the atomic level in introductory courses. They will be used to assess changes in educator knowledge, experience, and confidence that result from implementing the cases. In turn, these insights will be used to guide future development of necessary scaffolds for exploring molecular structures and linked bioinformatics resources.
This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure, and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education as part of their efforts to address the challenges posed in "Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action" (http://visionandchange/finalreport).
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
