Connecting Research Labs and Classrooms: A Role for Physical Modeling Projects in the Undergraduate Curriculum

这个项目扩大了生物分子建模中心目前的产品范围，该中心是一个由CCLI支持的可操纵蛋白质模型的借阅库，并附带教案，并且是许多积极让本科生参与当前研究的方式的一个有趣的变化。这个多方面的分子生物学材料开发项目的独特之处在于，它涉及本科生和研究人员团队开发材料和伴随他们的学习模块。来自当地七所本科院校的教育工作者确定了一种特定的蛋白质，其结构和功能在他们教授的课程中发挥着重要作用。生物分子建模中心将这些教育工作者和他们的一小群学生与一个正在研究蛋白质结构/功能的研究实验室联系起来。然后，每个蛋白质建模团队直接与实验室互动，了解这一研究领域，并使用3D打印技术创建蛋白质的物理模型。由此产生的物理模型作为正在进行的教学材料设计工作的焦点，由每个参与机构的教育工作者领导。制作的材料包括细胞内蛋白质的示意图(David Goodsell提供)、展示蛋白质在分子过程中作用的分子动画、基于JMOL的交互式教程的使用(JMOL是一个开源的Java 3D化学结构查看器)、在计算机环境中探索蛋白质结构的其他方面、讲述科学家如何发现所展示的事实的故事的材料，以及其他旨在吸引学生进行智力挑战的创造性练习的材料。这些教学材料正在被纳入教育工作者的课堂，并根据教师课堂实践和学生对事实的理解、概念的掌握以及对生物学职业的兴趣的变化来评估它们的影响。这个项目的智力价值在于，它响应了最近的呼吁，将本科教育转变为更以学生为中心的、更积极的教学方法，其中学生积极参与真实的科学实践和话语。它认识到本科生研究经验对考虑从事STEM职业的学生的积极影响，并将这种经验与教育工作者领导的教学材料开发工作相结合，将研究实验室的最新结果转化为课堂上的创新教学工具。这一建议的更广泛影响是，它探索了一组本科生和研究实验室之间的真实互动在多大程度上可以实现与为个别学生提供的长期、身临其境的研究体验相同的好处。这种方法满足了以学生为中心并与科学进步保持同步的需要，并帮助研究实验室实现其工作的更广泛的教育影响。该项目由生物科学局共同资助。

This project broadens the current offerings of the Center for BioMolecular Modeling, a CCLI supported lending library of manipulable protein models with accompanying lesson plans, and is an interesting variation on the many ways to actively involve undergraduates with current research. The unique feature of this multifaceted molecular biology materials development project is that it involves teams of undergraduate students and research faculty in developing the materials and the learning modules that will accompany them. Educators from seven local undergraduate institutions identify a specific protein whose structure and function plays an important role in a course they teach. The Center for BioMolecular Modeling matches these educators and a small team of their students with a research lab that is investigating some aspect of the protein's structure/function. Each protein modeling team then interacts directly with the lab to learn about this area of research and create a physical model of the protein, using a 3D printing technology. The resulting physical model serves as the focal point of an ongoing instructional materials design effort, led by educators from each participating institution. The materials created include schematic illustrations of the protein within the cell (courtesy of David Goodsell), molecular animations showing the protein's role in a molecular process, use of interactive JMOL-based tutorials (JMOL is an open-source Java viewer for chemical structures in 3D) exploring in a computer environment additional aspects of the protein's structure, materials telling the story of how scientists discovered the facts presented, and other materials designed to engage students in intellectually challenging creative exercises. These instructional materials are being incorporated into the educators' classrooms and their impact is being evaluated based on changes in faculty classroom practice and in student understanding of facts, mastery of concepts, and interest in biology as a career.The intellectual merit of this project is that it responds to recent calls to transform undergraduate education into a more student-centered, active pedagogy in which students actively participate in authentic science practice and discourse. It recognizes the well-documented positive impact of an undergraduate research experience on students considering STEM careers and integrates this experience with an educator-led instructional materials development effort that translates recent results from the research laboratory into innovative instructional tools for the classroom.The broader impact of this proposal is that it explores the degree to which an authentic interaction between a group of undergraduates and a research lab can achieve the same benefits as a longer-term, immersive research experience offered to individual students. This approach serves the need to keep classroom materials student centered and current with advances in the science and helps the research lab realize the broader educational impacts of its work.This project is being co-funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences.