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

该项目拓宽了生物分子建模中心的现有产品，该中心是CCLI支持的可操作蛋白质模型的出借库，并附有课程计划，并且是积极参与本科生当前研究的许多方式的有趣变化。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的材料和学习模块，将伴随他们。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起着重要作用。生物分子建模中心将这些教育工作者和他们的学生组成的一个小团队与一个研究实验室相匹配，该实验室正在研究蛋白质结构/功能的某些方面。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。所创建的材料包括细胞内蛋白质的示意图（由大卫古德塞尔提供），分子动画显示蛋白质在分子过程中的作用，使用基于JMOL的交互式教程（JMOL是一个开源的Java三维化学结构查看器）在计算机环境中探索蛋白质结构的其他方面，材料讲述科学家如何发现所呈现的事实的故事，以及其他旨在让学生参与智力挑战性创造性练习的材料。这些教学材料正在被纳入教育工作者的课堂，其影响正在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作为职业的兴趣的变化进行评估。该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加以学生为中心，积极的教学法，学生积极参与真实的科学实践和话语。它认识到本科研究经验对考虑STEM职业的学生的积极影响，并将这种经验与教育工作者相结合。领导的教学材料开发工作，将研究实验室的最新成果转化为创新的课堂教学工具。这一建议的更广泛的影响是，它探讨了一组本科生和一个研究实验室可以实现与为个别学生提供的长期沉浸式研究体验相同的好处。这种方法满足了保持课堂材料以学生为中心和与科学进步同步的需要，并帮助研究实验室实现其工作的更广泛的教育影响。

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.