RCN-UBE Incubator: Preparing a Network to Develop Molecular Case Studies at the Interface of Biology and Chemistry

理解结构-功能关系是学习生物学的基础。在低年级课程中，学生学习选定的蛋白质和核酸的形状和功能。然而，对结构-功能关系的深入理解需要将结构可视化，将来自各种生物数据资源（例如，聚合物序列，相互作用，突变，变异）的信息映射到结构上，并应用生物学和/或化学知识来综合解释功能。不幸的是，这些活动在本科生物学课程中并不常见。生物、化学和生物化学教育者之间的合作，适应目前在化学中使用的分子可视化方法，可以使生物教育受益。为此，该项目的目的是建立一个感兴趣的教师网络，创建案例研究，一种有效的主动学习技术，来教授分子结构和功能之间的关系。这些案例将使学生能够在原子细节上可视化和分析具有挑战性的现实问题，并应用他们的生物学和/或化学知识来开发解决方案。这些分子可视化将为整合生物学不同分支学科（如生物化学、遗传学和细胞生物学）的知识提供一个平台，为跨STEM学科的跨学科团队科学实践奠定基础。这个RCN-UBE项目将建立一个新的网络——分子案例网（Molecular CaseNet），在生物学和化学的界面上开展案例研究。本项目孵化阶段的目标是：1)召集一个由7名科学家和研究人员组成的跨学科团队，开发案例研究设计的范例，并确定未来案例研究的格式要求；2)创建两个模型案例研究，专注于特定的生物过程/事件，并在分子水平上进行讨论；3)在社区研讨会和专业协会会议上展示案例，以招募新成员加入网络，并收集关于案例研究的可用性、清晰度和相关性的反馈。在选定的学生群体中试点新开发的案例研究将阐明这些案例研究与学习生物学，化学和生物化学的相关性。通过使用计划的案例研究，具有不同专业水平和学科训练的学生将有机会了解分子结构-功能关系，并实践科学过程来解决现实世界的问题。反过来，这种做法将帮助STEM领域的下一代工人创造性地应用跨学科方法来解决问题。该项目由生物基础设施司生物科学理事会和本科教育司教育和人力资源理事会共同资助，作为其应对《本科生物学教育的愿景与变革：行动呼吁》（http://visionandchange/finalreport/）所提出的挑战的努力的一部分。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Understanding structure-function relationships is foundational to learning biology. In lower-division courses, students study the shapes and functions of selected proteins and nucleic acids. However, deep understanding of structure-function relationships requires visualizing the structure, mapping information from various biological data resources (e.g., polymer sequence, interactions, mutations, variations) onto the structure, and applying biology and/or chemistry knowledge to synthesize explanations of function. Unfortunately, these activities are not common in undergraduate biology curricula. Collaboration between biology, chemistry, and biochemistry educators to adapt molecular visualization approaches currently being used in chemistry can benefit biology education. To that end, the aim of this project is to establish a network of interested faculty that will create case studies, an effective active-learning technique, to teach the relationship between molecular structure and function. The cases will enable students to visualize and analyze challenging real-world problems in atomic detail and apply their biology and/or chemistry knowledge to develop solutions. These molecular visualizations will provide a platform for integrating knowledge from different sub-disciplines of biology, such as biochemistry, genetics, and cell biology to form the foundation for practicing interdisciplinary, team science across STEM disciplines.This RCN-UBE project will establish a new network, Molecular CaseNet, to develop case studies at the interface of biology and chemistry. Objectives of the incubator phase of this project are to 1) bring together an interdisciplinary team of seven scientists and researchers to develop an exemplar for case-study design and determine format requirements for future case studies; 2) create two model case studies focused on specific biological processes/events and discussed at a molecular level; and 3) present the cases in community workshops and professional society meetings to recruit new members to the network and gather feedback on usability, clarity, and relevance of the case studies. Piloting the newly developed case studies with selected student groups will shed light on the relevance of these case studies in learning biology, chemistry, and biochemistry. By using the planned case studies, students with varied levels of expertise and disciplinary training will have the opportunity to understand molecular structure-function relationships and practice the scientific process to address real-world problems. In turn, this practice will help prepare the next generation of workers in STEM fields to creatively apply interdisciplinary approaches to problem-solving.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.