The CReST Project:: Connecting Researchers, Students and Teachers through modeling

This project combines an instructional materials development project with a physical modeling project in which a team composed of an undergraduate educator and several undergraduates work closely with a researcher to create a physical model of a protein that is central to an ongoing research project. The educator first selects a protein that is featured in a course they teach. A small group of undergraduate students is then assembled to work closely with a research lab that is investigating some aspect of the protein. As the students learn about the research project, they design and build, by 3D printing technology, a physical model of the protein, based on the atomic coordinates of the solved structure. With the physical model in hand, the students then work with the educator to create additional instructional materials ‐‐‐ in the form of narrated Jmol tutorials, molecular animations and cellular landscapes. The physical model and associated instructional materials are then used by students in the educator's classroom, where the impact of the materials on student learning is assessed. This project is funded by NSF‐CCLI award DUE‐1022793 to MSOE.