Help me give my students a way to manipulate amino acid sequences to visualize the connections that make our proteins come to life.
$942 goal
This project expired on July 6, 2025.
This project expired on July 6, 2025.
My Project
Because proteins are 3 dimensional objects, it is hard to picture their dimensionality when using 2D models. As a part of our new curriculum, knowing how mutations can affect protein structure is a key understanding. Modeling transcription and translation is ok to do on paper, but graphing how amino acid sequences cause a straight line "fold" is harder to do in 2 dimensions.
By manipulating these models, amino acids and the interactions between them that cause proteins to fold in a particular 3 dimensional shape is more evident so the results of mutations can be made obvious.
For many of my students, they learn much better with kinesthetic activities like manipulating models. This is also a much better visual representation that a graph of possible configurations. By using these models, my students can SEE how the 2 positively charged amino acids would repel each other and cause the hydrophobic amino acids to be attracted to one another. Computer models are fascinating, but they are already constructed, and I am limited in my ability to coordinate such learning experiences due to my limited knowledge and resources used for creating such models.
Seeing how models can be used in "the real world" to solve problems may inspire some of my students to pursue careers where they are challenged to solve problems of misfolded proteins or mutations. So, these models could be the first step in helping humanity understand and solve global health crises created by mutations and incorrectly folded proteins. We are forever grateful for your support of our classroom in inspiring the changemakers of tomorrow!
More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
60 students impacted
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. McLaughlin and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
