An activity-based workshop, consisting of eight one-hour lessons, was developed for gifted middle school students in collaboration with the Center for Talent Development at Northwestern University. Students began by learning fundamentals of biochemistry and protein structure through a mixture of traditional lecture, videos, computer tutorials, and a physical modeling activity using pipe cleaners. Students were then introduced to the Protein Data Bank (PDB), the open-access repository for 3-D structures of biomolecules shared by scientists around the world. After a brief tutorial, students became familiar with using PyMOL, open-source molecular visualization software. The workshop culminated with group presentations in which students shared their PyMOL renderings of select proteins, with a focus on the relationship between structure and function. This material is flexible and may be adapted and integrated into a high school classroom or an introductory undergraduate level course.

Protein visualization workshop: Interactive biochemistry using PyMOL and the PDB

246th National Meeting (2013)

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