3D
Molecular Designs Owners, Tim Herman, Ph.D., and Michael Patrick,
Ph.D., present a prototype of 3D Molecular Design's DNA Construction
Kit to James D. Watson, Ph.D., at the 25th Annual Miami Winter Symposium
in February. The Symposium honored James Watson and Francis Crick,
Ph.D., on the 50th Anniversary of their publication of the structure
of DNA.
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| Description
of the DNA Kit
The
innovative DNA kit is the first to combine powerful magnets, with
the accurate, 3-dimensional shapes of Adenosine, Thymine, Guanosine
and Cytosin (A, T, C, G) nucleotides – often referred to
as the four building blocks of DNA. The magnets actually provide
a sensation, which mimics the bonding action that occurs between
A - T and C - G. This bonding sensation takes hands-on learning
to an entirely new level.
In
addition, the cluster of atoms forming each nucleotide is designed
to be easily recognizable, so students see A, T, C and G as distinct
units and learn to recognize each in the same way they learned
to recognize words, when beginning to read.
The
DNA kit has been field-tested at Harvard University, University
of Wisconsin – Madison, De Pauw University (Indiana), and
numerous high school classrooms in Wisconsin.
While putting the DNA pieces together, many students feel the
same sense of discovery that Watson and Crick experienced, when
piecing together various combinations |
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of
their paper cut-outs of A, T, C and G. “Modeling”
was the primary tool Watson and Crick used to identify the structure
of DNA.
Students
find the magnets and distinct shapes make the DNA kit both self-reinforcing
and self-correcting. When nucleotides are joined correctly, students
feel the bonding and hear a click. If the nucleotides are put
together incorrectly, the magnets either repel each other or form
weak bonds that are “unstable” and easily fall apart.
As a result, it’s impossible to build the helix with mismatched
nucleotides.
The
idea for an accurate, 3-dimensional DNA kit began in Herman and
Patrick’s science outreach programs for college and high
school teachers. The programs are held at the Milwaukee School
of Engineering (MSOE) Center for BioMolecular Modeling, where
Herman is director and Patrick, co-director. Patrick is also co-director
of the University of Wisconsin – Madison’s
Wisconsin Teacher Enhancement Program.
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