"My Molecule" Project

Last updated
Save as PDF

Page ID: 189253

\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

As you are learning to master the principles of inorganic chemistry, you will be applying these concepts, along with the things you have learned in other courses, to understand and teach your classmates about a particular bioinorganic molecule. Because you will not be assessed using exams in this course, you must demonstrate mastery of fundamental theories through this assignment. You will demonstrate your mastery by:

Contributing to or editing a Wikipedia article on your topic (through the WISEWiki Assignments).
Writing a concise lesson about the molecule/system for a general audience (for posting on LibreText).
Making an animation on your topic (for posting on YouTube).
Printing 3D model(s) of your molecule (Shapeways) to use as 3D visual aids to your lesson plan.
Presenting this topic to your classmates (think TEDtalk).

Through this assignment, you will not only learn a bunch of useful skills, you'll also help others learn about your topic.

What is this project?

It's hard to understand exactly what this project is until you've seen what the final products will look like. Follow the links below to learn about what other students have done so that you can envision what you're going to do!

View Articles on LibreText
View Videos on YouTube (and within LibreText articles)
See 3D Prints on Shapeways

Get started now.

One of the major software tools that will help you through this projet is UCSF Chimera. You will need about an hour or two to complete the following steps. Please do this before the first day of class.

Download Chimera Software for your (Windows or Mac) computer.
Go to the Protein Databank (PDB) Website and look around. Find and download the PDB file for ferritin (PDB ID 4YKH). If you need help start with the video below.
Open the PDB file using Chimera and use your mouse to rotate the molecule (just to make sure your program is working).
Spend 30 minutes to watch the UCSF Chimera Tutorials playlist on YouTube (first video is below) and play around with Ferritin.