A protein model in the hand is worth two on the screen

When Associate Professor Margaret Franzen of Natural and Behavioral Sciences attended a summer camp in Wisconsin to study molecular models three years ago, she didn’t realize that her name would be on a paper scheduled to appear this fall in the peer-reviewed publication Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education.

The introduction to the paper, entitled “Tactile teaching: exploring protein structure and function using physical models,” explains, “A common goal of biochemistry educators is to provide students with a deep understanding of fundamental concepts underlying protein structure and function…

“The technology now exists to construct physical models of proteins based on atomic coordinates of solved structures.”

And three-dimensional physical models are just what Franzen and her six peers have developed following several years of work supported by a National Science Foundation grant.

She and other team members want to take their models into classrooms at the high school and undergraduate level.

Besides making a complex subject easier to see and understand, Franzen said, “We’re seeing more students showing a greater interest in science because of the models.”

“Professor Franzen’s work in the area of molecular modeling is particularly exciting because it offers unique learning possibilities that are geared for today’s student,” said Jim Kelley, department head of Natural and Behavioral Sciences. “If you hold these models in your hand, you’ll learn more than by just looking at a two- dimension model on a TV screen.”

Franzen was recognized last year for her work on models by being selected as the winner of the Pellissippi State Foundation Innovations award.

For more information on Franzen’s work, contact her at mfranzen@pstcc.edu.

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