Interactive molecular modeling for science education

MolySym, Inc. is applying for the Priority 2 SBIR Grant through the Department of Education to develop a new teaching and research tool for high school and college science classes. Our intelligent molecular modeling product will bring together the features of a standard plastic molecular model kit with a computer-based educational software suite for instructors to convey the growing knowledge of molecular systems and for students to develop an intuitive understanding of those systems. Today’s molecular modeling kits can be found in all areas of chemical investigation, from the high school classroom to the advanced research labs. However, these simple models are merely plastic representations of molecular topography and fail to convey important properties of the molecular system. A student who builds a molecular model to understand its physical topology must turn to a complex simulation software system to study the energetics of the molecular system. MolySym proposes to incorporate advanced robotics technology and wireless communication functionality into a hand-held molecular model and link this device to a computational software system to realize an intuitive and robust input device for molecular simulations for the classroom environment.