Martin creating 'Molecular Playground' for ISB

Chemistry professor Craig Martin was recently awarded a $45,000 special grant from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation to create a three-dimensional, interactive display of biologically significant molecules he is calling a Molecular Playground.

The exhibit will be located in the lobby of the new Integrated Sciences Building in time for its grand opening next fall. There, students and the general public will be able to play with and explore the shapes of hundreds of molecules and learn about their functions.

“Molecules are beautiful,” says Martin. “We want to show the 3-D structure of molecules in a way that feels as much like art as possible while remaining true to the underlying chemistry, so people develop an appreciation for these fascinating structures.”

Collaborating with emeritus professors Allen Hanson, Computer Science, and Eric Martz, Microbiology, Martin is developing an exhibit that will feature colorful 3-D models of familiar compounds such as the antigen that causes the allergic reaction to peanuts, hemoglobin, glucose, vitamin D, insulin, caffeine and a variety of drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen, plus their binding sites in proteins in the brain, bloodstream and elsewhere.

Images will be projected on a 6-by-9-foot wall and a shadow-sensing infrared camera will detect an observer’s hand motions, allowing “players” to push, rotate and resize the molecular image at will. Images will be changed regularly, Martin says, “because we want to keep it interesting.”

The chemist, who regularly assigns his chemistry students to make structural presentations on “my favorite molecule,” feels people too often see the molecular aspects of nature as inaccessible and uninteresting. “While people can appreciate the beauty of a flower or a swan, the molecular basis of these organisms goes unnoticed. Scientists who are often awed by their symmetry and beauty rarely communicate that appreciation to non scientists.” It’s a shame, Martin adds, that “people see molecular science as something removed from their everyday life, or worse, they view chemicals primarily as toxins or pollutants.” The aim of the Molecular Playground is “to capture the public’s attention and to prod individuals to explore personally a vast array of molecular structures in a human-size model,” according to the developers. “Animation, even in the absence of user interaction, will be key.”

More Information

Demonstration of Molecular Playground

March 24, 2009.