Twenty years ago, John Woolford was teaching molecular biology students at Carnegie Mellon University about a complicated RNA pathway. Woolford was attempting to draw it on the board with chalk when he realized he wasn't doing it very well.
He recalled his colleague Jon Minden's office, strewn with models of molecules in cells Minden's students created. Woolford decided his students would learn the material better if they created a tangible molecular pathway rather than study a drawing.
"I copied Jon's idea," he said.
Woolford's project is part of an intentional interdisciplinary culture at CMU, where faculty throughout every college are integrating the arts to deepen students' learning across a variety of subjects.
Over the years, Woolford’s students have crafted puzzles, pop-up books, videos and mobiles representing different molecular pathways. He's gathered sheet music — Spliceosome in A, an original composition a student performed on guitar — and colorful ribbons with dangling Shrinky-Dink RNA combinations. "One student even created an interpretive dance," Woolford said.
Professor John Woolford loves seeing how his students integrate their cultural backgrounds and personal passions into their molecular biology art projects. Here, John Beylon and Boris Kobilja have created a faux nature documentary about Translation Initiation.
"Molecules carry out functions together, just like people," Woolford explained. "Our bodies function thanks to teams inside us working together to carry out processes. I want students to think about that."
Every semester, Woolford sees his students supporting one another as they present their projects and build camaraderie. Even though the class sees the same pathway depicted over 20 times as students present their work, Woolford said, "each student sees the project a little differently. We all learn to look at the molecules from different perspectives."