Students View Atoms in Three Dimensions
Posted by at 11:40:00 AM Fri 05/14/2004
East Dorset, VT. May 14, 2004- How can science teachers today bring chemistry textbooks to life for their students? The key lies in the ability to visualize atoms and molecules in three dimensions, says Dr. Joseph LeFevre, associate professor of chemistry at the State University of New York in Oswego. A robust educational software tool called MoluCAD does just that, allowing students to finally "see" molecules and begin to understand how they interact.
Students create, rotate, label, evaluate, and zoom in on 3D molecules with this graphically powerful science tool. But don't let these advanced features intimidate you-- the program is very easy to use. Dr. LeFevre found it to be an especially useful tool when he tested it with his students, and found many advantages over the ball-and-stick model kits often used in chemistry classrooms. With MoluCAD, students can carefully construct molecules and compounds and then save them to a disk to be studied and reviewed later. In addition, students can record and then play back the steps of molecule building with MoluCAD. "Animation lets me demonstrate things that are difficult to show on a two-dimensional blackboard," says Dr. LeFevre. "I can show atoms attacking as a part of a reaction."
The program's work area is a simple bonding interface where molecules are assembled and presented in pipe, constellation, ball-and-stick, 2D lettered, or 3D format. Atoms and bonds can even be textured with maple leaves, fiddleheads, and furry dogs, adding an element of true fun to the program. Students also love being able to spin and pan their creations, then zoom in on and fly around them to get a look at atoms and bonds from every possible angle.
A comprehensive library of molecules is included to give students the building blocks they need to build their projects. The massive Protein Databank and a Periodic Table are available at the click of a mouse. Students simply click on an element to check out its properties. Menu options make it easy to investigate bond length, torsion angle, center of mass, and distance between 2 atoms. Students can click on the "Energy" menu to evaluate or minimize the energy of a molecule in their work area. The ability to label the parts of molecules and compounds comes in handy for studying and presentation-building purposes. Try doing all that with a ball-and-stick model kit!
High school and college students aspiring toward careers in medicine and other sciences will benefit a great deal from the power of discovery, analysis, and understanding that MoluCAD puts on their desktop.
Minimum System Requirements
PC: Pentium, Win 95-NT, CD-ROM.
Mac: Power Mac, OS 7.0+, CD-ROM
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Tool Factory is a leader in innovative educational technology and staff development solutions. Tool Factory's mission is to improve US education by providing superior educational software, hardware, staff development options, and an impressive lineup of special education products. The extensive online catalog offers a host of resources to reinvigorate any learning environment. Teachers, students, and parents join the Tool Factory staff in testing products to ensure that they are easy to navigate, fun to use, and beneficial to the learning process. For more information go to http://www.toolfactory.com.
Media Contact: Sarah Jost
Tool Factory Inc., 3336 Sunderland Hill Road, Sunderland, VT 05250
Telephone: (802) 375-6549 Ext. 211 Fax: (802) 375-6860
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Tags: Chemistry, Science, Atoms, Molecules |
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