A Dynamic and Integrated Metabolic Map for Teaching Metabolism in the Biological Sciences

TitleA Dynamic and Integrated Metabolic Map for Teaching Metabolism in the Biological Sciences
Faculty/College/UnitScience
StatusCompleted
Duration2 Year
Initiation04/01/2020
Completion04/30/2022
Project Summary

The complement of chemical reactions within an organism is called metabolism. Thousands of metabolic reactions exist, and together they describe all biological processes such as how we obtain energy from food and jump when we are frightened. Metabolism is difficult to learn due to its complexity. Textbook figures often simplify metabolism by presenting individual reactions in isolation. However, to make the material interesting and link metabolism to biology, it must be viewed as a dynamic network.

We aim to display seven metabolic pathways involved in glucose metabolism as an integrated network within the context of a human cell. Interactivity will enable the user to highlight pathways, access biochemical detail, and activate several animations to visualize metabolic activity. The goal of this project is to develop pedagogical tools to support learning metabolism on a systems level. We anticipate this project to significantly enhance engagement, comprehension and interest within this part of our curriculum.

Funding Details
Year 1: Project YearYear 1
Year 1: Funding Year2020/2021
Year 1: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 1: Principal InvestigatorLindsay Rogers
Year 1: Funded Amount25,275
Year 1: Team Members

Lindsay Rogers, Lecturer, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine
Scott Covey, Senior Instructor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine

Year 1: TLEF ShowcaseYear 1: TLEF Showcase
Year 2: Project YearYear 2
Year 2: Funding Year2021/2022
Year 2: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 2: Principal InvestigatorLindsay Rogers
Year 2: Funded Amount22,425
Year 2: Team Members

Lindsay Rogers, Lecturer, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine
Scott Covey, Associate Professor of Teaching, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine
Saeed Dyanatkar, Executive Producer, UBC Studios / Emerging Media Lab

Year 2: TLEF ShowcaseYear 2: TLEF Showcase
Project Report2021-TLEF-Final-Report-Rogers-WEB.pdf