The DNA Replication Teaching Tools project with Dr. Tarren Shaw from the Biology Department is a course integration with his BIOL1124 lecture.
DNA Replication is a basic biological process that has a lot of moving parts. Dr. Shaw wanted his students to be able to have a tactile example of a process that is difficult to imagine. His rough sketches of the DNA enzymes were turned into 3D models that were 3D printed. There are 3 enzymes: helicase, DNA polymerase, and ligase that work along with PLUS PLUS pieces. The Plus Plus pieces are used to represent nucleotides and RNA Primer. Helicase is used to pry the "DNA" strand apart. There is a DNA polymerase for the leading strand and for the lagging strand that work toward building the daughter strands. Then, ligase is used to bond the nucleotides. These 3D printed pieces were already used in his course. Students were tasked with making 2 minute long videos with a team to demonstrate the process of DNA replication. The feedback from his students was very positive on how the 3D printed enzymes helped them to better understand the material.
The current versions of each enzyme being used are: Helicase 0.4.stl; Polymerase 1.4.stl; and Ligase 0.1.stl.