Innovations in Undergraduate Chemical Biology Education

Use of comparative research in the study of chemistry education: A systematic analysis of the literature

Comparative research can help identify the similarities of and differences in different contexts, enabling us to recognize more possibilities and strategies of enhancing our understanding of different aspects of education. To review and analyse the current status of using comparative research designs in chemistry education research, a Boolean keyword search in Scopus and Web of Science has been performed to retrieve articles published from January 2016 to February 2023. In total 7682 entries have been retrieved, but less than 0.01 % of them have applied comparative research in addressing issues of chemistry education. Twelve of the retrieved articles have met the inclusion criteria for further analysis. Though comparative research has been found to be used by over 65 % of the analysed articles to study teaching and learning in chemistry education, its application in curriculum development and student development has been demonstrated by some analysed studies. In addition, 75 % of the analysed articles have declared being funded by local and/or national funding sources. This suggests that the importance of comparative research in chemistry education has been recognized at the national level in various countries. It is hoped that the opportunities brought about by comparative research designs as revealed in this article can enhance the varieties and possibilities in chemistry education research in the forthcoming future.

N-Alkylated Aromatic Poly- and Oligoamides

N-alkylated aromatic poly- and oligoamides are a particular class of abiotic foldamers that is deprived of the capability of forming intramolecular hydrogen-bonding networks to stabilize their tri-dimensional structure. The alkylation of the backbone amide nitrogen atoms greatly increases the chemical diversity accessible for aromatic poly- and oligoamides. However, the nature and the conformational preferences of the N,N-disubstituted amides profoundly modify the folding properties of these aromatic poly- and oligoamides. In this Review, representative members of this class of aromatic poly- and oligoamides will be highlighted, among them N-alkylated phenylene terephthalamides, benzanilides, pyridylamides, and aminomethyl benzamide oligomers. The principal synthetic pathways to the main classes of N-alkylated aromatic polyamides with narrow to broad molecular-weight distribution, or oligoamides with specific sequences, will be detailed and their foldameric properties will be discussed. The Review will end by describing the few applications reported to date and future prospects for the field.

Multi-Institution Research and Education Collaboration Identifies New Antimicrobial Compounds

New antibiotics are urgently needed to address increasing rates of multidrug resistant infections. Seventy-six diversely functionalized compounds, comprising five structural scaffolds, were synthesized and tested for their ability to inhibit microbial growth. Twenty-six compounds showed activity in the primary phenotypic screen at the Community for Open Antimicrobial Drug Discovery (CO-ADD). Follow-up testing of active molecules confirmed that two unnatural dipeptides inhibit the growth of Cryptococcus neoformans with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≤ 8 μg/mL. Syntheses were carried out by undergraduate students at five schools implementing Distributed Drug Discovery (D3) programs. This report showcases that a collaborative research and educational process is a powerful approach to discover new molecules inhibiting microbial growth. Educational gains for students engaged in this project are highlighted in parallel to the research advances. Aspects of D3 that contribute to its success, including an emphasis on reproducibility of procedures, are discussed to underscore the power of this approach to solve important research problems and to inform other coupled chemical biology research and teaching endeavors.

The Effect of Divalent Cations on the Thermostability of Type II Polyketide Synthase Acyl Carrier Proteins

The successful engineering of biosynthetic pathways hinges on understanding the factors that influence acyl carrier protein (ACP) stability and function. The stability and structure of ACPs can be influenced by the presence of divalent cations, but how this relates to primary sequence remains poorly understood. As part of a course-based undergraduate research experience, we investigated the thermostability of type II polyketide synthase (PKS) ACPs. We observed an approximate 40 °C range in the thermostability amongst the 14 ACPs studied, as well as an increase in stability (5 - 26 °C) of the ACPs in the presence of divalent cations. Distribution of charges in the helix II-loop-helix III region was found to impact the enthalpy of denaturation. Taken together, our results reveal clues as to how the sequence of type II PKS ACPs relates to their structural stability, information that can be used to study how ACP sequence relates to function.

Developing Course-Based Research Experiences in Discipline-Based Education Research: Lessons Learned and Recommendations

In this perspective, we highlight the opportunity for the biology education research community to develop course-based research experiences (CREs) or course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in discipline-based education research. Building on our prior experience developing and teaching four biology education research CREs, we present opportunities, potential pitfalls, and recommendations for discipline-based education researchers interested in integrating their research and teaching in the context of a CRE.