Molecular Origami : A Practical Approach to Engineering Education

There is great interest in engineering micro and nano scale devices for biomedical, industrial, environmental applications and, of course, a multitude of consumer products. A series of integrated resources would be developed for primary school children that highlight how controlling the structure of molecules can impact on their function and eventual application. It would emphasize the need for interaction between the core sciences (biology, chemistry and physics) and demonstrate how they contribute to (bio)molecular engineering. An activity based learning and appreciation process is proposed in which the intricacies of origami based modelling are directly related to examples from biological and supramolecular chemistry. The sense of achievement in completing each model and the challenge (or even competition) of attempting the next one will stimulate their interest in the activity and, offers an opportunity through which the underlying science can be introduced in a fun and engaging way. The activities are inexpensive and readily accessible to schools irrespective of scientific infrastructure. The possession of a prize (the models) that end up in the home offer a strong possibility of stimulating further interest and debate with the web based origami-science hybrid content allowing further exploration.