Molecular Educators

Winner: 2021 Horizon Prize for Education

University of California, Los Angeles; Element26, Inc.; Baylor University

For the creation of innovative chemical education resources that benefit how students, children, and the general public learn organic chemistry.

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The Molecular Educators team created multiple innovative education resources that benefit how students, children, and the public learn organic chemistry. Their work includes interactive technologies that aid in the visualisation of 3D chemical structures and help teach organic chemistry concepts. Additionally, they have created three organic chemistry colouring books and a children’s activity book that are aimed toward improving scientific literacy among children and non-scientist adults. These readily accessible, interactive educational tools complement traditional approaches to teaching chemistry, which, in turn, improve both the value of chemical education and public perception of organic chemistry.

It’s hugely rewarding to know that our resources are helping people to learn across the world, and we’d like to extend a huge thank you to the Royal Society of Chemistry for this wonderful recognition.

The team

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Alyssa Ayala, Creator of the O-Chem (Re)Activity Book / Student, Baylor University
Daniel Caspi, Creator of all projects, Element26
Jason Chari, Creator of VRChem and the O-Chem (Re)Activity Book / Contributor to QRChem / Student, UCLA
Izza Chatta, Creator of the O-Chem (Re)Activity Book / Student, Baylor University
Jacob Dander, Creator of the Organic Coloring Book series / Student, UCLA
Johnny Dang, Creator of QRChem / Student, UCLA
Evan Darzi, Creator of the Organic Coloring Book series and Contributor to QRChem / Post-Doctoral Researcher, UCLA
Elaina Garg, Creator of the Organic Coloring Book series / Student, Warner Avenue Elementary
Kaylie Garg, Creator of the Organic Coloring Book series / Student, UCLA Krieger Center
Professor Neil Garg, Team leader and creator of all projects, UCLA
Francesca Ippoliti, Creator of RSChemistry, VRChem, and the O-Chem (Re)Activity Book / Contributor to QRChem / Student, UCLA
Tara Kappel, Creator of Backside Attack / Student, UCLA
Andrew Kelleghan, Contributor to RSChemistry / Student, UCLA
Brian Lin, Creator of QRChem / Student, UCLA
Matthew McVeigh, Creator of the O-Chem (Re)Activity Book / Contributor to QRChem / Student, UCLA
Milauni Mehta, Contributor to QRChem / Student, UCLA
Preeya Mehta, Creator of Backside Attack / Student, UCLA
Melinda Nguyen, Creator of RSChemistry / Contributor to QRChem / Student, UCLA
William Parsons, Creator of Backside Attack / Student, UCLA
Stefan Prisacaru, Creator of Backside Attack / Student, UCLA
Melissa Ramirez, Creator of VRChem / Contributor to QRChem / Student, UCLA
Shawn Schwartz, Creator of QRChem / Student, UCLA
Nikhil Shah, Creator of RSChemistry / Student, UCLA
Rishabh Shah, Creator of QRChem / Student, UCLA
Emily Siegler, Creator of RSChemistry / Student, UCLA
Ernst Schmid, Creator of Backside Attack / Student, UCLA
Justin Soffer, Creator of Backside Attack / Student, UCLA
Julia Yuan, Creator of QRChem / Student, UCLA

Q+A

Jason Chari, UCLA student, creator of VRChem, O-Chem (Re)Activity Book and contributor to QRChem

What different strengths did people bring to the Molecular Educators team?

Our team was made up of a diverse group of individuals from various backgrounds and ages, including children, undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, a chemistry professor, and an expert in information technology. This range of perspectives allowed our team to both understand our target audience and create effective resources to address areas of need in STEM education.

Who have the resources benefitted, and in what ways?

Our resources have benefitted college-aged students taking general chemistry and organic chemistry by helping to explain challenging concepts in an interactive format. The resources also helped children (and their parents) become interested in science by connecting their favourite things with chemistry. One of the most awesome aspects of our work is that our resources have collectively reached people in more than 165 countries so far.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?

Be open-minded, don’t be afraid of failing, and seek out opportunities to engage in chemistry in different ways. If you take a class with someone who inspires you, talk to them and see if they can offer you guidance.

Elaina Garg, Warner Avenue Elementary Student, creator of the Organic Colouring Book series

What were the biggest challenges when creating the resources?

The hardest part about creating The Organic Colouring Books was taking the tough subject of organic chemistry and turning it into an understandable idea that kids, like my younger siblings, can learn from and enjoy.

What has been the most rewarding part of this project?

The most rewarding part of this project was seeing kids all over the world actively learning chemistry and having fun while colouring molecules. Working with my sister and my dad was pretty cool too.

Why is chemistry important?

Chemistry is important because it’s all around us. It makes up everything and we wouldn’t survive without it.

Francesca Ippoliti, UCLA student, creator of RSChemistry, VRChem, the O-Chem (Re)Activity Book and contributor to QRChem

What inspires or motivates your team?

Our team is motivated by the opportunity to create resources that are fun and interactive, which inspire people of all ages – and all over the world – to be excited about chemistry.

What is the importance of making chemical sciences more accessible and/or engaging to both students and the public?

As the chemical sciences are often perceived as a daunting and selective field, creating engaging, accessible resources that reach a broad audience can better connect people to chemistry. By helping the public appreciate the importance of chemical sciences, we can increase scientific literacy in our society, which will ultimately help solve major world problems.

How do you see this work developing over the next few years / what is next?

Over the next few years, we plan to expand these interactive resources to include educational tools for broader audiences, including high school chemistry students. We also hope to further develop our virtual reality resources as the technology improves. Eventually, we envision expanding our educational initiatives to other fields in the sciences as well.