Awardee: Krystle McLaughlin
Semester of Award: Fall 2018
Materials Awarded: Occulus Rift VR Headset & Alienware 15 Laptop
Nanome Virtual Reality Software
Project Description:
With this Fergusson grant, I was able to purchase the Nanome Virtual Reality Software, and the hardware to run it. Nanome creates a virtual lab environment where user can visualize and manipulate 3-dimensional (3-D) structures of proteins. In Nanome you are able to manipulate the structure in space by literally grabbing, rotating, or enlarging it with your hands. You can see the molecular bonds and interactions up close and highlight regions of interest. After a delay due to some setbacks that the software publishers helped us resolve, this year the software was demoed to students in Protein Chemistry. The original intent was to integrate it as a lab in biochemistry which will be done next Spring. Both biochemistry lab and protein chemistry have a focus is on examining protein structures. Nanome can visualize and manipulate not only 3D structures of proteins, but any 3D chemical molecule. Thus, I also plan to offer demos/interactive segments to other classes, like organic chemistry, and any other class where visualization of molecules assists understanding. Additionally, the Nanome software will be installed on another VR station on campus (library) so that it can be utilized by the wider campus.
