Microscopy images as interactive tools in cell modeling and cell biology education

Abstract

The advent of genomics, proteomics, and microarray technology has brought much excitement to science, both in teaching and in learning. The public is eager to know about the processes of life. In the present context of the explosive growth of scientific information, a major challenge of modern cell biology is to popularize basic concepts of structures and functions of living cells, to introduce people to the scientific method, to stimulate inquiry, and to analyze and synthesize concepts and paradigms. In this essay we present our experience in mixing science and education in Brazil. For two decades we have developed activities for the science education of teachers and undergraduate students, using microscopy images generated by our work as cell biologists. We describe open-air outreach education activities, games, cell modeling, and other practical and innovative activities presented in public squares and favelas. Especially in developing countries, science education is important, since it may lead to an improvement in quality of life while advancing understanding of traditional scientific ideas. We show that teaching and research can be mutually beneficial rather than competing pursuits in advancing these goals.

Figure 1

Activities conduced by the group Espaço Ciência Viva in Brazil: (a) local newspaper notice of an event about astronomy, entitled “To Socialize the Scientific Knowledge”; (b) leaflet inviting people for the “Day of the Cell” in a public square; (c) microscope observation; and (d) lecture at an open-air “Day of the Cell”; (e) playing with “mitochondria” and “chloroplast” inside a giant plant cell model associated with the microscope activities in the science center, (f) microscope observation at a favela during a “Day of the Water,” to discover microorganisms and other aspects of water's involvement in health; (g) local newspaper notice of a public event at a slum in Rio de Janeiro, entitled “Scientists Invade the Favela of Salgueiro,” in Rio de Janeiro.

Figure 2

Electron microscopic images of plant cells (a, c) that served as templates for constructing a giant cell model exhibited at the Life Museum, at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro (b, d). Images from a transmission electron microscope (a) or scanning electron microscope (c) may be useful to construct 3D models. Cell wall (w), nucleus (n), chloroplasts (c), vacuole (v), mitochondria (m), and Golgi (g).

Figure 3

Workshops with teachers for interactive microscope activities (a) and cell modeling (b), and the front cover of the first four modules (c–f) of the series of handout sheets for science activities, “With Science at School.”

Figure 4

Prototype of games developed with images from light (a) and electron (c) microscopy. In the cell puzzle the microscopy field that can be observed in a real instrument (b) can be reconstructed in the game, where the individual pieces were cut at the cell wall boundaries. In the game about spermatozoid transformation (c) the challenge is to follow the steps in the process of cell differentiation.

Figure 5

A sheet for the protocol notebook (a) and Elodea as one of the experimental models (b) suggested in the education material. (c–e) An activity to estimate the relative size of the mitochondrial compartment in an animal cell by drawing their contours on a transparency sheet, cutting them out, and weighting the profiles on a balance.

Figure 6

Images versus drawings. Original transmission electron microscopic images of a lymphocyte (a), a plant cell (c), and a bacteriophage with virus (e) and the corresponding 2D diagrams (b, d, and f) prepared by students over the image templates on a transparency sheet.

Figure 7

Image of cells (a, d) serving as templates for sculpting organelles of modeling clay to scale (a–c) or for modeling with toy balloons filled with water (e).