Visualization in Science and Education

Chemistry is a multi-dimensional and dynamic world. Yet, it is still taught within the confines of static 2-dimensional media (books, blackboards...). Chemistry is also notorious for its use of abstract concepts and mathematical formalisms. Effective multimedia visualizations can greatly enhance the teaching and learning experience in chemistry.

“… chemical education demands so much from students. It requires them to understand abstract theories, (sometimes two to explain one phenomenon!), to have mathematical skills, to have experimental skills, … and to visualize in three dimensions given information in two dimensions. And that is just the start.”

D. J. Waddington, “Molecular Visualization in Science Education”, NSF workshop report, 2001.

Flashware | Biocomputing | PostDock | News Releases | Publications/Presentations/Conferences

Flashware

flash We develop innovative web-based chemistry multimedia using Adobe Flash™. Our "Flashware" offers highly interactive teaching/learning multimedia in a platform and browser-independent environment. The web-savvy Flashware takes chemistry education into new realms of visualization, interactivity, pedagogy, and delivery. To date, we have completed a courseware package of "Organic Chemistry Flashware" available through Thomson Nelson, and are currently developing "Biocomputing Flashware ".

Organic Chemistry Flashware is a groundbreaking collection of interactive web-based multimedia courseware designed to assist students studying organic chemistry, with an emphasis on arrow-pushing notation, reaction mechanisms, and orbital interactions. This innovative collection has been produced to enhance the traditional lecture experience and is optimized for both the individual computer user and classroom projection.
The courseware consists of over 130 multimedia learning objects accessible online when you are ready to study. The home page allows users an entry point organized by common organic chemistry textbook topics lists and presentation styles.

The "Organic Chemistry" package is available as a web-based subscription, for individual and institutional use at: http://flashchem.nelson.com

News release: April 12, 2007 "Organic Chemistry Flashware" recognized by AUTM

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Biocomputing in drug design

biocomp Biocomputing in Drug Design is a series of undergraduate courses that bridge the disciplinary gap between chemistry and computer science, with a focus on computer-assisted drug design.
Designed for classes comprising both science and computer science undergraduate students, the courses comprise web-based interactive multimedia courseware, computer-based molecular modelling and simulation laboratories. To date over 60 biocomputing Flashware animations have been developed for these courses.

PostDock

PostDock is a new visualization tool for the analysis of molecular docking, an important component of computer-assisted drug design. It processes a numeric database of docking results into an interactive 3D image of multiple ligand docking poses. Both docking energies and docking poses are visually encoded for rapid assessment (energies: transparency scale ; poses: color scale). Written in SVL, PostDock has been integrated into MOE (Chemical Computing Group Inc.) and is used for ligand-protein docking and “reverse-docking” design applications.

News Releases

"Organic Chemistry Flashware" recognized by AUTM (Association of University Technology Managers), 2007.
News release: April 12, 2007: "UNB Prof Develops Groundbreaking Collection of Interactive Chemistry Courseware."
News release: October 25, 2000: "Software Donation, Course Give UNB Undergrads Experience in Drug Design"

Publications/Presentations/Conferences

“Animating localized orbital interactions with organic chemistry Flashware” G. Deslongchamps. 238th ACS National Meeting, Washington, DC, August 16-20, 2009.
"Visualization in Science and Education", Gordon Research Conferences, July 26-31, 2009, Oxford University, UK, conference vice-chair.
“PostDock: A Novel Visualization Tool for the Analysis of Molecular Docking”, E. A. Wiley, G. Deslongchamps, Computing and Visualization in Science, 12, 1-7, 2009.
IM2.4, “Image and Meaning” forum, Harvard University, USA, Oct. 25-26, 2007, participant.
"Visualization in Science and Education", Gordon Research Conferences, July 1-5, 2007, Bryant University, RI, USA, invited workshop coordinator.
"Organic Chemistry Flashware: an academic closet developer’s story” G. Deslongchamps, 28th National McGraw-Hill Ryerson Teaching, Learning & Technology Conference, Saskatoon, SK, Nov. 1-3, 2006.
"Image and Meaning 2: Discovering new visual expressions for science and technology", June 23-25, 2005, Getty Center, Los Angeles, CA, invited participant.
“Animating localized orbital interactions with organic chemistry Flashware” G. Deslongchamps. PacifiChem 2005, Honolulu, HI, December 15-20, 2005.
"Visualization in Science and Education", Gordon Research Conferences, July 3-8, 2005, Oxford University, UK.
"Visualization in Chemistry for the Major and the Non-Science Major", Pacifichem 2005, December 15-20, Honolulu, HI.
“The Visualization of Linear Algebra Algorithms In Apt Apprentice”. Andrews, C., Cooper, R., Deslongchamps, G., Spet, O., Proceedings of the International Conference on Computational Science 2005 , V.S. Sunderam et al. (Eds.), LNCS , Vol 3514, pp. 1011-1018, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2005.
“Animating orbital interactions in Flash”, G. Deslongchamps, Gordon Research Conference: “Visualization in Science and Education”, Queen’s College, Oxford, UK, July 3-8, 2005.
“Organic Chemistry Flashware: Animating reaction mechanisms and orbital interactions in Flash”, G. Deslongchamps, Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, April 25, 2005;
“Organic Chemistry Flashware: Animating reaction mechanisms and orbital interactions in Flash”, G. Deslongchamps, Beloit College, WI, April 26, 2005, Invited lecturer.
"Methodology development with MOE: PostDock, Reverse-Docking, SPLASH and LGA-Dock” G. Deslongchamps, 1st North American User Group Meeting, Chemical Computing Group Inc., Montreal, May 26-28, 2004.
"Animating reaction mechanisms and orbital interactions in Flash”, G. Deslongchamps, Gordon Research Conferences: “Visualization in Science and Education”, Queen’s College, Oxford, UK, July 20-25, 2003.
"PostDock: A Novel Visualization Tool for the Analysis of Molecular Docking”, E. A. Wiley and G. Deslongchamps, Gordon Research Conferences: “Visualization in Science and Education”, Queen’s College, Oxford, UK, July 20-25, 2003.
"Macromedia Flash”, G. Deslongchamps, Pre-Conference Workshop, Gordon Research Conference: “Visualization in Science and Education”, Queen’s College, Oxford, UK, July 18-20, 2003, Invited workshop.
“Visualisations scientifiques avec multimedia Flash" Département de Chimie, Université Laval, March 20, 2003.
"Web-Based Chemistry Flashware: transparent teaching and learning tools", G. Deslongchamps, Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, PA, February 18, 2003.
"Web-Based Chemistry Flashware: transparent teaching and learning tools", G. Deslongchamps, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA, December 16, 2002.
"Biocomputing in Drug Design: Bridging the Disciplinary Gap with Web-Based Interactive Multimedia Courseware”, C. Andrews, A. Deschênes, R. Cooper, and G. Deslongchamps, Gordon Research Conference: “Computational Chemistry”, Colby College, NH, June 30-July 5, 2002.
"Biocomputing in Drug Design: Visualization of cross-disciplinary topics with web-based Flash multimedia courseware", C. Andrews, A. Deschênes, R. Cooper, and G. Deslongchamps, Abstract,85th CSC Conference, Vancouver, BC, June 1-5, 2002.
"Biocomputing in Drug Design I: Bridging the disciplinary gap with MOE and web-based interactive multimedia courseware", C. Andrews, M. Castonguay, A. Deschênes, D. Norman, G. Deslongchamps and R. Cooper, Abstract, Cambridge Healthtech 2nd Annual Conference on "Structure-Based Drug Design", Cambridge, MA, April 18-19, 2002. view poster
"Biocomputing in Drug Design I: Visualization of cross-disciplinary topics with web-based Flash multimedia courseware", G. Deslongchamps, 6th Annual Atlantic Universities Teaching Showcase, Mount Allison University, NB, Oct. 27, 2001.
"Biocomputing in Drug Design I: Bridging two disciplines with MOE, Flash and Maple" , Deslongchamps, G., R. Cooper, Gordon Research Conferences: “Science Education and Visualization: International”, Mt-Holyoke College, MA, Aug. 5-10, 2001.

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