Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Video games have been creating sprawling open world experiences for years, but as of yet none have ventured to create an authentic inner cell experience, using our knowledge of cells to recreate digitally what it would be like to shrink smaller than one and step inside. The benefits this application could yield are manifold, so this paper references the necessary ingredients and draws up the blueprints for the first three-dimensional, fully explorable, customizable, and interactive microorganism: an invention which could usher in a new age of biological literacy using technology already employed by many video games. The first part of …

In her influential CACM article, Jeannette Wing argues that computational thinking is an emerging basic skill that should become an integral part of every child’s education [14]. The potential impact of any approach for incorporating computational thinking into the curriculum is limited by the low enrollment in computing classes and the homogeneous population choosing these classes. While there are continuing efforts to draw students into computing courses, a complementary approach is to bring computational thinking into courses already taken by a diverse set of students. Because computing is transforming society and impacting many areas of study, providing students with meaningful …