A prized web site

In 1958, British researcher Frederick Sanger won the Nobel Prize for chemistry for detailing the structure of proteins, especially the insulin molecule. Fast-forward 43 years and now high-school and college students will be able to virtually recreate the experiment Sanger used to discover protein sequencing.

Simulations of some of the world's most famous experiments will soon be a part of the Nobel e-Museum (www.nobel.se), which is operated online by the Nobel Foundation of Sweden. The foundation annually awards prizes for outstanding contributions to the sciences, literature, and peace. The e-- Museum opened last year, and currently offers 7,000 pages of information and 3,000 photos to tell the stories of Nobel laureates and describe their works.

But beginning in May, in this the Centenary of the prizes, the e-Museum experience will be expanded and become more interactive. The virtual lab is part of the Wallenberg Young Scholars' Program, which will use audio, video, 3-D virtual reality, graphics, games, (continued) text, and databases to keep young minds entertained while they learn. "The younger generations are growing up using computer games, so they'll find it easy to access this information," says Nils Ringertz, director.

Back in the electronic lab, another groundbreaking experiment students can follow is that of Archer Martin and Richard Synge. They invented partition chromatography, the separation of substances from complex mixtures, a process that earned them a prize for chemistry in 1952. As students do the work, they'll be ably assisted by Virtual Eva, an "avatar" who will offer help and advice. Another education program, Science & Technology, will highlight major, basic research discoveries in medicine and biology and show how they were turned into practical applications.

"The e-Museum really is a museum, because information is stored there, but it's also a learning tool," Ringertz says. Yeah, and it sounds like fun, too.

Copyright American Society for Engineering Education Apr 2001
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