Osaama Shehzad
Osaama Shehzad

iOS app adds digital dimension to high school biology kits

Osaama Shehzad has created an app to accompany an educational kit for secondary students that was created last year by CMU-Q’s Biological Sciences program. The kit does not require specialized lab equipment, so even schools without laboratories can introduce students to inquiry-based learning.

The kit was developed by CMU-Q alumna Aya Gaballa under the mentorship of Annette Vincent, assistant teaching professor of biological sciences. It is based on the Bradford assay, a standard chemical that changes color according to the amount of protein in the sample. Students choose different foods and form hypotheses about the protein content, then test the foods using the Bradford reagent. The solution changes color depending on the amount of protein present.

Shehzad’s app includes a feature where students hypothesize how much protein different food items contain.

“The app encourages scientific thinking, because students make an educated guess, they test it out and then revise their hypotheses,” said Shehzad.

The app also helps students as they figure out through trial and error how to create different concentrations of proteins. A third part of the app is game-based, where students earn points by shooting animated food icons—the higher the protein content, the more points the food is worth. Students can also explore nutrition and food content through the app.

A biological sciences student who is taking a minor in computational biology, Shehzad became interested in programming after his freshman year core course in computing. To continue his learning in programming, he created a study app over the summer of 2015 to help students learn about proteins and amino acids. When Annette Vincent saw the app, she asked him if he would develop something similar for the kits.

With Vincent and Saquib Razak, associate teaching professor of computer science, as advisors, Shehzad was awarded a QSIURP grant and created the educational kit iOS app over the summer of 2016.

For Shehzad, the app is simply an extension of his passion for teaching others: “I have been a course assistant for the past two years, teaching calculus, English and programming. This is what I love doing.”

Read more about Shehzad’s app, Game of Proteins.

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