Candy Catching Enzymes

Making things like medicine and biofuels (fuels from plants) takes a long time and uses chemicals that are bad for you and the environment. However, it may be possible to use enzymes to make these items , reducing the need for these dangerous chemicals. Enzymes are biological molecules that act as catalysts inside an organism. The enzymes make reactions go faster without being used up or changed. Thus, maybe we can engineer enzymes that can make valuable products from cheap and simple substrates.
Students will design a two-pocket enzyme that can fit in the cell and catch both substrates (M&Ms and caramels). Since enzymes are normally selective and substrate-specific, they will also design an enzyme that catches only one caramel in one pocket and only one M&M in the other pocket.

The student handout will be given to all students working on the design
challenge. It gives a brief recap of the story, it helps the students identify what they are attempting to achieve, and it recaps the design process.

Candy Catching Enzymes TEK8 Instructor’s Guide

This Instructor’s Guide provides the instructor additional information on how to run the design challenge with alternatives for materials and test setups as well as information to help make the design challenge a good educational experience.

Telling the Story Video

The Telling the Story Video conveys the societal impact of the student’s research that is the basis for the design challenge and will set the problem-solving context for students.

Design Challenge Video

The Design Challenge Video leads students through the design process. It indicates materials available, states what the criteria are for success and any constraints. It also gives a second ‘level’ of the design challenge that allows ‘early completers’ to move on to a slightly more difficult challenge.

PowerPoint Presentation #1

PowerPoint Presentation #2

The presentations can be used in conjunction or in place of the Design Challenge Video.