Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I need to make an interactive model of the cell cycle for my Biology class. I wish to get bonus points for adding movement. The problem is that I can think of no way to replicate the cell cycle. Can you give me any ideas?

Hello,

A great way to get started is to outline all the stages that need to be included in your model. What are the stages of the cell cycle? What is the order? Most cycles in biology are usually depicted as a circle. Would a circular representation of the cell cycle make sense?

How do you want to make your model? You could make a visual representation of the stages on paper. You could make a 3-dimensional model. What other kinds of materials could you use?

This is supposed to be an interactive model? How could a person interact with the cell cycle? Maybe each stage needs to be put in order. Or each stage is unlabeled and needs to be labeled. Or maybe certain parts of the cell are missing and need to be put in place on your model.

You also want to add movement to your model. What parts of the cell cycle include movement? How could you recreate this movement in your model? You could also tie this in with the interactive part. For example the person looking at the model could move an object on your model.

I hope these help you start thinking about what you want to do. Let me know if you have any other questions.

-microkts