DNA Discovery

Sina Ball and 2 OthersCharlotte Ketterson
Alma Erro

Sina Brief:

In 1962, the Nobel Prize in Physiology for Medicine was awarded to Francis Crick, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins for their discovery of the structure of DNA. Left out of this was Rosalind Franklin, a fellow scientist who had died four years prior. Rosalind Franklin took many photos of the structure of DNA. One particular photo, Photo 51, was shared against her will and may have greatly aided the three Nobel Prize winners in their discovery. Due to her death, she was not eligible for the Nobel Prize, and was left out of the history books for a very long time. 

DNA Discovery allows the player to move freely around one scene which was based loosely off of Rosalind Franklin's laboratory. This scene is packed full of documents and artifacts relating to the time period and the discovery, they can all be interacted with, and viewed in any order the player desires. These intractables fully provide the story behind the discovery, if the player is willing to take the initiative to interpret them. This engagement gives the player a more thorough and less biased understanding of the event, and hopefully leaves users with a better understanding of such a monumental scientific discovery.

Alma's Brief

Rosalind Franklin:  an interactive virtual reality piece that brings awareness to the true story of Rosalind Franklin, the scientist who helped discover the complexities of DNA.  The VR simulation exposes the true story of her discovery. 

In this interactive piece, a user enters a room inspired by Rosalind Franklin's lab.  Students explore the lab to learn the true story along the way.  The lab also features Nobel prize that James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins won for the discovery that couldn't have been possible without Rosalind Franklin. It features Photo 51, a crucial piece of information that allowed James Watson and Francis Crick to find out the structure of DNA. There is a magnifying glass, which allows users to explore additional information.  The goal of Rosalind Franklin is to allow users to come to their own conclusions about the story of DNA discovered by providing forgotten or overlooked information.  

Charlottes Brief

DNA Discovery: A virtual reality experience that puts the user into a laboratory made to represent that of Rosalind Franklin's. Franklin was integral to the discovery of the configuration of DNA, however, she did not receive much credit until after her death, and still to this day is generally less known to the scientific process of the discovery.

The purpose of this virtual reality experience is to make the user feel immersed in the discovery of the shape of DNA. This project was created to bring awareness to pieces of the process of the discovery that were not commonly known to scientists. When the figure of the shape of DNA was discovered, two scientists -- James Watson and Francis Crick -- were given the credit, even though their discovery was based highly on an image taken by Rosalind Franklin. This inequality of credit is emphasized in the VR simulation by using visual clues to lead the user through Franklin's lab, finding small papers and notes that indicated her discovery along the way. The project is geared towards people who want to learn more about the discovery of the figure of DNA.