Cellular and molecular biology: the role of motor proteins in cell structure and function

Suitable for 14-19-year olds (secondary and high schools, and college), this article and accompanying activity sheet can be used in the classroom, STEM clubs and at home.

This resource links to KS4 and KS5 biology.

It can also be used as a careers resource and links to Gatsby Benchmarks:
Gatsby Benchmark 2: Learning from career and labour market information
Gatsby Benchmark 4: Linking curriculum learning to careers

• This teaching resource explains the work of Dr Martin Engelke, a cellular and molecular biologist at Illinois State University, USA. He and his team are investigating the role of the motor protein kinesin-2 in cilia generation and maintenance.

• This resource also contains interviews with Martin’s students, Lindsey and Farimah, and offers an insight into careers in molecular biology. If your students have questions for the team, they can send them through the Futurum Careers website.

• The activity sheet provides ‘talking points’ (based on Bloom’s Taxonomy) to prompt students to reflect on the team’s research and challenges them to portray their complex molecular biology research in an engaging and accessible cartoon format.

This resource was first published by Futurum Careers, a free online resource and magazine aimed at encouraging 14-19-year-olds worldwide to pursue careers in science, tech, engineering, maths, medicine (STEM) and social sciences, humanities and the arts for people and the economy (SHAPE).

If you like these free resources, or have suggestions for improvements, please let us know and leave us some feedback. Thank you!