Click here to see the powerpoint presentation NSTA Presentation-March 2010

Math and Science Summer Academy

High school students often wrestle with concepts such as osmosis, as the idea of a semi-permeable membrane and movement of water across it generally aren’t things they’ve thought about before they hit their first biology course. In an effort to make learning osmosis fun, we’ve put together an incredible team of an experienced game designer, an awesome animator, and an incredibly talented programmer to create an intriguing and fun game we call Osy. This team is supported by an array of scientists whose main job is to stay out of the way of progress.

Osy was unveiled to a group of bright, young high school students attending the University of Georgia’s Mathematics and Science Summer Academy early in July. After a short introduction by Drs. Casey O’Donnell and Steve Oliver, in which the word osmosis was never mentioned, the students began playing the game. They were soon engaged, trying to maneuver Osy through a pool containing areas with varying concentrations by actively controlling her size and movement. The game received high accolades and the students reported that they understood osmosis better after the session. A post-game experience quiz will be given to them this coming week to see how well they recall the process and whether or not they are able to transfer this knowledge to explain changes in red blood cells added to different solutions. The best quote came from one student who said that the game was cool and then added “And I play a lot of games . . . I mean, a lot of games!”