Up the Garden Path: A Chemical Trail through the Cambridge University Botanic Garden

Abstract

The living world is a rich source of chemicals with many medicines, dyes, flavorings, and foodstuffs having their origins in compounds produced by plants. We describe a chemical trail through the plant holdings of the Cambridge University Botanic Gardens. Visitors to the gardens are provided with a laminated trail guide with 22 stopping points marked on a map. For each of the 22 familiar plants, the principal chemical component(s) and their applications are identified. The virtual trail on the gardens Web site provides additional chemical information including links to the experimentally determined three-dimensional structures of the molecules from the Cambridge Structural Database. Visitors to the gardens with quick response (QR) code readers on their mobile phones will also be able to access this enhanced chemical information digitally. Our hope is that the trails (actual and virtual) will take advantage of students' inherent interest in the chemistry of the natural world and encourage them to learn more about the myriad of vital chemicals that are available in the plant kingdom.

A ciência pelas lentes dos smartphones: o potencial do aplicativo QR CODE no ensino de Química

“…Dessa forma, os QR codes têm a capacidade intrínseca de transcender e quebrar as barreiras físicas e temporais impostas pelo modelo tradicional de ensino, favorecendo situações diversas que podem ser exploradas perante a aquisição de conhecimentos que ultrapassem as fronteiras dos ambientes formais de ensino. Além das contribuições de Bonifácio (2012de Bonifácio ( , 2013, outros autores desenvolveram estratégias para associar o QR code a diversos vieses da Química, a citar, como exemplos, os estudos de Battle et al (2012); Benedict e Pence (2012) e Nichele et al (2015). Percebe-se, em comum a todas estas pesquisas, que a inserção dos QR codes permitiram um feedback extremamente positivo por parte dos alunos, sendo apresentados aos estudantes sob diversas formas (impressos, via redes sociais, em cartazes ou pôsteres), proporcionando, na maioria dos trabalhos, a construção de práticas educativas mais contextualizadas e atraentes aos jovens, ao ousar e fazer uso dos dispositivos móveis, ferramentas muito familiares aos jovens nativos digitais -e, além disso, propor a atividade de uma maneira criativa, (re)interpretando a Química através do uso da realidade aumentada e da aplicação dos QR codes nesses contextos educacionais.…”

QR Code Labels and Audio Commentaries for Commonly Used Chemistry Laboratory Apparatus: An Assisted Learning Experience for Visually Impaired Students

“…Low-cost accommodations can enhance these students’ learning experiences . Use of QR codes or bar codes in chemistry classroom and laboratory showed promising results in the performance of sighted − and visually impaired students.…”

Next generation of chemistry and biochemistry conference posters: Animation, augmented reality, visitor statistics, and visitors' attention

“…18 QR code have many applications in scientific communications including libraries, 19 classrooms, 18,20,21 and especially in chemistry and biochemistry education. [22][23][24][25][26] The main aim of the present work is introducing QR code in poster preparation and its advantages in expanding the critical thinking with regard to visual media in poster presentation of conferences.…”

“…In fact, a hyperlink for the physical object is generated easily by an online, freely available QR code generators which further can be scanned to allow direct access to digital content 18 . QR code have many applications in scientific communications including libraries, 19 classrooms, 18,20,21 and especially in chemistry and biochemistry education 22–26 …”