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Alonzo EA, Lato TJ, Gonzalez M, Olson TL, Savage QR, Garza LN, Green MT, Koone JC, Cook NE, Dashnaw CM, Armstrong DB, Wood JL, Garbrecht LS, Haynes ML, Jacobson MR, Guberman-Pfeffer MJ, Minkara MS, Wedler HB, Zechmann B, Shaw BF. Universal pictures: A lithophane codex helps teenagers with blindness visualize nanoscopic systems. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadj8099. [PMID: 38198555 PMCID: PMC10780880 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj8099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
People with blindness have limited access to the high-resolution graphical data and imagery of science. Here, a lithophane codex is reported. Its pages display tactile and optical readouts for universal visualization of data by persons with or without eyesight. Prototype codices illustrated microscopy of butterfly chitin-from N-acetylglucosamine monomer to fibril, scale, and whole insect-and were given to high schoolers from the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Lithophane graphics of Fischer-Spier esterification reactions and electron micrographs of biological cells were also 3D-printed, along with x-ray structures of proteins (as millimeter-scale 3D models). Students with blindness could visualize (describe, recall, distinguish) these systems-for the first time-at the same resolution as sighted peers (average accuracy = 88%). Tactile visualization occurred alongside laboratory training, synthesis, and mentoring by chemists with blindness, resulting in increased student interest and sense of belonging in science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily A. Alonzo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Travis J. Lato
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Mayte Gonzalez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Trevor L. Olson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Quentin R. Savage
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Levi N. Garza
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Morgan T. Green
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Jordan C. Koone
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Noah E. Cook
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Chad M. Dashnaw
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | | | - John L. Wood
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Lisa S. Garbrecht
- Texas Advanced Computing Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Madeline L. Haynes
- Texas Advanced Computing Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Miriam R. Jacobson
- Texas Advanced Computing Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - Mona S. Minkara
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Bernd Zechmann
- Center for Microscopy and Imaging, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Bryan F. Shaw
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
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