Iron Man

Arthur Grider, associate professor in the department of foods and nutrition, received support from the Anne Sweaney Innovation Fund for his project to develop animated videos that will enhance teaching and learning of the cellular and biochemical metabolism of iron.

Grider, who teaches courses in micronutrient nutrition, said the videos will help students’ understanding of cellular processes. Grider worked with a medical illustrator on the project.

“It sort of inserts you into the cell at the point where you want to focus,” Grider said of the videos. “So it really puts you in the middle of the process that you can then work with.”

After noticing the lack of such resources for teaching more advanced cellular processes, Grider decided to pursue the unique project.

His hope is to generate an online class where students can go through narrated videos that would pause at certain steps and show text overlays of additional notes written by the professor.

“This would allow students to be engaged at a different level,” he said.

The Anne Sweaney Innovation Fund was established in 2012 in honor of the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professor Emerita, who served the college for more than 30 years.

This program provides funds to support faculty and students’ current projects as well as new programs created to meet emerging needs.