# Adventures in Drug Discovery: Integrating Data Science into the Science Curriculum

> **NIH NIH R25** · INSTITUTE FOR FUTURE INTELLIGENCE, INC. · 2024 · $269,691

## Abstract

In this Adventures in Drug Discovery (ADD) project, the Institute for Future Intelligence
(IFI) and the University of Florida (UF) will collaborate with diverse high schools in
Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Ohio, Rhode Island, and South Carolina to develop novel
educational technologies and curriculum materials to help teachers and students teach
and learn data science as a method for accelerating drug discovery. The key innovation
will be Artificial Intelligence for Molecular Science (AIMS), an integrated learning platform
based on using visual and interactive technologies to open the “opaque box” of the
science, data, and computation needed to find or design new drugs. Powered by AIMS,
the curriculum materials will provide practical means to integrate data science into
chemistry and biology courses. The materials will be aligned with related education
standards such as the Next Generation Science Standards. The project will integrate
culturally responsive teaching and inquiry‐based learning to promote equity and
diversity. Participating teachers will be supported by ongoing professional development
workshops and learning communities. The products of the project will be disseminated
through a citizen science program that uses a gamified version of AIMS to engage the
general public to explore drug discovery. After the project ends, IFI will maintain the
products to ensure that they continue to serve teachers, students, and the public.
The scope of this project falls within the mission of NIH's National Center for Advancing
Translational Sciences (NCATS) related to “incorporating artificial intelligence and
machine learning into the drug development process.” The Specific Aims are: 1) To
develop the AIMS technologies and materials using a design‐based research framework
that involves iterative design cycles informed by student and teacher feedback based on
classroom tests; 2) To leverage the complementarity between culturally responsive
teaching and inquiry‐based learning to develop content that accommodates the unique
interests, values, and funds of knowledge of diverse students; and 3) To create a citizen
science program for drug discovery based on gamifying complex computational
procedures such as molecular docking and drug screening. To supplement IFI and UF's
expertise, the project will also involve researchers and educators in molecular science,
data science, and serious games for citizen science from Harvard Medical School, South
Dakota State University, and Northeastern University as consultants.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10909200
- **Project number:** 5R25GM150143-02
- **Recipient organization:** INSTITUTE FOR FUTURE INTELLIGENCE, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Dylan Bulseco
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $269,691
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-17 → 2028-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10909200

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10909200, Adventures in Drug Discovery: Integrating Data Science into the Science Curriculum (5R25GM150143-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10909200. Licensed CC0.

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