Programming Cells

This project is a great example of a CS integration project. Designed by Dr. Jeff Saucerman, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia, the project covers fundamental CS concepts while students use Scratch to build an interactive computer model of cells. First, they will program a white blood cell called a neutrophil to crawl around using the arrow keys. Next, they will program bacteria to move randomly. Finally, they will combine the neutrophil and bacteria projects, teaching the neutrophil to eat the bacteria. They will customize and extend these projects as desired.