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Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming our world, making it imperative to educate the next generation about both the potential benefits and the challenges associated with AI. This study presents a cross-disciplinary curriculum that connects AI and chemistry disciplines in the high school classroom. Particularly, we leverage machine learning (ML), an important and simple application of AI to instruct students to build an ML-based virtual pH meter for high-precision pH read-outs. We used a “codeless” and free ML neural network building software, Orange, along with a simple chemical topic of pH to show the connection between AI and chemistry for high-schoolers who might have rudimentary backgrounds in both disciplines. The goal of this curriculum is to promote student interest and drive in the analytical chemistry domain and offer insights into how the interconnection between chemistry and ML can benefit high-school students in science learning. The activity involves students using pH strips to measure the pH of various solutions with local relevancy and then building an ML neural network model to predict the pH value based on the color changes of pH strips. The integrated curriculum increased student interest in chemistry and ML and demonstrated the relevance of science to students’ daily lives and global issues. This approach is transformative in developing a broad spectrum of integration topics between chemistry and ML and understanding their global impacts. 

Abstract Giant viruses are a large group of viruses that infect many eukaryotes. Although components that do not obey the overall icosahedral symmetry of their capsids have been observed and found to play critical roles in the viral life cycles, identities and high-resolution structures of these components remain unknown. Here, by determining a near-atomic-resolution, five-fold averaged structure of Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus 1, we unexpectedly found the viral capsid possesses up to five major capsid protein variants and a penton protein variant. These variants create varied capsid microenvironments for the associations of fibers, a vesicle, and previously unresolved minor capsid proteins. Our structure reveals the identities and atomic models of the capsid components that do not obey the overall icosahedral symmetry and leads to a model for how these components are assembled and initiate capsid assembly, and this model might be applicable to many other giant viruses.