Susan Cooper

1998 Teacher Research Update Experience

Hometown: LaBelle, Florida

School: LaBelle High School

E-Mail: coopers2@mail.firn.edu

Chemistry and Physics Teacher (and sometimes Research)

I avoided biology before now. Due to my TRUE experience, I realize more than ever that all sciences are related. Our students need to learn them in an integrated fashion. To give direction to research, biologists need chemistry, and chemists need biology to understand our natural world. I am working in the lab of Dr. Ben M. Dunn in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department. There are several post docs, grad students, and undergrads working in the lab. Their work includes designing drugs for viral infections including HIV and hepatitis C, as well as other diseases such as malaria. My research involves cloning and purifying an aspartic protease (human gastricsin) which will be used in testing new HIV drugs.

The TRUE Program has been very exciting for me, especially the 8 AM morning lectures. Learning about environmental estrogens from Dr. Lou Guillette who studies alligators was very informative. I need to re-read Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. All of the lectures are thought-provoking, stimulating me to think about how we learn. The professors obviously enjoy what they do.

I'm looking forward to sharing my TRUE experience with my students and other teachers. Having the opportunity to work in a lab performing important and exciting research, attend a doctoral dissertation defense, and have informal discussions with professionals in many areas has been very energizing.

An excellent web site for chemistry teachers to try: WebElements