Graduate Faculty Mentor Award, 2010
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In a way that only a microbiologist could, Vaughn Cooper lights up when he explains what makes a bacterium he is describing 鈥渃harismatic.鈥 Calling up an image on his computer, Cooper points toward the diversity of cell shape, composition, and pigmentation in three mutants of Burkholderia cepacia, a normally harmless organism that can be life-threatening for people with cystic fibrosis.
鈥淭he molecular diversity this bug can generate in a short amount of time is remarkable,鈥 he says. 鈥淲hen most people think about evolution, they鈥檙e imagining changes that take place over thousands of years. Here, we鈥檙e talking about dramatic metabolic adaptations that occur in weeks.鈥
Cooper jokingly refers to his field as 鈥渆cology and evolution for the impatient.鈥 Pointed toward microbial evolution by terrific mentors, he strives to inspire the same level of excitement in his own students. In his upper-level Microbial Ecology and Evolution class, for example, students contribute to a blog that allows them to comment on each others鈥 work and key articles in the field鈥攁nd to interact with those articles鈥 authors.
鈥淒esigning this tool took a lot of work, but the student response has been overwhelmingly positive,鈥 says Cooper鈥檚 colleague, Professor Thomas Pistole. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just one illustration of the initiative and dedication that Vaughn brings to each of his courses.鈥
In the last year alone, Cooper鈥檚 initiative has brought in an impressive $1.6 million in grant awards, including a prestigious CAREER award from the National Science Foundation. He is collaborating with colleagues in the 91制片厂 computer science department and the Hubbard Genomic Center on several cutting-edge initiatives. Beyond 91制片厂, he has developed a program to introduce college-level microbiology at the high school level, offering summer internships in his lab to qualified students.
It鈥檚 easy to imagine Cooper spends all his time doing science, but he is also an internationally ranked triathlete who has completed 16 Ironman events.
鈥淔or a long time, I was better known as a triathlete than as a scientist,鈥 he says. 鈥淭hen again, I wasn鈥檛 well known as a scientist.鈥 That, like the very field he studies, is rapidly changing.
鈥擪ristin Duisberg
About this Award
The Graduate Faculty Mentor award is designed to honor a faculty member whose commitment to excellence in graduate student training has contributed significantly to graduate students鈥 professional development. Forms only accepted during application period.
