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Chemistry Professor Marc Zimmer named 2007 Professor of the Year

November 15, 2007

A Connecticut College chemistry professor known for recruiting and mentoring women and minorities in the sciences was named the 2007 Connecticut Professor of the Year today by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Marc Zimmer, the Barbara Zaccheo Kohn '72 Professor of Chemistry at Connecticut College, is an expert on bioluminescence, the chemical reaction that makes living organisms, such as fireflies and jellyfish, glow in the dark.

The Professor of the Year award honors the nation's best undergraduate professors-those who excel as educators and influence the lives and careers of their students. Nominees are judged based on their impact on and involvement with undergraduate students, scholarly approach to teaching and learning, contribution to undergraduate education in the institution, community and profession, and support from colleagues and current and former undergraduates.

"Marc Zimmer is an outstanding scholar who embodies the innovative and creative teaching that is a hallmark of the Connecticut College experience," said President Leo I. Higdon Jr. "This recognition by national education experts is particularly rewarding in a state that includes top level colleges and universities."

Zimmer, a professor at the college since 1990, is the third Connecticut College professor to win top honors in the state since 2000.

His passion for science and his dynamic teaching style have inspired many next generation scientists and helped Zimmer attract exceptional students into the sciences at Connecticut College. His students count on him for meaningful research opportunities, as well as a bit of fun-he is known to use humor, pop cultural references, visual props and real world examples to illustrate complicated scientific topics.

"I want the Connecticut College undergraduates to be bursting with questions about chemistry," Zimmer said. "To do this consistently, I have to be a performer, make the material relevant to the students and bring my research into the class."

Carley Spencer, a senior chemistry major, decided to pursue chemistry after taking two of Zimmer's courses as a freshman. During one of the classes, Zimmer had the students ignite hydrogen balloons, and with the explosion, Spencer was hooked. "He is always really upbeat, and interested in what he teaches, which makes me more interested in the class," she said.

A world class researcher, Zimmer uses computational chemistry to study Green Florescent Protein (GFP), a protein that makes jellyfish glow in the dark. Zimmer's research has become an integral part of his classes. In a freshman seminar course, for example, Zimmer's students genetically modify bacteria with the jellyfish protein, discuss the ethics of creating genetically modified rabbits as art exhibits-or pigs as organ donors for humans-and have even traveled with Zimmer to Puerto Rico to look for new fluorescent proteins in coral reefs.

Each semester, Zimmer invites a number of students to work with him in his lab. Since joining the college in 1990, he has supervised more than 50 student research projects. Thirty of his students have co-authored peer-reviewed publications and even more have presented papers or posters at professional meetings.

Zimmer also uses his research to reach out to the community. He is committed to inspiring a love of science learning in people of all ages. Regularly, he takes glowing mice or fish (genetically altered with GFP) to elementary schools, libraries, and even to retirement homes to talk about the wonders of nature and science.

"Marc has become something of a Mr. Wizard in local schools, libraries, service organizations and other venues," Frances Hoffmann, former dean of the faculty, wrote in her nomination letter supporting Zimmer's award. Zimmer makes a particular effort to visit schools that are largely attended by minority students.

"In the United States, students of color are one-third less likely to graduate in the sciences than students from the overall population," Zimmer said. "That is why I go out of my way to talk to minority students about science."

Zimmer has secured several large grants to help minority students prepare for and succeed at Connecticut College. Several years ago, for example, Zimmer was awarded a $1.1 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to support recruiting efforts, summer preparatory work, and continuing support and research opportunities for students from economically disadvantaged high schools. Zimmer worked diligently, visiting inner-city schools to talk to students about pursuing the sciences and bringing high school students with an affinity for science to the New London campus to participate in his research.

Recently, Zimmer was awarded a $513,900 National Science Foundation grant to support the college's efforts to increase the number of students graduating from Connecticut College with a degree and research experience in chemistry, physics, environmental science, neuroscience and laboratory-based biological sciences.

Originally from South Africa, Zimmer holds undergraduate and master's degrees from University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. His Ph.D. was granted by Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He also completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Yale University. He is the author of "Glowing Genes: A Revolution in Biotechnology" (Prometheus Books, 2005), and has published commentary pieces in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and the Hartford Courant.

CASE and The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching have been partners in honoring Professors of the Year since 1981. During this time, the awards program has grown in prestige and today is recognized as the premier award for educators and the only national award to recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching and mentoring.

For media inquiries contact: Amy Martin (860) 439-2526; a.martin@conncoll.edu