Science Advisory Committee Member Dr. Susan Kauzlarich AAAS Fellow
Susan Kauzlarich, professor of chemistry at the University of California - Davis, and RCSA Science Advisory Committee member, was nominated by her peers to be an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow. At least two of the three nominating AAAS members must be from another institution than that of the nominee, and AAAS adds, the nominee must be a Member whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished."
Last fall Kauzlarich received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Her work focuses on nanomaterials and cross-disciplinary research in chemistry, biochemistry and engineering.
She says she originally wanted to become a high-school chemistry teacher, but that faculty mentors in college encouraged her to pursue graduate work.
"I see the role of the scientist as one of discovery and teaching, pushing our knowledge boundaries and training students in the application of the scientific method," Kauzlarich says.
She adds that her focus on learning and her work with people -- and especially her willingness to look at ideas in a new way -- helps her to tackle complex problems. Kauzlarich regularly has undergraduate students and high-school students working in her lab, and she established Project SEED in 1988 to provide research opportunities to highly achieving students with disadvantaged backgrounds. "The most fun is when you can see a new idea taking hold or a new discovery that provides a new path forward."
For more information, visit her webpage at http://chemgroups.ucdavis.edu/~kauzlarich/index.htm.