The following is part
one of a two part story featuring EPSCoR director Anne Sylvester. These two
stories are the first of several blogs about Wyoming EPSCoR and the University
of Wyoming. This first story is the start of stories featuring EPSCoR personnel
and their roles in merging science, education, research and outreach. Next
week’s story will start off a series of blogs about women in science at the
University of Wyoming, as we initiate our new NSF-funded program.
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| Dr. Sylvester researches maize genetics |
Most people probably don’t see the connection between corn
genetics, classroom instruction and outreach projects, but
Dr. Anne Sylvester
does. For her, research, outreach and education have always gone hand in hand,
and corn genetics is her area of expertise.
“For some of us, research is critical to our teaching,” Dr.
Sylvester says. “For me, research and teaching are highly intertwined.”
As a professor at the
University of Wyoming, she has the
opportunity to both research and teach. As the director of
Wyoming EPSCoR, she
has the ability to ensure that the science fields at UW are reaching out to the
public, from elementary school all the way up.
“I have a deep seated commitment to promoting science and
moving it into the public sector, to explaining what science is all about at
all levels, and to drawing students into the science fields,” Dr. Sylvester
says.
The key to doing this lies not only in the commitment to reaching
out, but also in the excitement scientists as individuals have for their
research and field. Dr. Sylvester found this excitement following graduate
school, in the fields of molecular biology and genetics. She has always been
interested in plants, but it was genetics that allowed her to begin answering
the research questions that inspired her to become a scientist.
“I became particularly
interested in and moved towards maize or corn genetics after graduate school,
when I was looking into a post-doctoral program,” she says. “I wanted to work
with a genetics system because I felt that it would allow me to really
investigate the molecular biology behind the questions I was interested in.”
Today, Dr. Sylvester’s passions for genetics carry over to
all aspects of her work at UW. Her passions for her research turn into her
passions as an instructor.
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| Dr. Sylvester has corn fields in Colorado and Hawaii |
“I love teaching,” Dr. Sylvester says. “The most rewarding
aspect of teaching is thinking of ways to teach something that will convey your
own interests, your own excitements and your own passions for science, and
bring out those same emotions in your students.”
Dr. Sylvester sees inspiring her students in science as an
essential part of her role as an instructor. “Teaching is a mission. It’s a
mission to bring information about science to students who are going to help
change the world,” she says. “Students need to get excited by science so that
they can learn it.”
Dr. Sylvester’s personal philosophy regarding her classrooms
and her labs caught the attention of Bill Gern, Vice President of the Research
and Economic Development Office at UW. In 2006, he asked her to become the associate
director of EPSCoR, which eventually led her to become the director.
“On my own NSF funding, I have always worked with Native
American students through a tribal college in Montana,” Dr. Sylvester says. The
outreach and diversity Dr. Sylvester cultivated in her labs fits with UW-wide
efforts to build strong programs in Wyoming.
Today, EPSCoR joins others at UW who work with
tribal colleges, community colleges and high schools
throughout Wyoming in order to encourage students at these schools to pursue
careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields.
“I’ve watched EPSCoR transform individuals who have
recognized that science is no longer individuals forging their own path,” Dr.
Sylvester says. “Now science is highly collaborative, interdisciplinary and
integrated with education, and that’s the goal of EPSCoR in my opinion.”
Being a professor, researcher and director simultaneously
has its challenges, but the work never ceases to interest, excite and engage
her.
“Being involved in what I see as absolutely cutting-edge
science is my favorite part of being the director of EPSCoR,” Dr. Sylvester
says. “I love my job. I think that an academic career is the best there is
because of the fact that an academic environment promotes constant learning and
education.”
By Kali S. McCrackin
Photos courtesy of the University of Wyoming
“This is technically a tough
project,” says Dr. Rasmussen. “But, since I worked with Christopher last year,
I thought ‘The sky’s the limit. We can do the most tricky project and I know he
will pull it off.’”
