Dr. Alyssa Shuck is a Stern College graduate (class of 1999). She completed her M.S. and PhD at New York University and now teaches microbiology at Stern College. Her research interest is in vitro toxicology of nutraceuticals. Dr. Shuck currently resides in West Hempstead, NY with her husband and children.
Observer:
Can you tell us a little bit about your history and how you got here?
AS:
I went to Stern College, graduated in 1999, then I took a year off to work as a re-search lab technician. I enjoyed it, so during that year I applied to a PhD program and that’s where I spent the next few years. I was in NYU until I got my PhD and then I came back here.
OB:
So you didn’t know you wanted to be a professor when you graduated?
AS:
When I graduated from SCW, I was most interested in being a science professor in a college setting. I did know that I wanted to do that, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about lab work. I had done a little bit of research with Dr. Babich when I was a student, but before committing to a Ph.D. program and a career involving research, I wanted a full time research position. Research is a key component [in getting a PhD].
OB:
What inspired you to become a college professor?
AS:
I had some really good professors when I was in college… the way they explained the material and brought it to life [was really captivating]. [They] made different aspects of science come together and show how they are intertwined. I had always liked science, but the level that they took it to and the passion that they had for it… I really really enjoyed that. I thought that it’d be really great if I could pass that on to other people.
OB:
And you were always interested in science?
AS:
I always liked science- and by always I mean since high school. But then I spent a lot of my college career knowing that I liked science but having no idea what to do with it. And I never knew before college how someone became a college professor. There were just doctors, and nurses, and then there were college professors. But I had no idea how they got there. So once I started doing research here, I found out how. I wanted to teach on a college level, and you have to get a PhD for that, so that’s why I chose to apply to doctoral programs in biology.
OB: How has the Stern science department (and Stern in general) changed since you’ve been a student here?
OB: How has the Stern science department (and Stern in general) changed since you’ve been a student here?
AS:
I think the one thing that I can think of is the amount of research that goes on here. When I was a student here, there were a couple of people who were dabbling in it; like I said, I had worked in Dr Babich’s lab… I don’t think any of the other professors in the Bio Department were doing research. And now we have amazing research going on here; a number are involved in it. So I think that’s the one area that I think has changed.
OB:
What do you think contributed to this change?
AS: Definitely the people who are here now are very research minded, and they’re good at… what they do. I think that times have changed and I think that the University has changed and realized that this is an important aspect of being a professor. In order to really be an expert in what you teach… professors can’t just read textbooks and then relay that information to their students. You really want people who are very deeply involved in what they’re talking about.
AS: Definitely the people who are here now are very research minded, and they’re good at… what they do. I think that times have changed and I think that the University has changed and realized that this is an important aspect of being a professor. In order to really be an expert in what you teach… professors can’t just read textbooks and then relay that information to their students. You really want people who are very deeply involved in what they’re talking about.
OB:
Has there been a change in the attitude that students have toward a career since you were here?
AS:
I think that’s a question I don’t have an answer to…I think when I was a student I was in my own little circle (laughs)… The types of careers that people are looking into- there’s … a broader range now. My impression when I was in Stern was that you could be premed, or you could be a dentist, or you could be a physical therapist or an occupational therapist. And there didn’t seem to be too many other choices. So again it could’ve just been my perspective when I was there, but now it seems like there are many more popular areas to go into.
OB:
Has it ever been difficult for you to balance family and career?
AS:
Yes… I won’t say no one, but I think very few people are wonder-women and can really do everything 100%… for the rest of us who are just normal people, (laughs) its hard… its hard, but they’re both fulfilling. If you like what you do, then you may be exhausted, but you’ll feel really good about it.
OB:
Does it get easier at least?
AS:
Yeah, now it’s definitely easier. My kids are more independent than they used to be. So it definitely is. (Laughs) I think it’s important for people to hear [that it’s not easy] because otherwise they think there’s something wrong with them … they can’t handle it all. Its okay for it to be hard.
OB:
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
AS:
There are two different parts of my job: teaching the course, microbiology, and interacting with students outside the classroom. The most rewarding part of teaching is when I hear a student applying some part of the course to her life. When a student gets excited about some aspect of bacteria; you know– bacteria she found in her kitchen sink or how she applied the lessons that we learned to something…I think that’s really cool because to me that means students are taking the information past the test.
Outside the classroom, I see students doing research, or participating in the JFEW Science Fellowship Program; for those students, I love watching them over the course of the three-four years that they’re here and thinking about how they changed. It’s amazing, sometimes it just takes one summer for a student to literally become a different person. Sometimes it’s a summer internship… they go into this internship terrified, they have no idea what they’re doing. And they come out and they’ve matured and sound so knowledgeable and they had a great experience and it’s really nice to watch these students go through this metamorphosis and become mature adults.
I don’t know if you realize it, because you’re with yourself every day. But there’s a huge difference between a student starting her college career and a college graduate. They’re literally different people; they’ve matured so much because of all the experiences they’ve had. I really like watching that.
OB:
What’s the best piece of advice that you received as a student and what advice do you have for your students?
AS:
I’m not sure if it’s a great answer… nah I don’t think people want to hear this… (laughs), don’t drive yourself crazy trying to figure out the ultimate job or career or anything like that is going to be. You make the best of what you have, and you’ll be happy with it. There will be lots of different things that you [can] be happy with.
OB:
What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
AS:
I think probably when I defended my thesis when I received my PhD. I think that was the culmination of a Herculean effort… it was a long road and I was proud of myself that I finished it.
OB:
What do you enjoy most about working in Stern?
AS:
I like interacting with students, more so in the lab than in lecture. In lab, we really get to know each other better and there’s more of a back and forth communication instead of me just speaking to people. [It’s nice] to develop… those relationships.