Contact Marc Zimmer
Education
B.S., M.S., University of Witwatersrand, South Africa; Ph.D., Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Post-Doctorate, Yale University
"I really enjoy my job here at Connecticut College and hope that some of it is reflected in my teaching. Sometimes chemistry can be fun! In my classes I try to show the practical applications of the chemistry. I try to present and look for humorous anecdotes to liven up the class, too. In order to keep myself amused and interested, I do the same in my research. Currently it involves the analysis of the mechanism of an anticancer drug and the formation of cow flatulence."
Marc Zimmer
Barbara Zaccheo Kohn ’72 Professor of Chemistry
Department Chair
Joined Connecticut College: 1990
Specialization:
- Computational Chemistry
- Molecular Science
- Environmental Chemistry
- Green Fluorescent Protein
Professor Zimmer teaches general chemistry, molecular science, and environmental chemistry. He has tried to make these courses relevant and interesting by introducing the most recent developments in general, medicinal, and environmental chemistry in his classes.
He was appointed to the Barbara Zaccheo Kohn ’72 Endowed Professorship for Excellence in Teaching in 2005. He was named the 2007 Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). He received the 2001 John S. King Memorial Award to recognize excellence in teaching
Zimmer's book, Glowing Genes: A Revolution in Biotechnology, (Prometheus, 2005) is the first popular science book on jellyfish and firefly proteins, which can help fight cancer, create new products, improve agriculture and combat terrorism. The book presents an overview of the many uses of these glowing proteins to kill and image cancer cells, monitor bacterial infections and light up in the presence of pollution. Read the news release.
In the Spring of 2002, Professor Zimmer was named the first Christian A. Johnson Distinguished Teaching Professor at Connecticut College, chosen because of his distinguished record of teaching at CC. Supported through a three-year grant from the Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation, Zimmer's responsibilities in this new position included serving on the advisory board for the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL), offering public presentations and workshops on teaching and bringing to campus a disciplinary expert on teaching.
Professor Zimmer is also a Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar and the program chair for the inorganic division of the American Chemical Society.
His research has involved many summer and independent study students who have been working on computational projects utilizing SGI workstations, a linux cluster and the northeastern liberal arts consortium Supercomputer. His group is mainly interested in the structural and photophysical properties of Green Fluorescent Protein. This is a protein found in jellyfish that has found numerous uses as a marker in medicine, cell biology and molecular biology. This work is funded by the National Institute of Health and the Research Corporation.
Professor Zimmer and his students are also examining DsRed, a fluorescent protein found in brightly colored corals. His group has analyzed the geometry of bleomycin, an important anticancer drug, and factor F430, an enzyme involved in the production of methane. He is also working on Luciferase and nitrile hydratase, an enzyme used in the industrial production of acrylonitrile.
He led a group of students on a SATA South Africa in the Fall of 2002 and conducted another SATA South Africa 2006. He also accompanied students in the Spring of 2000 on a TRIP for the course Environmental Chemistry 316 to Boston, Massachusetts, to attend the 11th Annual Global Warming Conference at Harvard University and MIT.
Since coming to Connecticut College, Zimmer has published more than 50 papers in peer reviewed journals such as Chemical Reviews, Journal of the American Chemical Society, and Biochemistry. He has received numerous grants totaling over $2.7 million from The Howard Hughes Medical Institute,W.M. Keck Foundation, National Institute of Health, National Science Foundation, Humboldt Foundation, Henry and Camille Dreyfus Foundation, and Pfizer Inc.
He is project director for the K-HHMI Modules in Emerging Fields Visiting Fellows and was director of the former CCSSP, Connecticut College Summer Science Program that sought to attract and assist potential science students from underrepresented groups such as first-generation college students, women and minorities.
Zimmer encourages interested persons to visit his personal homepage, his Green Fluorescent Protein page, and the chemistry department site.