Findings

Read about Marc Zimmer, Ph.D., in the September 2009 issue.

Biochemist
Connecticut College
New London, CT

For Marc Zimmer, learning science isn’t just about reading textbooks or listening to lectures—it’s about doing. Zimmer, whose research team includes many undergraduate students, uses computers to study the protein molecules that help jellyfish glow in the dark. 

He’s investigating why a molecule called green fluorescent protein (GFP) shines and is looking for ways to design brighter proteins to image live organisms. The results could aid efforts to understand how cancer spreads, design better diabetes drugs and detect bioterrorism agents like anthrax.

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