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January 22, 2001
Q&A:
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Carol Stone
Margaret and Herman Sokol Chair in Chemistry and Biochemistry
For much of her career, Carol Stone searched for an institution where she could
combine research and teaching. She conducted intensive research at Indiana University
Medical Center, but that was too much laboratory. She taught at Steven's Institute
of Technology, but that was too much classroom. Then she was named the Margaret
and Herman Sokol Chair in Chemistry and Biochemistry, and now the balance between
teaching and research is just right.
Stone discovered what she describes as her life's work - exploring the ways in which dozens of human liver enzymes break down ethanol (alcohol) - during her post-doctoral fellowship at the University of California - Riverside. "I was originally studying microbiology, but found myself getting further and further into chemistry," she said. "And I learned from my experience at Indiana University that I also wanted more student interaction."
That balance also has spilled into Stone's personal life. Working just five miles away from her home in Caldwell, Stone can spend more time with her husband, Steve, a psychotherapist; and their daughters, Lauren, 8; and Shannon, 5, and involve them in the life of the University. Montclair State's first endowed chair, the Sokol position is funded by a $1.25 million donation from alumna Margaret McCormack Sokol '38, in memory of her husband, Herman '37, a research chemist and teacher. President of Bristol-Meyers Company from 1976 until he retired in 1981, Sokol was instrumental in discovering the antibiotic tetracycline and the process for its manufacture.
INSIGHT: How does MSU help you balance research and teaching?
Stone: I love teaching and I like a strong learning environment. This is a good opportunity to conduct research where teaching is really valued. The College of Science and Mathematics has gone out of its way to allow me to both teach and fulfill my research obligations without spreading myself too thin. I'm honored to have been chosen for the position.
INSIGHT: What led you from microbiology to biochemistry?
Stone: There were a lot of questions in biology about protein in blood coagulation that I couldn't answer. I began to find those answers at a more molecular level. That's when I came across a biochemist who was asking the same questions. We began working with human enzymes and I became excited about the medical aspects of biochemistry.
INSIGHT: How are you utilizing the grant money?
Stone: I equipped the laboratory, which is up and running, with state-of-the-art equipment to analyze proteins and molecules at the molecular level, and I had funds to service an existing centrifuge (a device that separates materials). We also purchased a new centrifuge and an ultra-freezer, which cools samples down to minus 80 degrees Celsius. Resources are critical when you're doing research. I'd like to set up a system where we share our equipment with other departments, and support it together.
INSIGHT: Tell us about your life's work.
Stone: My research touches on a major and complex issue in society - alcoholism - so there is a human element to it. What intrigues me is that dozens of enzymes work at different times and at different speeds to break down ethanol. Yet, in the long run, they all work together in this amazing pattern. But the pattern varies. Enzymes vary between ethnic groups, but we're not sure if they vary from person to person. The propensity for alcoholism is complicated with environmental and genetic issues. I want to know if someday we can simulate, via computer, what might be happening with the array of enzymes in the human liver.
INSIGHT: What are some questions you hope to answer?
Stone: Are certain types of people more susceptible to alcohol toxicity? Are there differences in susceptibility between men and women? Can we predict how quickly an enzyme can break down ethanol when a particular individual takes a drink? Will we one day be able to develop predictive measures that can determine a group's or individual's risk for alcoholism? I also want to answer larger questions about the role that ingested alcohol plays in the body's well being. Alcohol is a potential source of nutrition. That's evident in a beer drinker's belly. Yet, chronic drinkers lose weight and eventually waste away. That's a paradox we don't understand.