Catherine Propper: Advocating for Science and the Environment
Catherine Propper: PhD
Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Behavioral Endocrinology
College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Sciences
Professor
Catherine Propper is the new Director of Research Capacity Development in Northern
Arizona University’s (NAU’s) research division. This half-time, one-year
experimental transfer of duties gives Propper the exciting opportunity to
continue to move NAU forward as a nationally and internationally recognized
institution for higher education and research.
According to Regents’ Professor Bill Grabe, NAU Vice President for
Research, Propper will handle specific science issues both on campus and with
science institutions, foundations, and organizations nationwide, such as the
National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Food
and Drug Administration (FDA), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). She
will also continue to develop teaching excellence at the undergraduate level
with scholarly activities for both undergraduate and graduate students.
“I’ve got to live
here,” thought young Catherine Propper as she drove through Flagstaff, Arizona,
on a family road trip at the age of 15. Propper’s budding love of nature, which
resonated with Northern Arizona, was cultivated playing outside in the
expansive city of Los Angeles (LA), California. As dense pollution engulfed
LA’s landscape, Propper started developing a curiosity about the environment
outside her hometown’s
boundaries. “I loved playing outside. I
loved animals,” says Propper. “The pollution in LA is a big part of what
motivated me and my work.”
Propper’s passion
for nature led her to pursue a career in biology. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California (Berkeley) in
1982, and her PhD from Oregon State
University in 1989. After spending two years as a post-doctoral research
associate at the University of Colorado, she found her way back to the
beautiful high desert that she fell in love with so many years prior and joined
the NAU faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological
Sciences in January, 1991.
Research with environmental contaminants
Since then, her
research has focused on understanding the effects of environmental contaminants
on health. Propper credits environmentalist Theo Colburn (the Rachel Carson of
our time) with piquing her interest in the effect chemicals have on human
systems. “Theo is a hero of mine,” says
Propper. “I’m very grateful to her and her work.”
During the 1990s,
when information started coming out about amphibians disappearing all over the
world, Propper’s interests turned to studying the effect of environmental
contaminants on reproduction and physiological behavior.
Working with a
team of NAU students, both graduate and undergraduate, and about 10 scientists worldwide, Propper has been investigating the
effects of commonly used pesticides, such as Endosulfran, on the endocrine
system, reproduction, and behavioral processes of amphibians. The team is also
studying the complex physiological events that result from exposure to
environmental mixes of compounds found in wastewater.
“Most chemicals we find are overtly toxic, and the argument has been that ‘oh,
no one is dropping dead from this level of toxicity,’ but I don’t think dropping
dead should be a determining point of where we decide to do something and improve our
health.” Propper’s goal is that the general public become aware that these
chemicals—even though they are in low concentrations in the environment—are
high enough that they may very well be effecting human physiology and endocrine
systems.
An inspiring attitude
Discussing such
intense and disheartening findings can leave one discouraged, despondent, and
overwhelmed, but Propper leaves her listeners feeling optimistic instead. “What
I tell folks is that there is hope. Take the example of DDT. When we took it
out of the environment, we saw recovery.” Her eyes flash as she sits up
straighter in her chair and reveals a calm and reassuring smile: “Even though
it seems like this [environmental contamination] is a huge issue that we are never going to
solve, when we really go and take action, things really do get better.”
Propper’s sense of
hope seems to rub off on those she meets and inspires learning and
curiosity. She is as passionate about
teaching as she is about research. “NAU has allowed me to do the things I want
to do. I only hope I can offer this back in whatever way I can,” says Propper.
--Kelly Zarcone
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