Cheryl Frazier
by Evan Scott
Cheryl is every bit as fun and interesting to talk to. This grandmother of two is not what you would expect. She rides a motorcycle, has a PhD in biology and works at NASA. Standing there, with her long beautiful black hair, a pool cue in one hand, pondering her next shot, you wouldn't believe this lady could handle a big bike. Then, there is this glare in her eye when she talks about the “real” story about the discovery of DNA. Hearing her, you can see this woman has won many verbal battles in the NASA bureaucracy. All this together makes her (and Dale of course) fun to be with, whether it's laughing over the sinking of an ill timed 8-ball or discussing the molecular structure of prions. Tamara and I interviewed this sharp witted grandmother of two to see what makes her tick.
Evan: Give us a short personal andprofessional bio of yourself.
Cheryl: Let's see <as she grins>, I have a B.S. in Biological Science from the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) -- and no, I was not a sorority girl -- I was in the band and the only “independent” little sister of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. I also hold a M.S. in Biological Science, again from the University of Mississippi. My thesis title was: The Surface Area of Fine Particulate Organic Matter and it's Relationship to Phosphate Uptake -- I started graduate school with the intention of being an ecologist <she shrugs>. Then I also have a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. My dissertation title was Biodegradability and Microbial Activities During Solid Waste Decomposition. I hold a National Research Council Postdoctoral Research Associateship at NASA, Kennedy Space Center, with the Controlled Environmental Life Support Systems -- basically what we studied was taking everything that is considered “waste” and turning it into something safe to reuse in a closed system; there are no grocery stores between here and Mars <grin>. I currently am a Project Science Coordinator for Dynamac Corporation, a contractor to NASA at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Tamara: What is an "independent" little sister?
Cheryl: An independent is not affiliated with one of the sororities. All of the other little sisters were in one of the sororities - I was not. I had several friends from high school who were in this fraternity and they campaigned for me to be a little sister.
Tamara: How many kids and grandkids do you have?
Cheryl: I have 3 children. My oldest daughter is a nurse practitioner in Birmingham, Alabama. Her husband was a graduate student in the lab I worked in. They met when she came to have lunch with me one day. They have 2 children. Annie-Lura is 8 and Jameson is 6. Of course, they are great. They are both very smart and are being home-schooled. My second daughter is a chemist here in Florida. She has a great cat named Zoe. My son lives in Orlando and is a musician, songwriter, dj, and sound engineer. He writes music and has had a couple of songs on the charts in Europe. more >>
