I was studying metalloenzymes, those enzymes that require a metal or a mineral and these required copper-I was studying copper and iron enzymes. We finally found out that there were copper requiring enzymes that basically functioned in the human thyroid, but in the corals, they used the same enzyme to toughen the skeleton of the soft corals. I said, “Sure.” Then I started studying corals and why this one type of soft coral was so strong in its skeleton – it was a protein skeleton. He said he had some money from a grant, could I be his lab assistant. It was marine biology and marine geology, and I stood out. I went on a field trip to Jamaica-and I was also a scuba diver-and my professor asked me to be his scuba diving partner and he was diving for corals.
I went in with them, I learned more biochemistry than I’ve ever learned it anywhere. I put up with that for about three years and I found a local University, FIU, who had just started up and they had undergraduate marine biology. I didn’t realize at the time but they stuck everybody in a pre-med program and then you could get your feet wet and marine biology as it were in graduate school.
Then in Miami, I came down to study marine biology.
I was studying biochemistry, actually in high school biology. I presume that you got interested in chemistry when you were young and then you decided, “Let’s make a career out of this.” But tell us a little bit about what your motivation was to get into this line of work. Let’s talk about chemistry and why it’s important to our listeners. Jay, it’s so great to have you on the show.
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