Professor Stacie Nunes was always interested in the arts, but after taking a biology class in college found that she had a passion for the sciences. Professor Nunes went on to study physics, and now, as a professor at New Paltz, works to engage others in the subject.

"I try to see my students as the individuals they are, with different aspirations and needs and then temper my interactions based on this with my own knowledge of what it will take for them to really come out of this experience with the education they will need," said Professor Nunes.

In addition to teaching classes at New Paltz, Professor Nunes is acting director of the SUNY New Paltz Alliance for Minority Participation Program (AMP) and Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP); she helps provide opportunities for underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students interested in succeeding in the sciences. "Many of our students have gone on to earn graduate degrees and/ or establish themselves in the fields of engineering or science," said Professor Nunes, who is also a mentor for the scholar mentorship program on campus.

In addition, Professor Nunes is outreach chair for the regional American Physical Society. As chair, she is particularly interested in promoting physics in kindergarten through twelfth grade. "Twice each year we award small grants to members who have projects designed to increase the understanding of physical principles in the lay public or K-12 students," said Professor Nunes.

When she's not teaching or promoting the sciences, Professor Nunes is actively involved in research. During the spring 2005 semester she received a grant from the National Science Foundation to study the structure and electronic properties of cadmium sulfide nano-clusters. The grant included funds to support a physics student to work on the project during the summer. Professor Nunes is now writing a paper on her research.

Hobbies: Loves to cook and be outdoors

Role Model: Gerald Benjamin, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Goals: "I'd be really interested in looking at the role of metals at the active site of enzymes."

Little-known fact: Professor Nunes won a Better Homes and Gardens recipe contest the year she earned her Ph.D.