Mary Colavito

Professor

“My students tell me science is like a foreign language to them. So I spend a lot of time ‘decoding’ it for them.”

Mary Colatvito is somewhat of a “decoding” specialist. “As a molecular biologist, I’m extremely interested in DNA and how it contributes to the development and functions of us all,” she says. But making the mysteries of science unfold for her students also requires her patient investigation. “I teach a course for non-science majors who need to increase their breadth of knowledge,” says Mary. “These are people who are going to be making important decisions about our planet, its people, the health care system. So they need to know how to make conditions optimal for living things on earth.”

Mary’s classes are typically booked to overflow as a result of her determination to make science user-friendly. “I spend a lot of time explaining how scientists think, how they approach problem-solving,” says Mary. “I place a lot of value in the classroom on good communication and on organizing and presenting information in a way that makes it accessible.”

“People come to SMC for class sizes that are reasonable and instructors that are inclined to be available. Our major goal here is to educate students. It’s that simple,” she says.

Mary recently embarked on her own rather unique field of scientifc inquiry. “I had a baby last April,” she says with a laugh. “So just now, I’m rather deeply immersed in the study of human development.”

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