Alison J. Draper

Biography

Alison J. Draper is the Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Science and a Lecturer in Environmental Science at Trinity College (Hartford, CT). As Director of the Science Center, Dr. Draper has responsibilities to the entire science division, including natural and physical science, mathematics and engineering. In this position, she writes external grants to support science education, she directs the Supplemental Instruction program, a peer-led study program designed to improve retention and success in introductory science courses, and she coordinates functions of the division, such as national fellowship advising, an annual research symposium and summer research programs. Additionally, she directs the Interdisciplinary Science Program, an honors-like program for first-year students who are interested in science. She teaches the first-year seminar for this program and advises all the student participants.

Research Interest

As a graduate student, Dr. Draper worked on drug metabolism by cytochrome P450 enzymes, specifically developing in vitro tests to predict drug interactions. As a postdoctoral fellow, she studied the same enzymes, but with a focus on their endogenous roles; Dr. Draper’s more recent research is focused on the environmental impact of car tire wear particles. Airborne automobile tire particles and leachate are expected to have adverse effects in the environment; Dr. Draper is curently working with Trinity undergraduates on a study of aquatic toxicity of various commonly-prescribed human pharmaceuticals.