Grace Spatafora: The Backstory
This past October, I was performing a routine experiment in the lab of Dr. Grace Spatafora. With counts of tubes and dishes, protocols, and lab techniques all clogging my head, I was about to start the experiment when I found out that the flow of propane gas, a necessity in any lab, was off. Frustrated, as I was eager to perform the experiment without forgetting any of what I needed to do, I went into Dr. Spatafora’s office to complain about the propane. Echoing my frustration, she called downstairs and was informed that the gas was off for the entire building. Since this was a major inconvenience for my experiments, she came over to inform me of how to proceed, and in doing so, noticed a mistake that I had been making. Jumping on what she saw as an opportunity, she gathered loops, plates, and tubes, and walked me over to another room to show me how the procedure works. Then, trusting that I had a watchful eye, steady hands, and an understanding of the procedure, she handed the loops, plates, and tubes to me and let me have a go. After all, she wanted me to learn how to do it so that I would be able to do it on my own in the future. It wasn’t a life-changing experience. It’s a moment that could easily have been forgotten as the experiment continued. However, I believe this act of taking a considerable chunk of time out of her packed schedule truly represents Dr. Spatafora’s selfless nature and her attitude and commitment to the work of her students.
To most students at Middlebury College, Grace Spatafora is known as the Heinz-Given Professor of the Pre-medical Sciences. The former, a title she received after decades of painstaking, thoughtful, and productive work, represents her impressive professional side, which is widely known throughout the College. However, the publicity of her research does not undermine its impressiveness. It centers around the round bacterium Streptococcus mutans. The organism, which survives in the oral cavity, is the principal causative agent of dental cavities in humans, as outlined in her research description. The Spatafora laboratory focuses on a protein that regulates metal-transport processes in the organism and plays a vital role in defining the involvement of the bacterium in the formation of caries.
As a testament to her ability and success as a researcher, in 2017, Dr. Spatafora was awarded a prestigious NIH R01 grant of $2.1 million dollars. She became one of only 13 faculty members at small liberal arts institutions nationwide to receive this research project grant, which is usually given to large-scale research-intensive universities and graduate programs. Additionally, she is the only faculty member ever at Middlebury to be awarded an NIH R01 grant of this magnitude.
Dr. Spatafora’s excellence in the laboratory does not prevent her from excelling in the classroom. In 2017, Dr. Spatafora was recognized for her stellar work with students by receiving the 2017 Perkins Award for Excellence in teaching. The Perkins Award honors a member of the Middlebury College Natural Sciences faculty based on their performance as a teacher.
Pages and pages could be filled with more information about her exploits as a researcher and instructor. A search of “Middlebury College Spatafora” will lead you to multiple websites touting her accolades. However, Dr. Spatafora is more than an accomplished Professor.
Off campus, she is a Ferrisburg, Vermont resident, a die-hard ACC basketball fan, a mother of an adopted child, and a fan of everything animals. Having grown up in a New York town called Port Washington, Dr. Spatafora spent much of her childhood around horses. She has been a self-described “avid horse-woman” for most of her life and has two horses: Shazaam and Day Tripper. She is the mother of Olivia, a 17-year-old adopted girl from Guatemala City, Guatemala, who she brought into the family at age two. Olivia grew up riding the family’s horses and has become a more serious equestrian than Dr. Spatafora could ever have imagined. In her words, “You do whatever you can to make your kid’s dreams come true,” and to support Olivia’s love for equestrianism, Dr. Spatafora has picked up additional work outside of the college to cover the expenses of their two horses. She serves as the secretary of the Vermont Hunter and Jumper Association and runs the local horse shows during the summer.
She raises Olivia with Doug, her husband, who she met on October 29th, 1994, a date she easily pulled out of her head. Doug is a software engineer at General Electric Healthcare, and in her words, is “funny while I’m more serious.” As a cook, Doug especially appreciates the hungry stomach of the fourth and latest member of the Spatafora family, Zach. Zach is an 18-year-old adopted young adult from China who came into the family this past year. Zach, who also attends Rice Memorial High School with Olivia, is a die-hard Cleveland Cavaliers fan and plays basketball and runs cross country at Rice. He has been an added joy to the family and Doug especially enjoys his company as there is finally someone in the family who devours his food.
Her love of animals extends beyond horses: she has a deep affection for Great Danes and is a member of the Great Dane Society of America. She has had three in her lifetime and after Olivia and Zach go off to college, she plans on getting another. Additionally, she has applied for a private research grant for research on dog genetics as a possible future project, an idea that shows both her love for animals and her allegiance to the sciences. Additionally, she is a member of the Humane Society of the United States and is a contributor to the American Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), which brings justice to individuals who have abused animals.
Dr. Spatafora is a truly impressive individual. However, her behemoth of a science resume distracts from her compassion and love for students, and passion for hearing their success. Just a few weeks ago, after hearing I suffered a serious sports injury, she talked to me for 15 minutes and has checked in with me time and time again through the rehab process. Her lab has accomplished incredible things and she will undoubtedly push Streptococcus mutans research further than it has ever gone before. However, she will, and has, done debatably more in touching the hearts of scores of students, former and current.
