Peko Tsuji
鈥淪tudents enter Towson University and many don鈥檛 know what it takes to be a scientist or how to approach a project,鈥 says Professor Peko Tsuji. 鈥淲e help them learn molecular lab techniques and start thinking critically.鈥
As a postdoctoral fellow at the , one of the things Petra 鈥淧eko鈥 Tsuji missed most was teaching undergraduate students. 鈥溈旎钍悠礽s one of the few comprehensive universities where both teaching and research matter,鈥 says Tsuji. 鈥淭his is the type of institution I was looking for.鈥
In moving to Towson University, Tsuji has placed the university at the forefront of cancer research with her pioneering work on the roles of certain selenoproteins and selenium in human health and disease, particularly the role of the 15kDa selenoprotein in inflammation and colorectal cancer. 鈥淲e are making headway in two pathways: the role of 15kDa in regulation of colon cancer, and in identifying certain populations that through mutations or gene expression changes are more susceptible to colon cancer, which has huge implications for screening and avenues to prevent colon cancer.鈥
Tsuji is clear, 鈥淚f a student has any goals related to research or medical school, they need undergraduate research 别虫辫别谤颈别苍肠别.鈥
鈥淪tudents enter Towson University and many don鈥檛 know what it takes to be a scientist or how to approach a project,鈥 she says. 鈥淲e help them learn molecular lab techniques and start thinking critically.鈥
One of her most satisfying experiences is interacting in the lab with students. 鈥淚 see them developing into fantastic scientists and persistent, motivated students,鈥 says Tsuji, who created and teaches a course on the biology of cancer. 鈥淭hese students leave Towson University potentially with their names on published manuscripts, or they contribute to book chapters.鈥
To support female students in research and STEM in general, Tsuji also serves as the Women in Science Club faculty co-mentor.