When Nick Sherman ’90 was an undergraduate student at Bridgewater in the late 1980s, his professors in the Department of Chemistry drilled into him the three pillars of scientific research: measurements, data analysis and dissemination. Or, in Sherman’s recollection, “Science needs to be precise, and none of it matters if you can’t explain what you do to anyone who asks.”
Decades later, Sherman puts those tenets to use every day in his position as Associate Professor for Research and Director of Mass Spectrometry in the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Medicine. Sherman operates a laboratory of multimillion-dollar instruments that help him break apart molecules to discover their fundamental structure. The data Sherman gathers is used by scientists in fields as varied as cancer research, reproductive biology and forensics. The Biomolecular Analysis Facility Core, as Sherman’s lab is known, provides consulting services to scientists at UVA, from other academic institutions and in the biomedical world, which requires being able to explain the data he uncovers across diverse fields.
When he reflects on his time at Bridgewater, Sherman remembers fondly the BC faculty mentors—particularly Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus, Joe Crockett and the late Professor Emeritus Erich Brumbaugh ‘66—who nurtured his love of science and prepared him for a future after Bridgewater. In his case, the next step after his BC graduation was a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry at UVA, which he earned in 1995.
“The process was daunting for a boy who grew up in Linville/Broadway and then attended a small college ten miles down the road,” Sherman said of his experience moving from Bridgewater to Charlottesville, Va., to attend graduate school. He remained connected to BC, however, returning to give a Frances E. Silliman Lecture and helping first-year students move into their campus housing through Eagles We-Haul.
“I love BC for all the faculty who taught me how to think and kept helping me many years after I graduated,” Sherman said.
Last year, Sherman was pleased to be able to, in his words, “take the whole trip full circle” when he hired a BC alumna as an employee in his lab. Taylor Pierce ’23 began work as a lab technician in February 2023. Her position involves preparing samples for testing and working with clients to schedule use of the equipment.
“She came well-prepared,” Sherman said of Pierce. “It is always a big jump from college to a professional lab, but Taylor has picked it up and is very competent.”
Pierce graduated from BC with a degree in biology and psychology. During her time at BC, she completed an internship in the imaging department of Sentara RMH Medical Center in Harrisonburg, Va., and spent two years working with former Assistant Professor of Psychology Curtis Bradley in his behavioral neuroscience research work with mice.
Now that she has a bit of experience under her belt, Pierce will be returning to Bridgewater to continue her education. She has been accepted to the master of science in psychology—mental health professions program and will begin this fall. Pierce said she wants to study brain injuries and perhaps continue for her Ph.D. Either way, she said she is grateful to BC for preparing her to tackle both on-the-job learning and graduate-level education.
“Bridgewater prepared me how to learn,” she said.
– Heather S. Cole
Photo by Ewa Kubicka and courtesy of University of Virginia.
