22 | MAY 27 • 2021

A

$100,000 academic
award funding the
study of catalysts in
the human body became a cat-
alyst for developing unrelated
science videos that include one
explaining how COVID-19 vac-
cines prevent infections.
Leah Witus, assistant profes-
sor of chemistry at Macalester
College in St. Paul, Minn., was
among 25 educators chosen
for this year’s Cottrell Scholar
Awards given by the Research
Corporation for Science
Advancement. Each award is
based on proposals that sug-
gest new scientific research in
combination with instructional
initiatives.
“This award is open to pro-
fessors in the third year of their
tenure track appointments in
chemistry, physics or astron-
omy,
” said Witus, 35, whose
interest in teaching chemistry
came to mind as she studied in
the Ann Arbor public schools
and did some tutoring.
“The use of Cottrell funds is
pretty open. While they don’t
go to me personally, they can
be budgeted for my salary while
doing the suggested work. A lot
of my funding will be used to
create summer research jobs for
students I can hire, and some

will go for supplies.
”
Witus, who won the award
based in part on her earlier
work with catalysts, submitted
her proposal projecting an edu-
cational component as creating
a new Macalester course to
explore scientific communi-
cation. Later, devising college
course content, often presented
remotely, and looking after
her two children whose Jewish
Community Center daycare
was canceled, Witus got the
idea for the 10-minute science
videos.
“My professional life as a
chemist and my personal life
as a newly full-time parent
merged,
” said Witus, who also
has received a grant from the
National Institutes of Health.
“I thought about what I could
be doing while the kids were
napping and decided on mak-
ing chemistry videos for them.
Then, when they woke up, they
could have fun watching them.
“I realized that even very
young kids are ready to learn
advanced scientific concepts.
Everything that they’re learning
is new to them so why not give
them these concepts about how
molecules work and how chem-
istry works. They were really
receptive to it and learned a

ton. I started posting the videos
online to share with friends,
and parents told me they also
learned a lot.
”

ANIMATED VIDEOS
Among the subjects covered
in the “Preschool PhD” series,
available on YouTube, are soap
and sunscreen. Witus made
them entirely on her own after
learning some video-creation
software tools to enhance her
hybrid teaching necessitated by
pandemic distances. She did the
animation and the voiceovers.
Witus, who was active with
Temple Beth Emeth while liv-
ing in Ann Arbor, has worked
with impressive professors and
met her husband, Dennis Cao,
in the process. He also teaches
at Macalester as a chemistry
professor specializing in organ-
ic materials.
“I went to Rice University
in Houston and decided to
major in chemistry because of
research I did with a professor,
”
Witus explained. “I thought it
was fun trying an experiment
that nobody had tried and
discovering new things. The
excitement of original scientific
research got me hooked.
“Because I was enjoying
research so much, I decid-

ed to go to graduate school
for a Ph.D. and continue
doing research. I went to
the University of California
Berkeley, and worked for
Professor Matthew Francis,
who’s now the chair of the
Department of Chemistry. He
made the lab feel like a family.
“
At that point, I decided to
become a professor, and I went
to Northwestern University and
worked for Professor Fraser
Stoddart, who won the Nobel
Prize in chemistry in 2016,
which was after I left. It was an
honor to get his note of con-
gratulations when he learned of
my award.
”
Although there were no sci-
entists in Witus’ growing-up
family, she experienced inspi-
ration from her late maternal
grandmother, Betty Meyer, who
earned a Ph.D. in math when
very few women entered that
field.
Witus and her husband were
pleased that they both could
work at a liberal arts college
that would allow them more
interaction with students, and
she is glad that her animated
videos are getting attention.
“My hope is that people
enjoy the videos for kids
and with kids, especially the
COVID vaccine video,
” Witus
said. “The goal is that when
people are able to see the world
from a molecular viewpoint,
a lot of things make sense.
Understanding the pandemic
we’re in, how viruses spread
and why vaccines work shares
knowledge beyond the scientif-
ic classroom.
”

OUR COMMUNITY

Leah
Witus

Details

Leah Witus’ videos can
be found by Googling
“YouTube — Preschool
PhD” or clicking
youtu.be/Fv5bs4SPiYE

Ann Arbor native wins chemistry award;
develops kids’ video explaining vaccines.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Vaccine Video