Science Alumni Return to Teach

A little story about Zach and Diane

Posted Monday, March 3, 2003

In 1993, Diane Jackson Constan, ’96, was a first-year student at Albion, while Zach Constan, ’95, was finishing up his sophomore year.  Neither thought that ten years later, they’d be at Albion, this time beginning their professional careers as college-level professors.  Although both Constans are working as one-year replacements at Albion, “It’s like coming home.  We love being back,” says Zach.

A physics major and member of the orchestra while at Albion College, Zach spent the last six years earning a doctorate in physics, studying the auditory system and psychoacoustics at Michigan State University.   He’s teaching astronomy and theoretical physics for the College.  “Even if it’s just for one year, this is a good way to get real teaching experience,” says Zach.  “Diane and I will have a year under our belts and we know what teaching is like.”

Diane also earned a doctorate from Michigan State University, in plant genetics, studying the biochemistry of chloroplast development.  A sabbatical replacement for geneticist Kenneth Saville, Diane is teaching genetics, supervising several sections of an introductory biology lab and teaching a seminar on genetically modified organisms.

Like Zach, Diane is enjoying professional life, although she notes that grading papers and projects is possibly even more arduous than studying was.  “Now we know more about what our professors had to go through, and we have a deeper appreciation for them,” she says.  Adds Zach, “Teaching is tough, but I do enjoy it.  It’s definitely different than doing research.”

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