A Conversation With...
Dr. Cindi Maurstad

Q: Where did you grow up and how did you get here, (A&M-CC)?

A: Well, I’m an Air Force “brat”, so that means I’m from all over. My dad retired as a Lt. Colonel right before my junior year in high school and we moved back “home” to East Texas – Nacogdoches, actually. I attended Texas A & M University-College Station, where I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, Curriculum and Instruction (with a double emphasis in Biology and History) in December of 1978. Several years later I added a Composite Science certification. I lived in Kingwood, Texas, (north of Houston) for 13 years. And I taught junior high school for 3 years and high school for 10 years in the Houston area. My husband and I moved our family to Lafayette, Louisiana in 1994 where we lived for 5 ½ years. This move allowed me to work on the master’s degree I had always wanted to pursue in biology. I started graduate school at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and shortly thereafter thought , “What the heck, I’ll go for my Ph.D. while I’m at it”, and I did.. My Ph.D. was completed at Lafayette in 1999, Just months later we moved to Corpus Christi, Christmas 1999, due to my husband’s transfer. I was fortunate enough that TAMU-CC was advertising for a position suited to my background. In March, 2000 I was awarded a faculty position starting in August 2000 and I’m now in my fourth year in the Physical and Life Sciences department.

Q: What motivates you and has helped you become who you are today?

A: Probably what motivates me more than anything is that I’m very stubborn. I’m always looking for better and new ways to do things. I’m one of those people who can’t do a job halfway – do it right or not at all. My parents, especially my Dad, helped me become who I am today. He was an Air Force officer for 20 years, then spent 25 years as a vice-president for public relations in banking. My mom is a real estate broker and owns her own company. My dad was a pilot and always in leadership positions during his military career. In growing up, my sister and I were taught that you take the gifts you were given and help to make the world a better place. My parents both have a college degree and since I’m the oldest child on both sides of the family (oldest cousin, grandchild, niece . . .everything), a lot was expected of me.

Q: What makes you passionate about your field and teaching students?

A: I have always been fascinated with biology. My Ph.D. is in Environmental and Evolutionary Ecology, but I did all my dissertation work in immunology. In the sciences, there are always new things popping up in genetics and immunology. And science is applicable to everything and every person. And I’m passionate about my students learning. In my class, we explore different learning styles and they know what’s expected of them. They also know what they can expect of me. It’s great when I see my students getting excited about the topics we cover. Biology is anything but boring!

Q: What course(s) are your favorite to teach?

A: I have several favorites. I love my freshman Biology I & II in the fall and in the spring, but I also enjoy teaching upper-level Immunology. This past summer, I also wrote and taught an online course in Pathophysiology, the study of diseases and how they affect the human body. That was an interesting experience. Being entirely online, I answered a minimum of 150 emails per day from about 65 students for five weeks. Lots of work involved, but very rewarding.

Q: What co-curricular activities are you involved in, and how can students become involved with you in those activities?

A: Ah, co-curricular activities; (she smiles). I must be the Queen of the summer internship programs. I work with so many freshmen and get them involved in all sort of activities. I’m the Director of Peer Mentoring for in-coming freshman; treasurer for Sigma Xi, the scientific research society; Faculty Mentor of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), a Pre-Med Honor Society, a Pre-Professional Freshman Advisor. I also volunteer for Island Days and Summer Orientation. I’m a member of the university faculty core curriculum committee and in my fourth year in the Academy for Educator Development. Additionally I have grants in science technology, teacher preparation, problem-based learning and learning communities. There’s so much available to students and I enjoy helping students to participate.

Q: Outside of TAMUCC, what extracurricular activities are you involved in; what do you do for fun?

A: Just living in Corpus Christi is a blast. My husband and I live on Padre Island and have a 34 ft. Tartan sail boat, a 22 ft. bay boat and a couple of jet skis. Obviously, I love being out on the water, but I also enjoy reading (for fun) and sewing when I have the chance. I also love to sing and used to sing solos for weddings, etc. And I’m addicted to travel – probably due to moving around in the military as a child. I think there are just a lot of things that I LOVE TO DO!! (she smiles).

Q: Who inspired you the most or had the greatest impact during your collegiate experience which directed you to your field of study?

A: A wonderful professor at A & M College Station, Dr. Black. She was a French History professor and very passionate about the work she did. She taught me that when you choose a career in a field that you love, happiness just naturally follows.

Q: What is your greatest achievement and whom do you attribute this to?

A: This one is easy . . .my family, my kids. I have great kids. My husband and I are so proud of the incredible young women they’ve become. I think the values instilled in me by my parents, my upbringing, the wonderful teachers I’ve had and opportunities I’ve been afforded, the support and encouragement by family and friends – all of these have contributed to who I am today. God has so richly blessed me. I think God put me in places where I could make a difference. And it’s such a joy to be able to use my talents and gifts to make that difference. There’s definitely a reason why I ended up in Corpus Christi.

Q: What question does the study of Biology attempt to answer?

A: Biology is the study of life: who we are, how we interact with our environment. There are so many questions to answer and so many topics to explore. There’s always a sense of discovery in biology. As I mentioned before . . . it’s never boring!

Q: Wouldn’t be caught dead wearing?

A: At this stage in my life, a mini-skirt! (We both laughed at this one) I think bikinis are out too.