Christine Broussard Because of her love of folk music, Christine Broussard was taken to her first contra dancing lesson by a friend who thought she would enjoy it. She not only found a passion for the dance while she was there, but she met her husband as well. Contra dancing, an American dance that is over 200 years old and similar to square dancing, involves dancers lining up and every two couples performing a series of moves as directed by a caller. Broussard says it is an incredible amount of fun, and you don’t have to know what to do when you start because the caller will tell you. Contra dancing is accompanied by live music, usually including a fiddle, flute and drums. “Many people who contra dance also enjoy folk music,” she says, which is true of herself. Broussard enjoys folk music because the music is more than a catchy tune, the songs tell a story, she says. Her first contra experience took place in Maryland, but she has danced in Colorado and Vermont and various other places. “Basically, everywhere I’ve ever gone I’ve been able to find a contra dance group,” Broussard says. “It’s usually just a group of really nice people.” There are many contra dances locally in the Los Angeles area. Broussard’s husband, Jeremy Korr, is a caller often three times a week. The two dance every second Sunday of the month at Veterans Hall in La Verne. Broussard has already taken her newborn son Gabriel. She wants to get him interested because she and her husband both really love it. “I was dancing when I was pregnant, so he’s already been,” she says. Another love in her life is biology. Broussard enjoys the complexity of biology. “There’s an elegance about it that is beautiful,” she says. “When I learn a new thing in biology, to me, that’s art.” Remembering back to elementary school, Broussard remembers wanting to be a gymnast, a veterinarian and a marine biologist. “Even as early as that something about biology peeked my interest,” she says. Studying biology has taken Broussard around the country. She attended college in Louisiana, where she grew up. “Louisiana is environmentally very beautiful,” she says. Next she completed her Ph.D. at the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center. “Texas was hot,” Broussard laughs, adding it was “top three for immunology in country.” Prior to coming to ULV, Broussard completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Health main campus in Bethesda, Maryland where she did research 100 percent of the time, studying T-cell development. “The National Institute of Heath is world renowned for its research,” she says. One of the things she enjoyed most about Maryland was the seasons. Broussard says it was eye-opening to see snow and true fall colors. She only remembers it snowing twice in Louisiana. She enjoyed hiking and being outdoors, something she hopes to do again soon with her son. Broussard likes the area surrounding her home in Southern California because it is less than an hour to the mountains, an hour or two to the desert and about an hour to the beach. “It’s pretty incredible,” she says. “Three very different ecosystems a very short drive from home. We get to do lots of different things.” When she first joined the faculty at ULV, Broussard helped set up biology department hikes locally in places like Claremont and Mt. Baldy. “We never went far, but there’s so much here you don’t have to go too far to find a trail,” she says. She would have someone lead the hike who was familiar with the area so that the hike could also be educational. Sometimes it would also include star gazing trips. A relief from four walls, hiking helps Broussard satisfy her curiosity about the world around her. “I feel my spirituality the strongest when I’m in the forest,” she says. “I feel connected to the planet more.” That’s what she feels is missing in many people’s lives. “We’re not really connected to the planet even though we depend on it. If people get out and experience it they might have a better appreciation for the planet and take better care of her.” RETURN TO FACULTY LISTmailto:broussac@ulv.edu?subject=HELLOHome.htmlshapeimage_1_link_1
Christine Broussard Click on the picture to send an e-mail