Stacey Darling-Novak A biologist who enjoys nature is an obvious connection. For Stacey Darling-Novak, professor of biology at the University of La Verne, the golf course gives her peace of mind because it is serene, pretty, quiet and green. “When I’m out there, the rest of the world fades away,” Darling-Novak says. “You get on the course, and it’s just relaxing. The grass is so green and pretty, and it smells good. You’re out in nature, but doing a sport at the same time.” Although she says it is hard to find time to play because golf is such a time-consuming game, she enjoys going to the driving range with friends. Her husband also plays well, she says. “It’s one of those sports you can hang onto and play till you’re 80,” she says, but adds that it’s a game of perfection that can be frustrating at times. “It’s a game that’s not easy to master, that’s for sure.” While she believes all golf courses are beautiful, Carmel would be her dream course to play. Although she has only seen it on television, she says, “The courses on the coast are gorgeous.” Darling-Novak’s love of nature extends into her research as well. She has recently combined work with her love of orchids. “They’re just amazing,” she says of the complex flower. “The diversity is outrageous. They have a spectacular appearance and fragrance.” Normally one cannot cross species of flowers, Darling-Novak says, but orchids are more liberal. “Hybrids can be created more easily,” she says. “The goal is to take two not closely related and make a unique hybrid through a cell fusion procedure.” The purpose of her research is to be able to preserve genetic material that is being lost through deforestation. The process has never been done before, but if successful the hybrids will contain the genetic information, ensuring that it won’t be lost. “We don’t want to lose what we can’t cultivate.” Darling-Novak has been fond of orchids since she was a child. “My grandmother grew prize winning orchids and African Violets,” she says. “I remember being in her greenhouse as a kid. It’s in my blood.” Orchids have been a side project, however, to Darling-Novak’s corn culture research. In her research, Darling-Novak is trying to hinder a process called program cell death in the kernels of maize. “If we can delay it, more cells may have the opportunity to accumulate starches,” she says. The work attempts to slow that process down, increasing productivity and decreasing invasiveness by using less land. Darling-Novak started her research on maize when she came to the University, and says it is well supported because there is a big emphasis on the idea of sustainability on campus. “There’s a growing population we have to feed,” she says. Darling-Novak has two young sons, whom she soon hopes to get involved in activities she enjoys, but has not done in some time. Among those activities is water skiing. “I can’t wait for them to grow up so I can get back into it,” she says. The same goes for tennis, a sport she played through high school and a little in college at Fresno State. She has recently taken her oldest son ice skating, another one of her interests. In the meantime, most of her time is spent teaching. Darling-Novak likes that the biology classes at ULV are very personalized and that the instructor teaches the class rather than the teaching assistant, as she used to do while in college. With lots of hands-on experience available, Darling-Novak says our students “get a great deal of research experience many undergraduates at other institutions do not get.” RETURN TO FACULTY LISTmailto:novaks@ulv.edu?subject=HELLOHome.htmlshapeimage_1_link_1
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