Carolina’s resident expert on preserved materials and microscope slides got her start in science with handfuls of rocks and insects.

“I have always loved science,” says product manager Candace Berkeley. “When I was little, I was always collecting bugs and rocks; I was fascinated by the natural world. When I looked through a microscope the first time, I knew I wanted to be a scientist. There was so much to discover.

“Moving into high school, my biology teacher really encouraged that love of science,” she remembers. “I will never forget dissecting the fetal pig and thinking, ‘Wow – this is how our bodies work.’ You can’t help but be a little mind-blown by science!”

Candace went on to earn her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Before coming to Carolina, she taught both introductory biology lecture and lab at the collegiate level.

She’s since been at Carolina for 13 years, starting as a product developer and moving into core product management and innovation. As a product manager, her expertise has been focused in preserved materials and slides for 9 years.

It’s no surprise then that Carolina’s preserved specimens are her favorite products—she couldn’t choose just one. When it comes to materials that support teachers and students, she is a big fan of our dissection mats.

“They are such a basic, easy-to-use product, but they have everything students need to be successful during a dissection,” Candace says. “They also make it easy for students to self-serve; we know instructors can’t help every student at once. Another huge plus: they are affordable and reusable!”

While Candace now helps students succeed from her role in developing hands-on materials, she says that watching students grasp concepts was also her favorite part of teaching.

“Being in the lab was the best part of teaching for me,” she says. “I loved seeing the students’ faces when the connection was made between the material and what they were actually experiencing in front of them.”

Her latest projects to support students include developing Carolina’s free, downloadable A&P body systems infographics and adding new preserved specimens to support agriculture and veterinary medicine instructors.

“In the past, we haven’t offered some of the products these instructors need,” Candace says. “I’m working closely with my department to make sure we can provide specimens used to train future veterinarians. That’s really important to me!”