For some faculty members, chemistry goes beyond the periodic table.
Robert and Elzbieta Cook, a professor and an instructor in the University’s Chemistry Department, are celebrating almost 20 years of being each other’s Valentine.
They’ve been married for 18-and-a-half years — Elzbieta was quick to correct her husband, who thought it was only 17.
The Cooks met in 1992 while studying at the University of Calgary. Both were graduate students working toward doctorate degrees in chemistry.
Besides chemistry, the pair held common interests that include hiking, spending time outdoors and enjoying winter sports.
About six months into their relationship, Elzbieta left for Germany. The couple maintained a long-distance relationship for a year, communicating through e-mail and expensive phone calls.
“I’m the one who made her move,” Robert said after Elzbieta accusingly pointed at him as the reason for their Southern relocation.
Universities in Calgary weren’t apt for the scope of Robert’s research, and strict Canadian anti-nepotism laws proved problematic for the bubbling chemists, who wanted to work together.
Though the cultural shift was vast, Robert said they’ve grown comfortable and accustomed to the Southern lifestyle, and Elzbieta would kill him if he forced another relocation.
The couple’s work keeps them busy and often separate from each other despite their shared area of study.
“This may be the only time we spend together this week,” Robert said of his wife seated at his side.
The Cooks say hello upon passing each other in Choppin Hall and may share a lunch or two in the Union during the week, but that’s the extent of their shared workplace. They teach on alternating days and don’t carpool to work.
But Elzbieta said working with her spouse can be convenient. Robert teaches her class when she’s sick, and she administers his exams while he’s traveling.
Elzbieta said she and her husband are “too spontaneous” for Valentine’s Day. Advance dinner reservations just wouldn’t work for them, she said. They prefer to stay home with their pets and a bottle of wine.
Next door in the Life Sciences building, biological sciences faculty members Bill and Sheri Wischusen share a similar love story.
The couple met in graduate school at the University of Alabama, and their relationship developed as they spent time together at school and events like potlucks and bar happy hours.
Bill admitted he was late for their first date at a local Chinese restaurant after getting caught up in a project.
“We were graduate students — we couldn’t afford anything else,” Sheri said.
The Wischusens rode the tide from Alabama to LSU after both were offered jobs in the Biology Department.
They’ve collaboratively published academic papers and host the biology boot camp, BIOS, for incoming freshmen.
“We don’t know any better — it’s what we’ve always done,” Sheri said of working together.
Sheri, the College of Science director of undergraduate research, said she and Bill, an associate professor, collaborate well because their skill sets complement each other.
When asked about Valentine’s Day plans, Bill shot back with “I can’t tell you that!” and Sheri called the day a made-up holiday.
The pair lives by academic calendars, and Bill said Valentine’s Day always falls during a busy time in the semester.
“We’ve finally got the semester rolling, and now we’re deep into planning next semester,” he said.
 
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Contact Emily Herrington at [email protected]