Susan Brustein, assistant principal of science and technology at the elite Flushing school, called Cooper an outstanding teacher. “The breadth of her knowledge and passion she brings to her teaching is extraordinary,” Brustein said.
   In addition, Cooper was described by Brustein as going beyond what is expected. “She is an outstanding role model, involved in the school plays, a mentor for Sing and the Olympiad coach,” the assistant principal said.
   Cooper established the Science Olympiad Club six years ago, and since then the team has won the city championship twice. Always interested in dancing, too, she handles the choreography for school musicals even while preparing students for entering the prestigious Intel Science Search competition. This year, Townsend Harris produced one semi-finalist.
   “She’s not just a teacher or even a mentor — she deals with us as adolescents and burgeoning scholars,” one student said.
   Pregnant and due in five weeks, Cooper said she will use the prize money for the baby’s room and to store the umbilical cord blood for the future. Stem cells can be extracted from the blood and if needed, used for the child’s or family’s health. Scientists say stem cells can be utilized to treat 70 diseases and genetic disorders.
   Her parents escaped communism from the Czech Republic, then Czechoslovakia, and she enjoys making trips there to visit relatives. Cooper got interested in science through her involvement with dance. “I’m mildly injury-prone so I combined it with science to learn about the human body,” she said.
   Cooper teaches biology, biomedical ethics, anatomy-physiology and junior and senior science research. In addition, she’s in charge of two school publications that come out once a year. One is the Journal of Science Research and the other is Quantum Cat, in which students write about science topics.
   Cooper plans to return to work after having the baby, but she’s not sure when. Brustein said other staff members will fill in for her. “Her classes are highly specialized” and not just any substitute teacher would do.
   Cooper was nominated for the Sloan Award by Brustein during the last school year and didn’t know about it until she was picked as a semifinalist in March. Judges came to the school and interviewed her, staff and students.