Andrea McCurry: Scientist by day, Pistons dance team member by night
by Heather Zara
Pistons.com
August 2011
She’s a scientist by day and an NBA dancer by night.
Her name is Andrea McCurry and she is one of Automotion’s new faces for the 2011-2012 season.
Her dancing skills and energetic showmanship earned her the spot on the Pistons’ dance team, but her scholarly smarts and exciting career as a scientist make her a prime example of what the Automotion team strives to be: well-rounded women who are not only crowd-pleasing entertainers but educated and inspirational ambassadors in the community and off of the court, as well.
McCurry is an assistant scientist in the analytical development department of Emergent BioDefense Operations, a biopharmaceutical company in Lansing.
“We research and manufacture the anthrax vaccine,” said McCurry. “We’re the only FDA-approved vaccine.”
Before McCurry began developing and testing vaccines in a lab for a living, she attended Michigan State University where she earned a degree in human biology.
“All throughout high school, I had an interest in all of my science classes, so I checked out Lyman Briggs (residential college specializing in sciences) at MSU and I declared a major in human biology because I really enjoyed the work and I always wanted to be in lab.”
While McCurry might be the first scientist to represent Automotion, the team’s members already spanned the professional spectrum.
“We have had an interior designer, a fashion designer, many teachers, students, legal assistants, nurses. We’ve had a doctor, bankers, TV hosts, personal trainers, dance coaches and entrepreneurs, but never a scientist,” dance team director Rebecca Girard said. “Often, people think the women are just full-time dancers but that’s not the case. They are all so smart and so well-rounded.”
McCurry not only has a superhero day job creating vaccines that help protect people around the world, but she has also managed to beat out the competition to be a professional dancer in the NBA. That’s an opportunity few experience.
“My co-workers are extremely excited for me and they are really supportive,” said McCurry on her new adventure as an Automotion dancer. “They’re happy to see that I’m able to do something I’m passionate about in addition to having a career.”
McCurry has been dancing for over 20 years and started her training at a local dance studio in her hometown of Davison. She looks forward to growing as a professional dancer and bonding with her teammates.
“She just brings a level of poise that is so necessary for this job,” Girard said. “I was just drawn to her the first time I saw her. She’s just so radiant.”
