At eight years old, Professor Nicole Sampson was already a budding scientist, playing with sugar to form crystals.

But the research that landed Sampson, a member of Stony Brook's chemistry department, in top scientific magazines earlier this month was a long way from growing sugar crystals.

Sampson's research team, using the latest in cutting edge knowledge on the interaction of the body's proteins, and a "a bit of luck" as one colleague put it, brought scientists closer to understanding one of the central mysteries in the formation of h uman life: what is it that male sperm cells latch onto on a woman's ovum, or egg, that begins the process of conception?

"You don't really understand biological interactions until you know in some detail what the molecules involved are doing," said Professor Robert Kerber, the chairman of undergraduate studies for the Chemistry Department, "Professor Sampson's results de scribe a key molecular step in the crucial ovum-sperm interaction."

This key step is when a protein molecule from the membrane of the sperm cell attaches itself onto a protein receptor on the ovum. Scientists have long known the identity of the sperm's protein, called fertilin-beta, but have until now been unable to i dentify the molecule that acts as its receptor on the ovum surface [see diagram]. An analogy to the dilemna would be that of a key and lock. For some time, scientists have known the identity of the key, the fertilin protein in male sperm, without knowin g which lock it fit into on the ovum.

"Every now and then there is research that hits on something that is really relevant to everyday life," said Chemistry Department Chairman Iwao Ojima, "Professor Sampson's has done that."

The Sampson team's identification of the ovum receptor is important, experts say, because it may lead to a new class of contraceptive drugs that physically blocks the receptors by tricking them into believing that a sperm has attached itself to the mem brane of the egg. By closing the receptors, sperm would be unable to enter and fertilize the ovum.

Sampson's findings in the area of ovum-sperm interaction is likely to aid other researchers working on other cell connections. "What she has found has implications related to a host of molecular cell adhesion issues," said Paul Primokoff, a cell biolog ist and professor at the University of California at Davis.

In conducting this research, Sampson's team entered an area of study that few private companies dare to tread. "Product liability is why they don't," said Sampson, "We don't have to worry about that because we're not devoloping drugs [that could have side effects], we're just conducting research."

The fact that Sampson conducted her research here, at a public university, has implications, Stony Brook University officials note, beyond making up for a lack of work being conducted in this area in the private sector; graduate and undergraduate stud ents took part at various stages of Sampson's study, moving their education beyond the classroom setting.

"The importance of research to the University is the oppurtunity in bringing in professors who have inquiring minds," said Gail Habicht, University vice-president for research and a professor in the Pathology Department, "The kind of people that can do that can excite bright inquiring students."

Sampson agreed. "Professors who conduct research stay excited about it, and can communicate that excitement to students, " she said.

If Sampson and Habicht are correct, then a number of students at the University are getting motivated by their work outside of the classroom. The University ranks in the top tier nationally of higher education research institutions, spending an estima ted $111 million on studies conducted at the University last year alone.

For now, Sampson says that she will continue to work to identify other ovum membrane receptors that take in sperm proteins, which begins the process of egg fertilization. "We've identified only one receptor," she said, noting that any contraceptives t hat come out of her research would, she estimated, block only 90% of the membrane pathways. "There's no such thing as being 10% pregnant," Sampson said, "we have a lot of work to do."