January faculty and staff features

Julio Alvarez, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry
Alvarez, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry, has been awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER award of $550,000 for a period of five years. The grant will enable Alvarez to develop new strategies for detecting chemicals of biological and environmental significance, such as neurotransmitters and pesticides, using plastic microfluidic systems. These systems deal with volumes of liquid on the order of nanoliters or picoliters and have widespread applications including biochemical analysis and chemical synthesis. The research program will also involve an outreach initiative involving senior students and teachers from high schools in the Richmond area and undergraduates at VCU. The initiative uses inexpensive microfluidic experiments to introduce basic chemical concepts to students. The NSF Faculty Early Career Development program supports activities of teacher-scholars who integrate research and education. Alvarez’s CAREER award is the first in VCU’s Department of Chemistry. The grant will begin in February.

Judyth L. Twigg, associate professor and interim director of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, has edited “HIV/AIDS in Russia and Eurasia.” The two-volume set brings together the writings of leading experts on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Russia and the Eurasian region. “HIV/AIDS in Russia and Eurasia” was published by Palgrave Macmillan in January 2007 and includes a foreword by former Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott.