University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: January 19, 2006

By JESSICA KELTZ
Reporter Contributor

Luis Colón came to the mainland United States from Puerto Rico intending to get his doctorate in chemistry and go to work in industry, not academia.

Luis Colón (center, with beard) feels that by conducting research and helping to shape future scientists, some of whom are shown here in Colón’s lab, he’s contributing to society in two ways.
PHOTO: SUE WUETCHER

"But as I went to graduate school, I went through a transformation," recalls the UB professor of chemistry. He says that fellow students who didn't have strong relationships with faculty members were treated badly and struggled in school and for direction. "I saw that other students were not as fortunate (as I was) with hearing good advice—having a good mentor—and I think that motivated me to become one."

Colón was honored for his mentoring work with students, as well as his scientific accomplishments, when he was inducted into the Hispanic Scholarship Fund's Alumni Hall of Fame last fall, an honor he shares with such prominent Americans as Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and Clinton cabinet member Federico Peña. Colón, who received a scholarship from the fund in 1989 to study at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, was presented with the "Optimista" award, which, Colón explains, is given to a person who has achieved success despite circumstances in his or her life. Previous Optimista award winners include Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who was honored in 2002.

Colón says he received the award partially in recognition of the mentoring work he has done since he began teaching at UB in 1993.

At that time, the university had no Hispanic graduate students studying chemistry. Since Colón arrived, there have been more than a dozen. In fact, he has established a "pipeline" between UB and the University of Puerto Rico-Cayey, helping to recruit UPR-Cayey graduates into the UB chemistry graduate program.

"They have seen me as a role model, I guess," he says. "I think it's a good experience for them to see somebody who was able to make it."

Colón himself has benefited from having mentors. He grew up in Cidra, a small town in Puerto Rico, as the oldest of seven children born to parents who did not graduate from high school. His ninth-grade science teacher, Mr. Guzman, insisted that he pursue college-oriented studies, rather than the vocational track he had planned. Colón did so well he was able to transfer to a high school for gifted and talented students.

From there, he went on to graduate magna cum laude from UPR-Cayey with a bachelor's degree in chemistry and work in the pharmaceutical industry for five years.

Colón came to the mainland U.S. to pursue a doctorate in analytical chemistry at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. He was a postdoctoral research associate at Stanford University for two years before taking a tenure-track position in the Department of Chemistry at UB.

For Colón, academia provides the perfect mix of research, teaching and working closely with students, as well as the opportunity to pursue research that most interests him.

"I know people who like their jobs, but they say it's just a job," he says. "This is more than just a job. It's a part of my life and I love to do it."

By working toward scientific discovery and helping to shape future scientists, he feels he's contributing to society in two ways at once, he adds.

Much of Colón's research centers around chemical analysis on the micron and sub-micron scales, studying new materials for chemical separations and the development of non-invasive medical sampling methods for clinical diagnosis. His research group works in an area called "separation science," looking into the complexities of biological fluids and other systems, including microorganisms and even single cells. The work, he says, has potential applications in clinical diagnosis and the design of therapeutic treatment, as well as in the realm of environmental problems and solutions.

In addition to recognition by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Colón was named 2004 Faculty Mentor of the Year by the Compact for Faculty Diversity, a national initiative to produce more minority Ph.D.s and encourage them to seek faculty positions, and has twice won UB's Inventors Recognition Award. From 1999-2001, a National Science Foundation Award for Special Creativity funded his research. He has supervised 28 graduate students at UB, published more than 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals, and his research has led to eight U.S. patents.