The chair of Haverford's chemistry
department, Julio de Paula, is representing the United States
at the 40th General Assembly of the International Union of Pure
and Applied Chemistry this summer in Berlin. Chemists attending
the conference from around the world will be addressing a number
of issues, particularly those environmental problems associated
with the misuse of technology such as the proliferation of chemical
weapons.
De Paula was selected to attend the
meeting in Germany by the National Research Council because
of his achievements in the classroom and laboratory and for
his commitment to international issues. In 1998 he received
the prestigious Henry Dreyfus Teacher Scholar Award for his
strong teaching skills as well as his research on plant photosynthesis
and models of photodynamic therapy, a new type of treatment
used to kill tumor cells. Born in Brazil and educated mostly
in the United States, de Paula is a member of both the American
and Brazilian Chemical Societies.
While at the international union
meeting, he will participate in a committee on the teaching
of chemistry and help organize next year's conference for the
organization, CHEMRAWN (Chemical Research Applied to World Needs).
CHEMRAWN is a world-wide gathering of chemists who discuss educational,
industrial, social, and academic issues pertaining to chemistry.
This spring de Paula also was elected
Chemistry Councilor to the Council on Undergraduate Research,
an organization which promotes research at undergraduate institutions.
As Chemistry Councilor, he will deal closely with the federal
government to procure funding for undergraduate research.
